12 Decadent Fair Trade and Organic Chocolates

Velvet Heart Artisan Chocolate

Ah chocolate, how we love thee (it can even be good for us!). Unfortunately, conventional chocolate production isn\'t good for the earth, fueling wars in Africa, engulfing rain forests, spreading toxic pesticides, and paying out meager wages (especially to child workers). But luckily for us chocoholics there is a sweet story as well, with organic and fair trade chocolate becoming much more widely available.

So show someone your romantic side by giving them something special: a red velvet box (perfect for reusing) filled with gourmet Swiss chocolate truffles. Unlike drugstore brands, each delectable piece is made with single-origin, fair trade Costa Rican chocolate. Each heart contains three gourmet flavors: sweet and tart Bing Cherry ganache, creamy white Madagascar Vanilla Bean, and paisley-shaped Jamaican spice caramels. Sweet. Find at Organic Style.

Green & Black\'s Organic Chocolate

A bar of organic chocolate...a little espresso for two...sounds like a fabulously romantic moment. Green & Black\'s controls every step of the chocolate-making process from \"the bean to the bar,\" paying Belize cocoa farmers fair trade prices and supporting their cooperative. The company\'s exquisite, rich bars are available from coast to coast, and there\'s a zip code store locator on their site.

CocoaVino Chocolates

Get drunk with love for CocoaVino\'s tempting assortment of organic and fair trade artisanal chocolate bonbons. Astonishing flavors have names like Bacchanal and Roman Holiday, and are filled with a splash of liqueur or wine...yum. CocoaVino uses a mix of certified organic and fair trade ingredients that are regionally grown and sustainably harvested.

Divine Chocolate

What we really love about Divine Chocolate is that it\'s the world\'s first farmer-owned, certified fair trade chocolate brand, dedicated to improving the livelihood of small-scale cocoa farmers in Ghana. That and the fact that it tastes decadent, a word we love around here. There\'s a cool Google Maps store finder on their site.

Divine Chocolate Hearts

Looking for something more bite sized? Divine makes melt-in-your-mouth hearts in milk and dark chocolate. Yep, they\'re fair trade certified as well.

Endangered Species Chocolate

Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10% of its net profits to help support at-risk species, habitat and humanity. The delicious chocolates are made with ethically traded, shade-grown cacao and are certified organic. Indulge your sweet tooth and know that your money is going toward the greater good.

Theo Chocolate

Seattle\'s Theo Chocolate uses fire-roasted, organic and fair trade certified cocoa beans, taking them from \"bean to bar\" in its U.S. factory. Pure cocoa butter is used to achieve the buttery \"mouth feel\" usually associated with quality chocolate. No soy lecithin or cheaper substitutes are allowed in this richly satisfying chocolate -- Willy Wonka would be proud.

Newman\'s Own Organics Chocolate

Pair a couple of these chocolate beauties from Newman\'s Own Organics with The Sting or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and you\'ve got a sweetly sustainable, affordable and totally romantic evening. Available all over the place and online.

Native Gardens Vegan Truffles

Looking for vegan, dairy-free chocolate? Check out Los Angeles-based Native Gardens, which uses only certified organic, all-natural ingredients. We tried their vegan dark chocolate truffles (yum!). The company has made vegan tortes and vegan cheesecake, but those products are currently unavailable. Everything is said to be \"diabetic friendly.\"

Whole Foods 365 Organic Truffles

Full disclosure: We gorged ourselves on these 365 Organic Truffles from Whole Foods. OK? And we bought them with our own money -- no, they were not sent by a PR firm. It\'s so easy to drop these little beauties into the basket while shopping. We\'d eat them 365 days a year.

sweetriot

Share some love with uber-delicious sweetriot. Each reusable tin packs a wallop of goodness with dark chocolate-coated cacao nibs. No ordinary candy, sweetriot is refreshing and all natural, as well as antioxidant-rich, dairy-free, kosher, and gluten-free. The fair trade chocolates come in three formulations, including with espresso. Yum!

Vere Chocolate

Perfect for the eco-chocoholic on your list, Vere Chocolates are made from sustainably grown, pesticide-free cocoa beans. Made with natural sweeteners, these signature handmade clusters are low in sugar, big on flavor, and packed with nutritious ingredients. The result: a wholesome confection you can savor as a daily dose.

Dagoba Organic Chocolate

If variety is the spice of life, the Dagoba Organic Chocolate Sampler is a must. The fine organic chocolate bars come in flavors like lavender and roseberry, and each bar is wrapped in 100% recycled paper, with biodegradable labels. They\'re also 100% delicious.