Time until corproate hacks from Theo Chocolate try to overtake the comment section gushing about how wonderful Theo is to it's employees and slaves...er worker bees overseas?

Once again even the loftiest of ideals succumbs to the encroaching, overreaching, ever grasping corporate god, Profit.

Surprise twist: owners cried instead of dismissing out of hand the need for workers collective bargaining.

A $1.00 Hershey's bar is also made with child slave labor.

On a side note: there is a larger issue about local Seattle businesses that paint themselves as being socially aware. Fair Trade, being a Green Company, etc. has turned into nothing more than a marketing tool to sell their goods to a largely progressive community. And there maybe a small portion of their business model that lives up to the hype. But it's almost always decimated by the sheer greed behind the false advertizing.

How many of us in looking for a new job find these "green" companies are located in the middle of nowhere in King County. They love to say they are green but defacto force their employees to drive 30 or 40 miles round trip to work each day instead of allowing them to take public transit.

I'm glad that this example was exposed by The Stranger and I hope they expose more of the local companies who are pulling similar bullshit. All because it's local and socially aware doesn't mean shit.

Same thing happened at essential baking this last year.....

And by forcing them to drive I mean locating their facilities that don't have access to Metro or Sound Transit.

@9 Actually, Tim says he'd never cross a picket line. He'd join us, holding a sign that says "I'm Not Fair!"

Theo Chocolate just lost my business.

File this under "no good deed goes unpunished": Start a company with a great concept, grow it into one of the county's (world's?) best in its business, create opportunity for local farmers around the world, and provide employment with benefits for a growing number of Seattleites, only to be confronted by a few who feel they are entitled to more? Sounds to me like a pretty sweet deal (pun intended).

@5 Did you interview for the company I work for?

WOW! It took 13 comments before the obligatory Theo defense kicked in.

@14, could be.

I have not had the pleasure to work for Theo but I know people that have & still do. These individuals have nothing but positive things to say. They do so much for the Northwest & the planet!! We have a saying in Hawaii, it's Malama Pono, that means to do what is right. Theo has & will continue to Malama Pono.

Theo is above average chocolate - but not as amazing as everyone is drooling over. And the 'Fair Trade' brand has a lot of issues with transparency, corruption, standards etc.

Theo's over-the-top claims of saving the world and lovefest and their attempts to guilt me into paying ridiculous amounts for their chocolate make me suspicious, in general. A better, deeper, more detailed article would actually be helpful.

Dear The Stranger,
You should pretty much be extremely embarrased for actually printing this outright bogusly bias article without even doing your actual research. How priviledged are you to have a real deal chocolate factory in your backyard who will school your asses in any cacao related business you dare to even dream? And this is how you show up? Here's some food for thought: ask your barista (after you pay 4$ for one drink) about the farmers, origin of bean, labor paractices & monies that are being exchanged throughout the entire supply chain all the way to that delicious espresso you are drinking right now..these pleasure drugs come with a price, at who's mercy? And can your barista even answer those questions? Highly doubtful. March your asses down to 3400 Phinney Ave N and get schooled from the inside out in the real deal business of the cacao world, conscious style and what that means for ALL people creating the goods . the finished product is a masterpiece of many hands collaborating and an indulgence you are all partaking in, and probably taking for granted ..., who's your farmer, dear the stranger?

cccollaborating.schooled

@21, we'd take you seriously if your first posting on Slog wasn't a full throated defense of Theo Chocolate's ....practices.

And you've just been schooled bitch!!

@23,21,15. I wish I worked at Theo Chocolate so I could post stuff on the internet defending my employer's hypocritical claims of being socially aware all day long.

Shit the fuck up, Cato. You are adding nothing to the conversation.

Anyways, I'm disappointed by this article. It didn't really answer any questions at all, letting the issue remain a he-said-she-said. I'd like to see a more in-depth feature on this.

But they have been operating like this since they began. Their treatment of many employees, and how they forced out the original founders and claimed it for themselves has been shameless. There is proof that even the current owners think that fair trade is a sham. Hey Ben Affleck, too bad about your east Congo partners, they won't get more slave gold from these asses.

And hey Emor ass (#25), you are the one who should shut the fuck up without knowing what you are talking about. It is more than a he-said she-said if it has been LEGALLY vetted, which it has been. Every point in the report verified by a team of lawyers. That is beyond gossip. Hence, the Organic Consumers Association Boycott-
Kick Theo out of Whole Foods!

Fuck boycotts and lobbyist reports. I want facts. So far I am NOT convinced of anything. I say this as a union member who works in the natural foods industry.

@25, you've been schooled by #27.

There are a few things I'd like to add. First, I work at a cooperative grocery store on Capitol Hill and we carry Theo Chocolate. They are one of the most ethical and values focused brands we carry. Second, it is up to the workers at Theo to decide if they want a union. Not us, not The Stranger and not Brenda Weist. I absolutely support unions and workers' rights and we need to remember that voting for a union is a democratic process for the workers at compapny. Is there a single quote from a current Theo employee in this entire article? If the employees want a union, they can actually form a union that is comprised of just Theo workers, and they could call it the "Theo Chocolate Workers Union". The workers might be considering not only if a union is right for them, but also if the Teamsters are the right union to represent them. Third, when workers are organizing they have rights under the NLRA, but Theo has legal obligations as well. If they have done anything illegal, they can be brought before the NLRB. Honestly, I think this story is pretty incomplete and ultimately unfair to a highly ethical local company that has done groundbreaking work. Theo's workers need to be able to make their voice heard and decide what they want to do, and this article does not do them justice.

@30 Welcome to Slog. See you've been here for a little over an hour!

Seriously, I LOVE the new sloggers who signed up for Theo Chocolate!!

@31
Do you even work or are you just another trust fund lib?

@31 - Yep. Did you have a point to make there?

I can't live without Theo bars every few weeks and feel guilty and conflicted now.

@33, shouldn't you be back making chocolate bars?

Who cares if Theo employees are commenting on this story? If my Seattle-based employer came under fire, and I knew a different side of the story, I'd be ALL UP IN the comments section. Sure an employee's side might make them a little biased, but it also means that they KNOW MORE THAN YOU.

@35 - While I do work for a grocery store that sells Theo Chocolate, I do not also work for Theo. I pretty sure I said that in my original post. If we're throwing wild and totally unfounded accusations about each other (which is I guess what the internet was invented for?), I suggest you go back doing whatever it is that you do for the ILRF and/or the Teamsters. Or, maybe you work for a rival local chocolate company like Fran's. And if you are a chocolate fan, I hope you find another chocolate company that you do feel comfortable with. I would suggest trying Rox Chox from Portland. It is delicious and you can find it where I work. Hey! Maybe we'll even run into each other!

@36 Unless they were just recently hired and fed a complete load of bullshitty falsehoods celebrating how good their company is.

@40 DING DING DING! We have a winner!

I don't care about whether Theo's corporate policies are good or bad, because Claudio Corallo and a host of other chocolate makers eat theo's lunch. For breakfast.

Just a thought, but did anyone contact management to hear their side of the story? I mean, it sounds pretty bad and you don't want to give cover with false equivalence, but it is pretty standard reporting SOP to talk to all the players before putting together an article.

@43 Did you actually read the piece?

@44...no

@44

I see a single "categorical denial" from the CEO.

Why not press the issue?