Chocolate is a Valentine’s Day staple, but choosing the wrong brands will cause planetary disaster. We’ve selected five brands that do good for the planet and their farmers (luckily, they taste great too).

When selecting chocolate, it’s a good start to choose Fairtrade, UTZ or Rainforest Alliance certified brands. However, we’ve gone the extra mile for ethics and the planet by looking at the company’s relationship with their farmers and ensuring they’re palm oil free. As a bonus, we also love brands that are cutting plastic usage, and who offer delicious vegan options.

Tony’s Chocolonely

Feel good about buying chocolate again with Chocolonely, with satisfying bars split into uneven chunks (not so good for sharing, but who’s sharing anyway when chocolate tastes this good?). Chocolonely are unique because they are aiming to guarantee that their chocolate is 100% slave free, which means they’re not only doing great within their own company but they’re paving the way for other players in the industry to do the same. They’ve been creating noise around ethical issues in the chocolate industry since 2003, and they’re not stopping here.

Cocoa Loco

Cocoa Loco have produced a beautiful selection for Valentine’s Day with 100% organic and Fairtrade certified chocolate. Like Chocolonely, some of their chocolates are suitable for vegans but it’s mainly just their dark ranges. Cocoa Loco are in the process of moving away from plastic packaging, and you can shop all their plastic-free products online.

Pacari

Pacari stand out from other brands because they produce and package their chocolate where it is grown, ensuring wealth stays within the original economy. This puts their workers first and makes it one of the most ethical chocolate brands on the market. They offer sleek selection boxes for gifts and all their products are vegan, taking the stress out of shopping for the dairy-free love in your life.

Booja-Booja

Booja-Booja produce truffles and ice-cream with a luxurious, artisan appeal. Everything they produce is dairy, gluten and soya free using organic ingredients, such as coconut and cashew nut. If your loved one isn’t into chocolate so much (who are we kidding?), treat them to a night-in with a tub of their gorgeous ice-cream.

Ombar

Ombar has four values at its core: to be ‘empowered, healthy, mindful and bold’. They work closely with their suppliers and only use natural and organic ingredients. In their humble Cambridge factory they let raw cacao do the hard work by using a low-temperature process. This produces a nutrient rich, full bodied chocolate that’s even suitable for vegans. For your Valentine, get a selection box if you can’t decide, or choose flavours in stores UK-wide.

5 chocolate brands that help the planet