So on my quest for organic chocolate, I found this at Henry’s Market. I bought a bag of their chocolate sun drops (bottom left side of the picture). What is great about these products can best be said from their website
Sunspire was founded in 1979 by Janet Jennings, a fourth generation “chocolatier” who used her family’s old-fashioned chocolate making know-how to create all natural chocolate products for baking, snacking and candy making. Fueled by Janet’s vision and our decades of chocolate experience, we stand by our belief that the best way to practice our craft is without any artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or additives, using only the highest quality ingredients.
So they have a great philosophy on keeping things as natural as possible. And, they’re really good. I think I paid 99 cents for a single pack at 1.19oz. Granted, I can go buy a big pack of M&Ms for less, but I think there is a real difference in taste and in the “mouth feel” of the candy – much smoother and richer so well worth the extra cost for a good quality chocolate. Even better, they also have an attitude where they take care of their suppliers and their communities. Again from their website:
We provide hands-on support to our cocoa growers by donating tools and resources to improve their harvests. When you buy Sunspire, you’re directly contributing to the well-being of cocoa farmers and their communities.
They even have a very educational and informative FAQ on their site that I found quite interesting and they discuss the difference between chocolate and carob as well (of which they sell both) which I used to think was an alternative to chocolate (they set me straight on that).
So if you or your kids like M&Ms, I would suggest giving these a try. Yes they do cost more than the big industry chocolate, but I think you’ll find that the better chocolate experience is worth the cost. As a Dad on a journey to healthy living, good eating habits, and plenty of exercise I count every calorie. At 180 calories for a bag it’s worth another 20 minutes on the elliptical machine!
