My appreciation for chocolate increased after I met Bucket Hat Rose. Before that I had basic candy bars and pieces and liked milk chocolate. Fast forward a few years and I pick the dark chocolate others leave behind at meetings.
In June 2016 we were up in Seattle, where Theo Chocolate factory is. It was founded in 2005 but didn’t sell their first chocolate bar until 2006. What makes them “different” is that they use organic ingredients and are fair trade certified – the first in North America to be both. We’ve purchased their bars before so we knew we liked them and thought the tour would be a fun way to learn more about how chocolate is made. We purchased tickets in advance since they can’t guarantee a day/time if you walk up, and since we weren’t in town long, this made sense for us. Also no fragrances can be worn – so some people may need to plan according to that.
The tour with up to 25 people, was about an hour long and gave a good understanding of where they get their cacao, the process of turning that into bars, and fair trade practices.
Like most tours, you end up in the gift shop when you are done, which is also open to the public without purchasing a tour ticket. They have a lot of varieties of chocolate and some sampler packs. Some of our favorite are the Dark Peanut Butter Cups, the 85% pure dark chocolate, and the mint. Those actually sound really boring (but classics!) compared to some varieties they make such as Root Beer Barrel, Cranberry Orange, and Tumeric Spice. They even have a vegan chocolate.
Theo Chocolate Factory Website
Location: 3400 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Cost: $12 per person (as of May 2020)
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