Guide to buying 'ethical' chocolate.

Cococaravan at Chippenham Vegan Fair 2019 / Photo credit: Alison Woodham Photography

Since the first chocolate bar was invented by Joseph Fry in 1847, companies have been creating new and delicious ways for us to eat the magic cacao bean.

Every year we see chocolate makers searching for the next big thing and we’ve had everything from chocolate flavoured with black olives to bacon appearing on the market. In 2008 Paul A Young burst onto the scene with his famous salted caramels - now iconic flavour (his Marmite truffles didn’t attract quite so much praise!)

Luckily for us vegans the trend for dairy free, cruelty free chocolate has finally arrived and with it clever companies reinventing old favourites and coming up with delicious vegan versions of chocolates.

In the last year we’ve seen big brands like Galaxy and more recently Dairy Milk announce that they are bringing out vegan versions of their much loved chocolates. However, whilst all of these products have a rightful place in the market and are a great way of encouraging non-vegans to try out vegan options, it’s very important to remember that not all chocolate is made equal!

Here’s our guide to figuring out what is what and why it’s so important to support independents.

What do all the chocolate terms mean?

Bean To Bar

This is used to describe the method of taking the raw beans and controlling the whole process of making them into the finished produce. This is often associated with small batch craft chocolate makers.

Craft Chocolate

Is made from the raw cacao bean, with an emphasis on ethical sourcing. It’s usually made in small batches and focusses on a single estate bean with an intention of bringing out the intrinsic flavour of the bean.

Cococaravan at Abergavenny Vegan Fair 2019 / Photo credit: Alex Tyler

Raw Chocolate

In principle the chocolate is never heated above 42 degrees C in the grinding process. This leads to the antioxidants within the unroasted beans being retained and the chocolate having a healthier ingredient profile. This is often the sort of chocolate made by the people growing the beans. Some raw companies ‘temper’ their chocolate and some don’t.

Chocolate Makers

All of the above would call themselves ‘Chocolate Makers’. They could be using speciality ingredients such are unrefined sugars instead of refined white sugar and steering away from emulsifiers such as soya lecithin. 

Chocolatiers

Generally take a chocolate made by another company and use it to create there own flavours. This is the more conventional style of chocolate you’ll find in the mainstream shops, but made by hand in small batches with more care.  They’ll make the chocolate in small batches using less preservatives and fresher ingredients.

Treats such as truffles generally have a shorter shelve life, but a much nicer flavour. The are inventive and their products have flair and creativity you won’t find in the supermarket. They will all be ‘tempering’ their chocolate a method that creates the ‘snap’ structure and shiny surface of chocolate that makes it a nicer texture to eat.

Fairtrade

Perhaps a word you are more familiar with as it is used across many products, not just chocolate. According to the official Fairtrade website: “Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.”

Organic

Again, another word you’ve probably heard! If chocolate is organic then it means that no artificial chemicals have been used to grow the ingredients. There are many benefits to growing organic including less soil & water pollution, less harm to wildlife and many health benefits. Did you also know that healthy soil is a major store of carbon so organic farming could even help reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere! For more information head to the Organic Soil Association website.

Why is shopping independent better?

In general smaller companies, practice ethical and direct sourcing with fair trade or fairly traded and better quality ingredients.  The chocolate is made with cocoa butter instead of cheaper vegetable oils or palm oil and tastes better!

Many will be choosing to work with small cooperatives and directly with independent growers. Some are sourcing from organic or environmentally aware suppliers.

Packaging is also big issue for small independents and they tend to be single use plastic free and using compostable or recycled materials. 

And of course being vegan - no dairy makes it better for the animals, the planet and your health!

Why go to a Chocolate Festival?

Well yes, you can buy chocolate on the High St, but at an event you’ll see the chocolate equivalent of the high end fashion shows. There’ll be chocolate in every form you can imagine and probably some you haven’t, whether it’s bars, truffles, moulded chocolates, fudges, boxed chocolates and unusual Easter gifts expect handmade eggs and vegan versions of cream eggs.

Chippenham Vegan Chocolate Festival takes place on Sat 21 Mar at The Neeld Community & Arts Centre.
Entry is just £2 which also gains you entry to The Eco Art & Craft Fair.