Charlie Strittmatter

A few days ago I was craving something sweet. I’ve never really been one to enjoy a chocolate bar on its own, although I always liked chocolate in baked goods or added to other things. As I have matured and gained some sense, chocolate is a commodity I am delighted to get my hands on.

I am not interested in just any brand of chocolate, but real chocolate. Certainly not Hershey’s or even Ghirardelli or Lindt. The chocolate I eventually settled on purchasing was Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate. Dr. Bronner’s, as a brand, is collectively most known for their long line of castile soaps, ranging in a variety of scents and forms, from liquid to solid bar. But to my surprise, they also make chocolate. As I was scanning the candy aisle in the ShopRite just up Main Street, my eyes were drawn to the bright magenta paper wrapping and silver holographic letters printed over top. I carefully scanned the ingredient list and eventually decided I was okay with these ingredients entering my body, the thing I try to keep happy the most.

The reason I chose to purchase this chocolate bar over the other kinds is because of the nature of the ingredients. Each item listed (excluding the sunflower oil) was labeled as “fair trade” and “organic.” I appreciate this because it is difficult, especially now, to find things with ingredients that are sourced ethically or not sprayed with chemicals. This led me to look into where these ingredients really come from and determine if I believe Dr. Bronner’s claims.

Something that did persuade me to trust such a big company is the way Dr. Bronner’s was founded. Emanuel Bronner, a third-generation soap maker, prided himself on his push for unity and harmony among humanity after suffering the loss of both his parental figures as a result of the Holocaust. Emanuel began Dr. Bronner’s in 1948 with this as the driving force backing his brand. The central statement is written on the packaging of his products: “IN ALL WE DO, let us be generous, fair & loving to Spaceship Earth and all its inhabitants. For we’re ALL-ONE OR NONE! ALL-ONE!” Emanuel wanted to spread his message of unity and ecological fairness on his well known soaps. The company was inherited by his family and is now under the management of two of his grandsons, David and Michael, who continue to spread his meaningful message.

Returning to the chocolate itself, I began to dive into the most important part, the ingredients list. I was pleased to discover how easy it was to find the origins of most of the ingredients, as they were explicitly listed on the Dr. Bronner’s website. The cocoa beans are harvested from a large farm in West Africa, specifically Ghana, where the workers seem content with the job they are doing based on the feel-good video provided on the Dr. Bronner’s website. Slightly south and further east is where the cocoa butter is sourced, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In combination with these chocolate products is the sweetener, the coconut sugar, which has come from across the Indian Ocean, Indonesia. A little flavoring of vanilla brings us back closer to the cocoa, from Madagascar. I was unable to find the source of the sunflower seed oil, which I am slightly disappointed about since it was the only thing in the ingredients list without being labeled as “fair trade,” but still as “organic.”

All of these components are then (most likely shipped by plane or boat) brought together in the perfect ratios in Switzerland, the masters of chocolate in my opinion. From there, I can infer the bars are then sealed up in their thin silver foil, rolled in brightly colored packaging (which is made from 100% recycled paper), and sent over to the Dr. Bronner’s headquarters to be distributed to the masses. Their headquarter resides in, you guessed it, none other than California, more specifically, in a city called Vista. Domestic shipments across the United States land the chocolate bars in their semi-final resting place. I am unsure of how ShopRite receives their products, but I can imagine they get scheduled shipments of inventory to display on their shelves.

From the company executives, to the foreign farmers, then to the shipping workers, passed onto the skilled chocolatiers, shipped to the store retailers, and finally, in the hand of the consumer (me), this chocolate has traveled more than I have and most likely ever will in my lifetime. Now, the chocolate bar is sitting in my dorm room fridge, half eaten but thoroughly enjoyed.

Works Cited:

“Smooth Coconut Praline – Dark Chocolate Bars.” Dr. Bronner’s, www.drbronner.com/products/coconut-praline-pack-magic-all-one-chocolate.

“Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate Bars – Dark and Oat Milk.” Dr. Bronner’s, www.drbronner.com/pages/magic-all-one-chocolate.

“Dr. Bronner’s | Who We Are | Our Cosmic Principles.” Dr. Bronner’s, www.drbronner.com/pages/about.