Nature's Chocolate: Boulder Company uses organic cacao beans to make its candy
Christine L. Romero - Boulder Daily Camera Business Writer
December 17, 2000
Frederick Schilling calls his quest a chocolate crusade.
Two years ago, he began researching the viability of a chocolate
company. He soon became wary when he learned how most chocolate beans,
or cacao beans, are grown. So Schilling decided to offer an organic
alternative. Most conventional farms use chemicals and pesticides to
encourage growth, he said.
Boulder-based Dagoba Organic Chocolate emerged with cacao beans grown
in the rain forests of Costa Rica and Panama. They are handpicked by
the Bribri Indians, who have grown the beans for generations. Schilling
says he pays a premium to the Bribri, but he's happy to do it. He says
it allows them to make a profit and sustain their way of life.
"If you are going to do something then do it right and promote a positive step forward," Schilling said.
Schilling said buying cacao beans from the Bribri promotes "fair
trade." This means paying adequate wages to workers overseas and
promoting environmentally friendly practices, according to the
Kirksville, Mo.-based Fair Trade Federation, a wholesaler and retailer
association. The Federation also reports that some in the coffee
industry are increasingly interested in fair trade practices.
"My conscience directed me toward organic," Schilling said. "Hopefully
people will get educated about it ... Most people want to do good."
Organic, or "rustic," grown cacao has been broadly available for about
three or four years and is more popular in Western Europe -- like other
certified organic products -- he said. Since 1998, the organic
chocolate segment has grown roughly 400 percent, Schilling said.
Still it remains a tiny segment of the entire U.S. chocolate industry
that rakes in $13 billion annually, according to the McLean, Va.-based
Chocolate Manufacturers Association.
Dagoba, a name with Eastern origins, alludes to the English word
"temple." The product has been on the market for about a month with six
flavors, including milk and dark and some unusual variations, such as
lime with macadamia nuts; mon cheri with cherries and vanilla;
roseberry with raspberries and rosehips; and brasileria with coconut
and brazil nuts. Early next year, Schilling will release three more
flavors, including "chocolatte," with espresso beans and cinnamon; chai
chocolate and a non-dairy version of that same flavor, which is a
spiced Indian tea. Dagoba bars sell for about $3.40 each and are
available in about 20 independent Boulder retail shops, including
Brewing Market, McGuckin Hardware, Peppercorn, Namaste, Boulder General
Store and Boulder By Design.
Jonathan Fierer, Boulder By Design's manager, said Dagoba fits into his
store's predominantly mix of home products that are mostly organic. "We
like to support local businesses," Fierer said. "As a point of purchase
(item), we really didn't have something to offer our customers."
Most people have been buying several bars at a time and using them for
stocking stuffers and small gifts, said Fierer, who favors the lime
bars. Before Schilling began Dagoba, he owned part of a music store in
Telluride. When he and his partners sold that store, Schilling decided
to move to Boulder. Though he had some cooking skills, he was tired of
working in restaurants and wanted to fuse his love of food with
business.
Schilling had some help from his family and also used some money from
the music store to get Dagoba off the ground. He hopes for national
distribution in the coming year.
Eventually, Schilling would like a Boulder manufacturing plant, but for
now he's outsourcing the job to a firm on the West Coast. He sifted
through many different companies before he found one that he believed
cared about making an environmentally sensitive product.
"I would love to see this product on a larger scale," Schilling said.
"I'd like to see this product as a part of people's empowerment."
Contact Christine L. Romero at romeroc@thedailycamera.com or (303) 473-1332.