If you’ve just started omitting unsustainable palm oil from your diet in favor of palm oil free products, you might be a little concerned about getting your chocolate fix. I know I was at first. Once I got over the initial realization that Oreos were out of the question, I started turning every label in the chocolate aisle to see what I’d rather support instead. Long, long time later, I have no problem avoiding palm oil in the candy aisle, and eat (slightly) less junk because of it. (As it turns out, if a company refuses to use hydrongenated vegetable oils like palm and canola, they tend to have higher quality ingredients overall.) While each ethical chocolate company has a different approach to sourcing and production, many are committed to elevated ingredients—better quality, better tasting, just better—so they have no reason to use palm oil in the first place.
For this article, I’ve mostly leaned on craft chocolate companies—those who combine their fair trade values with a passion for fine flavor cacao that extends beyond simply tasting good. (Think of those who love fine wine—there’s actually even more variation in cacao!). There are many other, perhaps less expensive palm oil free chocolate brands out there, but I wanted to expand past what’s in every nationwide grocery. Below, find my favorite chocolate companies that don’t use palm oil:
10 ethical chocolate companies that don’t use palm oil
COCO Chocolatier (who clearly wins best packaging award!) is part chocolate company, part artist collective. Every one of their ethically made chocolate bars are wrapped in in bold artwork by independent designers. As for the chocolate itself, the Scotland-based company begins the chocolate crafting process at origin in Colombia, keeping much of the process in the communities where it is grown.
Seattle local jcoco chocolate is sister brand to Maeve (formerly Seattle Chocolate), another ethical chocolate company. jcoco sources their chocolate mainly from Peru, where they have direct relationships with their farmers and chocolate maker. They’re also an advocate for maintaining a sustainable future for chocolate, by ensuring that ethical sourcing, supporting communities, and paying fair prices. 10% of net profits also go to investing in their farmers’ communities. All of their chocolate is gluten free, with vegan options too.
Cacao Hunters seeks out the best cacao across their home country of Colombia, highlighting specific regions and their biodiversity while maintaining strong relationships with local farmers. Like the brands above, they keep the process of making chocolate from the cacao beans local to their source. You can find their chocolate stateside at Caputo’s.
Based in Brooklyn, bean-to-bar chocolate brand Raaka Chocolate is a fave for many a chocolate connoisseur. They make unroasted dark chocolate, with minimal ingredients (and no palm oil). They also list the prices they pay for cacao on their website as part of their Transparent Trade program. All bars or organic, non-gmo, soy and gluten-free.
I’ll admit it’s Theo & Philo stunning package illustrations that first drew me in! They specialize in Philippine Single Origin Bean to Bar chocolate using ethical and sustainable practices. You won’t find hydrogenated vegetable oils of any kind in these bars. In the US, you can get their chocolate shipped to you from this LA shop.
Feeling fancy? Valrhona produces luxe chocolate coveted by top chefs. They make chocolate bars, treats, and baking chocolate too. The company is also known for their support of bakers and pastry chefs, with schools worldwide.
Have you tried Tony’s Chocolonely? If you love rich, creamy milk chocolate, prepare to be addicted to their fair trade, palm oil free chocolate bars. They also make custom wrappers (made of recycled paper), that you can design yourself and have your chocolate delivered in for ocasions like weddings. So cool to have a sustainable option like them for favors and gifts.
The Bay Area’s TCHO makes flavor-forward little squares of fun while respecting every aspect of the supply chain and their partners abroad and in the US. They also offer chocolate for professional bakers, drinking chocolate, and cocoa powder. All chocolate is 100% plant based.
Born in Colorado but based in Utah, Ritual is a bean-to-bar, palm oil free chocolate brand dedicated to preserving biodiversity and genetic variety in cacao. They are known for unique flavors like bourbon chocolate, cherry vanilla, and honeycomb toffee. Chocolate is sourced from partner co-ops across South America and Madagascar.
Scotland ethical chocolate brand Ocelot Chocolate has actually received awards for being “the most’ ethical, with their climate positive, regenerative processes. And I’m glad to hear it because boy is it hard to resist such gorgeously giftable chocolate packaging! At the moment they only ship to the UK from their site, but you can find them at Caputos and Mr. Marcel too, or locally in Seattle at DeLaurenti’s Italian grocer (my fave!).
Which ethical chocolate company is your favorite? Do you check for palm oil when shopping the candy aisle?
Whittaker’s of New Zealand is another popular chocolate maker missing on your list that does not use Palm Oil in their chocolates.
They claim on their chocolates that they are Palm oil free.
Why is it so hard just to find a LIST of company that don’t use Palm Oil… for example, I’m trying to find a list of White Chocolate that doesn’t use palm oil… do you think I can find a simple list? LOL Nope.
I wrote this post because I couldn’t find much myself! Perhaps if you do find white chocolate without palm oil, you could post a list of your own 🙂
Hi
I think you will find that Montezuma, uk doesn’t use any palm oil