Theo Chocolate, Seattle

###Theo Chocolate Theo Chocolate isn’t the first confectionery to win [awards](http://gr.pn/1vtM5C1) from _Seattle Magazine_ and _Food Network_, but it’s probably the first to be mentioned by a movie star during his testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. This strange development resulted from Theo’s partnership with Ben Affleck and his Eastern Congo Initiative, which joined forces with the chocolatiers to bring ethical working conditions to cocoa farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Though the celebrity backing is something new for Theo founder Joe Whinney, the mission is not. Whinney’s interest in fair-trade agriculture dates back to his days as a volunteer in Belize, where he witnessed firsthand the inhumane working conditions farmers often face. And so Theo Chocolate was born. Committed to organic, fair-trade, non-GMO ingredients, the staff culls cocoa beans from the DRC, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, and beyond for use in its Seattle-made confections. In addition to pure milk and dark chocolate, Theo offers bars infused with tantalizing flavors like ghost chilies, ginger, and fig, fennel, and almond. And though creating spectacular flavors is one of its top priorities, Theo is first and foremost globally focused. Even during chocolate-making tours, the staff is keen to emphasize the interconnectedness of the process; the ways in which a single chocolate bar can unite a cocoa farmer in Peru, a chocolatier in Seattle, a consumer in New Jersey, and a voyeuristic alien watching it all through a big telescope.