Coco Polo’s chocolate bars, with ingredients having a shorter freshness life such as nuts, can last up to 12 months from time of manufacture. The other bars are recommended for 18 months. The “Best By Date” shown on the back of our bars reflect these time limits. Our bars, as with all chocolates, store best at 65-70 degrees, away from direct sunlight, in low humidity and sealed from surrounding smells that can affect their taste and texture. Therefore…Eat our chocolates as soon as you receive them!
All our ingredients are sourced from Fair Trade certified farms, are NON-GMO certified and all natural to provide you the best possible chocolate bars. Our cocoa is sourced through the following sustainable practices:
Côte d’Ivoire Alliance of Farmers
Cocoa Livelihoods Program
Processors Alliance for Cocoa Traceability and Sustainability (PACTS)
As with all foods that are processed from their raw ingredients, including sugar sweetened chocolates, the taste is determined not only by the ingredients as listed, but also by their individual ingredient’s quality standards. Coco Polo responsibly sources ingredients that are clean, fresh and ones that impart the maximum health benefits. The actual process of how these ingredients are combined, treated and nurtured also define the finished chocolate bar’s taste and properties.
The FDA Standards of Identity, which we follow, lists, “Sugar Free” as less than 0.5 g sugars per RACC (Reference Amount Customarily Consumed) and per labeled serving size . It also contains no ingredient that is a sugar or generally understood to contain sugars. Coco Polo’s 70% Dark was developed originally in 1996 as fully “Sugar Free”.
“No Added Sugars” and “Without Added Sugars” are descriptions allowed if no sugar or sugar containing ingredient is added during processing. It is also used if the naturally occurring sugars present, such as from nuts, exceeds the 0.5 g sugar rule per serving size
Zero Added Sugar is another description similar to No Added Sugars.
While there are not many brands using Stevia as its sweetener, Coco Polo did its own R&D with the sweetener for over 20 years to make sure we had eliminated the undesirable and identifiable Stevia taste. Our journey as chocolate makers first started in 1979. We have always felt that the main reason people eat chocolate is because of its enjoyable taste. We have NO STEVIA nor UNFAMILIAR TASTES, which would distract from the wholesome richness of the cacao bean, the real star of every chocolate bar. Development of our pure chocolate base started in 1996, for all our 70% Dark and 39% Milk bars, and was the first step to satisfying that basic desire. We are the only Stevia sugar free that has exclusively used LOW-GI plus SUPER FOODS in our bars. We select fine quality specialty cocoa beans and make them into a true couverture quality chocolate in the European tradition instead of chocolate chip or compound quality. All our chocolates are suitable for not only baking but also fine confectionery making.
If stored under proper conditions, our products will retain their freshness. The most favorable storage temperature for our chocolate products is between 60° and 68° Fahrenheit, and this should be occurring in a cool dry place.
Yes, we offer 2 types of variety boxes: 5 bar and 8 bar.
Sugar comes in many forms, which when accumulated on a daily basis, makes it difficult for the body to process efficiently therefore contributing to possible health problems. By choosing foods, without added sugars, that still satisfy the needs of the body and mind, the positive benefits and satisfaction are not diluted by the negative effects of sugar.
- These are our own formulations using Specialty (aka Flavor) cocoa beans ground and conched to develop the complex bean characteristics into a true Fine Quality Couverture chocolate, made in the European tradition of cocoa bean excellence. https://chocolateinstitute.org/blog/2017/08/
- We also are the first to add SUPER FOODS to our already high cocoa content sugar free chocolates to provide additional health benefits. We shy away from using empty calorie or trendy flavorings unless they provide a traceable health contribution.
Stevia is derived from a plant found in South America. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar but contains zero calories. For more info check out our stevia page under Ingredients.