Theo Chocolate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 
Theo Chocolate in 2017
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| Privately held company | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington |
| Products | |
Theo Chocolate is a company from the United States that makes chocolate. Its main office is in Seattle, Washington. When it started in 2006, it was special. It was the first company in the U.S. to make cocoa that was both organic and fair trade-certified. This means their cocoa is grown without harmful chemicals. It also means farmers are paid fairly for their hard work.
Theo Chocolate has bought cocoa beans from many countries. These include the Congo, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Madagascar, Peru, and Venezuela.
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The Story of Theo Chocolate
Theo Chocolate was started in 2006 by Jeff Fairhall and Joe Whinney. They opened their business in the Fremont area of Seattle. Their factory is in an old building called the Fremont Trolley Barn.
Joe Whinney became very interested in the Theobroma cacao plant. This is the plant where cocoa beans come from. He wanted to start a chocolate business. He also wanted to help the farmers who grew the beans. He worked hard to find good organic cocoa beans. After finding an investor, they built the Theo Chocolate factory. The company was named after the Theobroma cacao tree.
In April 2018, Etienne Patout became the company's CEO. He used to work for Kellogg's.
In June 2023, the company announced some changes. It closed its Seattle factory later that year. This was part of a merger with the American Licorice Company. The flagship store in Seattle also permanently closed on February 16, 2025.
What Theo Chocolate Sells
Theo Chocolate sells many kinds of chocolate bars. These include Classic, Fantasy, Limited Edition, Baking, and Holiday chocolates. The company also sells tasty caramels and other special treats.
Chocolate Safety: Metal Content
In 2022, a group called Consumer Reports tested some dark chocolate bars. They found that two Theo Chocolate bars had small amounts of lead and cadmium. These are metals that can be harmful in large amounts.
For example, one bar, the Theo Organic Pure Dark 70% Cocoa, had more than the recommended amount of lead and cadmium. Another bar, the Theo Organic Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa, also had higher levels of these metals. Consumer Reports shares this information to help people make informed choices.
Learning About Theo Chocolate
Cengage Learning made a short video about Theo Chocolate. It is called "Theo Chocolate." The video talks about how the company uses fair trade practices. It also explains how they manage their business from bean to bar.
