chococlate - dark - organic - fair trade

 
the only chocolate really worth buying is
a) dark - with a high % of cacao,
b) organic - made without ridiculous chemicals, processed or gmo ingredients,
c) fair trade - coming from fair labor in developing countries.

there're a few brands that fit the criteria.
then came the question, what are they wrapped in?

plastic made from drilled petroleum, that is questionably recyclable?
aluminum mined out of the ground, that leaches into chocolate, but degrades back to nature?

i'd find myself in the store peeling back the outer paper wrapper trying to find out,
and decided it was time to just call the makers.

the top 2 choices are: 
endangered species and theo.
similarities:
their inner wrappers are aluminum foil on the outside, but paper on the side that touches the chocolate.
they're both made in the US, closer than switzerland, where the others are made.
both are organic, fair trade, vegan, and gluten free.

differences:

enganderged species	theo
made in indianapolis	made in seattle (a bit further if you're on the east coast)
main ingredient is chocolate liquor	main ingredient is cocoa beans
has soy lecithin	soy free
highest cocoa content is 70%	highest cacao content is 85% (the difference between cacao vs. cocoa is debatable)
slightly more sugar rainforest alliance certified	slightly less sugar
they donate 10% of profits to non profit organizations that support species, habitat, and humanity.

equal exchange and alter eco chocolates both have plastic inner wrappers, and are made in switzerland. equal exchange was at least aware of the issues with their wrapper, and continues to look into options. they told me it has to be air tight since it comes from so far, and the plastic is not made from recycled plastic, because plastic touching food has to be virgin plastic, although i'm pretty sure i've seen packaged salad greens boxes that are made from recycled plastic.

rapunzel chocolate didn't have a phone number to ask,
and seemed to be made in germany or switzerland.

this is only a review of the 5 organic fair trade dark chocolate bars sold at whole foods bowery,
that i consider affordable, $4 or less per 3oz or so size chocolate bar.