In the next week, we will be bringing you the first photos and stories from our 2018 #sourcingseason! We're so excited to share this part of the adventure with you. But first we thought we'd take a minute to answer the question, what exactly is Taza Direct Trade?

We always begin with our mission: Taza makes stone ground chocolate that is seriously good and fair for all. From farm to factory, we are committed to transparency.

That commitment starts with Taza Direct Trade. We created the chocolate industry's first third-party certified Direct Trade cacao sourcing program, to ensure quality and transparency for all. We have real, face-to-face relationships with partners who respect the environment and fair labor practices. They provide us with the best organic cacao, and we pay them prices significantly higher than Fair Trade. In fact, you can see exactly what we pay them, right here in our 2017 Annual Cacao Sourcing Transparency Report.

Taza Direct Trade means more money for our partners, the best cacao for us, and seriously good chocolate for you.

THIRD PARTY CERTIFICATION

We’re serious about transparency and trust. To guarantee the integrity of our Direct Trade program, our five Direct Trade claims are independently verified each year by Quality Certification Services, a USDA-accredited organic certifier based in Gainesville, Florida. See our five verified claims here.