If You're Following The Diet, But Still Having Symptoms . .

Post by **Rosie** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 2:04 pm

Lyn, those chocolate nibs sound delicious. A company here in the US call Theo Chocolate sells something similar. They also have the most wonderful DF/GF/SF chocolate. I'm totally addicted and eat half a 3 oz bar a day. That's my indulgence and helps make up for all the other stuff I can't eat. They are based in Seattle and are one of the few chocolate manufacturers that start with the cocoa bean, so they have complete control over the process. Most manufacturers buy the chocolate blocks or syrup and go from there. Theo Chocolate is based in Seattle, and I toured the plant last month when I was visiting my daughter. I asked a lot of questions. It's not huge, and most of the work is done by hand. They buy fair market organic chocolate from farmers all over the world. The owner got started when he was just out of college volunteering at a cocoa farm in Central America. So he had lots of contacts there to get started. They have special single source chocolates from various places in Central America, Africa, and Madagascar with slightly different flavors. They have some sort of partnership with Jane Goodall because of their work with small organic cocoa growers.

None of their chocolate contains soy. They have separate lines for their milk chocolate and dark chocolate, so there isn't diary contamination. A very few of their products do contain gluten, like their pretzel chocolate, which is milk chocolate anyway. I asked how they clean out between batches to prevent cross-contamination. What they do is push through the next batch until all the old batch is gone. This "mixed" chocolate never goes into a product. Instead, they collect it and either donate it to the local food bank or use it in their huge (think 2-3 feet tall) decorative molds (Santa, Buddah, etc.) that usually don't get eaten. If you can find a local store that carries Theo, it's a lot cheaper than ordering from their web site. http://www.theochocolate.com/

Rosie

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:13 pm

It looks like Whole Foods carries Theo Chocolate. I've looked at all their chocolate bars, but seemed to have missed this one. Maybe I saw it, but thought the price was too high. I'll have to look again.

Thanks for the information.

Gloria

Post by **Rosie** » Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:31 pm

Gloria, here in Oregon it's $3.29 for the 3 oz bars of dark chocolate. It's a bit pricy, but in line with other premium chocolates. It's 70% cocoa, so it's dak, but not as chalky as higher percents. And the sweetness level is just perfect for my taste. I've had some bars, ususally the less expensive ones that just have too much sugar. The local Market of Choice just carries the mint, orange and cherry/almond bars. When I toured the plant I was able to sample some other flavors, like Spicy Chile and Fig, Fennel and Almond that sound wierd but actually are pretty tasty.

To me, spending a bit to have something that tastes wonderful on a regular basis is money well spent....I consider it medically necessary for my mental health!

Rosie