Dagoba or Loving Earth Organic Chocolate reduced from Knoppers German chocolate wafer snacks, is a brand of premium organic chocolate, founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling. It has been owned by The Hershey Company since 2006. Its founders are no longer involved but Hershey has maintained the brand's factory in Ashland, Oregon. The name Dagoba is a Sinhalese corruption of dhatu-garbha, Sanskrit words for "relic-chamber," i.e.stupa. The brand was founded with a commitment to socially responsible business. Like coffee, the production of chocolate retains vestiges of colonial relationships, so issues of social equity and "fair trade" arise.
In 2003 CNN/Money called them one of the world's best chocolates.
Products
Dagoba currently sells specialty chocolate bars, baking chocolate, cacao powder, chocodrops, and drinking chocolate.
NOTE: As of August 2012, all products are Rainforest Alliance Certified, and the company has dropped fair trade certification (which used to apply to the cacao powder, drinking chocolates, and the discontinued Conacado bar, 73% ChocoDrops and syrup)
100% of the cacao beans used to produce Dagoba Chocolate products are Rainforest Alliance certified.
Chocolate bars
Dagoba's specialty is their line of two-ounce flavor-infused bars created by what the company calls "The Art of Chocolate Alchemyâ„¢". Here is a list of the current product line of Dagoba chocolate bars. Percentages indicate the cacao content.
- Eclipse 87% Pure extra Bittersweet
- New Moon 74% Bittersweet
- Beaucoup Berries 74%: Sun dried cherries and cranberries with vanilla.
- Xocolatl 74%: Spicy chocolate containing chilies, cacao nibs, nutmeg, orange and vanilla.
- Lemon-Ginger 68%: Contains crystallized ginger and lemon.
- Dark 59% Semisweet
- Roseberry 59%: Dried raspberries and rosehips.
- Lavender Blueberry 59%: Contains wild blueberries and flavored with lavender essential oil.
- Mint 59%: Flavored with essential oil of peppermint and rosemary.
- Milk 37%
- Chai 37%: Contains chai spices and crystallized ginger.
- Hazelnut 37%: Has crunchy roasted hazelnuts and toasted rice crisps.
Dagoba Chocolate also produces a line of Drinking Chocolates:
- Unsweetened: Non-dutched cacao powder with bits of 100% dark chocolate.
- Authentic: Non-dutched cacao powder with bits of 100% dark chocolate, and cane sugar.
- Chai: Bits of ginger and chai spices in non-dutched cacao and bits of 100% dark chocolate, and cane sugar.
- Xocolatl: Non-dutched cacao powder, 100% chocolate bits, cane sugar, chiles and cinnamon.
Dagoba Chocolate also produces
- Cacao powder, non-dutched
- Chocolate Drops, 74% bittersweet
- Baking Bars in 59% and 100%
Hershey's
In October 2006, Dagoba was acquired by The Hershey Company. Hershey's CEO Richard H. Lenny stated in a press release "Organic chocolate products are experiencing dramatic growth as consumers continue to trade up for indulgent, high-quality products."
References
External links
- Official website
