We love our producers, suppliers and vendors and we think most of them have some pretty interesting stories behind their products too. We’re sharing some of our favorites here in an ongoing series.

To make Theo’s organic, Whole Trade® chocolate bars, sipping chocolates and roasted cocoa nibs, every single cocoa bean is roasted in a vintage 1930s ball roaster from Germany. In fact, nearly all of the machines in their chocolate factory are recycled and recalibrated from artisan factories in Europe. Just like the lengths that went into sourcing equipment, there is utmost emphasis on sourcing ingredients.

“We built a company to make great chocolate and to have a huge impact on the people who produce cocoa,” says Theo Chocolate CEO Joe Whinney. From bean to bar, the folks at Theo hold themselves to exceedingly high standards, scrutinize every step of the process and ruminate over every decision, big or small. Fair trade, organic cocoa; local mint, cherries and almonds; recyclable (and beautiful!) packaging are just a few of the choices they’ve made to make the world better for producers, the planet and chocolate lovers everywhere. All of Theo’s attention to detail has earned the company numerous awards and accolades since they began in 2007.

“It’s a labor of love,” says Debra Music, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We are acutely aware of the responsibility we have to create positive lasting impact.” As Music says, “Chocolate is an amazing vehicle for educating people, because as a culture we LOVE chocolate!”