Alyssa's homeschool program arranged for a local Organic Freetrade Chocolate Factory tour. Theo's is located in Fremont, (Seattle) and has been open for 4 years. http://www.theochocolate.com/
This is a picture with Alyssa's WAVA online teacher Becky Norris, who happens to live here in Maple Valley too!
Alysssa, Kaitlyn and Tanner are all WAVA students. This photo is of all the Wright kids with Lys. Hairnets make everyone look HAWT. 
Chocolate History: Chocolate comes from the seeds from the Cacao Plant, called the Theobroma Cacao. Thus the name of this chocolate factory, Theo's. Back in the days of the Aztecs, it was reserved only for the rich and noble. Emperor Montezuma was said to have drank 50 cups a day. Chocolate really does have the LOVE CHEMICAL, phenylethylamine. Eating chocolate can induce feelings of love!!! 
First, the cacao tree must grow in tropical places. Unlike most other fruits, this one does not grow on the branches, it grows right off the trunk. 
This is what the cacao fruit looks like inside. The beans are covered in the white fruit. 
This is what you DONT want to know. In order to recover the seeds, the fruit needs to ferment for a week while microorganisms eat away at the fruit until just the seeds remain. GROSS. 
A last... the chocolate seed!!
During the tour, we learned about all these steps of the chocolate making process.
Seeds being roasted!
Kaitlyn, Alyssa and Camilla trying chocolate nibbs. I thought they were wonderful. They are like unsweetened choc chips, a nutty taste. "Chocolate Nibs are the center of the Cocoa Bean, and the base of all chocolate. After the outer shells of the individual beans have been removed, the nibs are roasted and ground." They are very good heart food.
The warehouse is in a 100 year old building where the Seattle trolleys used to station.
Caramels in the making, live!
oh so close, but we couldn't cross the yellow line to get a taste...
Are you licking your lips now?
I am facinated by chocolate even more now! We tried 91% chocolate, spicy/chile chocolate, coconut/curry chocolate, cherry/almond, orange/dark, mint/dark, hazelnut crunch, but darn, I forgot to eat my favorite LAVENDAR!!
This is a picture with Alyssa's WAVA online teacher Becky Norris, who happens to live here in Maple Valley too!Alysssa, Kaitlyn and Tanner are all WAVA students. This photo is of all the Wright kids with Lys. Hairnets make everyone look HAWT. Chocolate History: Chocolate comes from the seeds from the Cacao Plant, called the Theobroma Cacao. Thus the name of this chocolate factory, Theo's. Back in the days of the Aztecs, it was reserved only for the rich and noble. Emperor Montezuma was said to have drank 50 cups a day. Chocolate really does have the LOVE CHEMICAL, phenylethylamine. Eating chocolate can induce feelings of love!!! First, the cacao tree must grow in tropical places. Unlike most other fruits, this one does not grow on the branches, it grows right off the trunk. This is what the cacao fruit looks like inside. The beans are covered in the white fruit. This is what you DONT want to know. In order to recover the seeds, the fruit needs to ferment for a week while microorganisms eat away at the fruit until just the seeds remain. GROSS. A last... the chocolate seed!! During the tour, we learned about all these steps of the chocolate making process.
Seeds being roasted!
Kaitlyn, Alyssa and Camilla trying chocolate nibbs. I thought they were wonderful. They are like unsweetened choc chips, a nutty taste. "Chocolate Nibs are the center of the Cocoa Bean, and the base of all chocolate. After the outer shells of the individual beans have been removed, the nibs are roasted and ground." They are very good heart food. 
The warehouse is in a 100 year old building where the Seattle trolleys used to station.
Caramels in the making, live!
oh so close, but we couldn't cross the yellow line to get a taste...
Are you licking your lips now? 
I am facinated by chocolate even more now! We tried 91% chocolate, spicy/chile chocolate, coconut/curry chocolate, cherry/almond, orange/dark, mint/dark, hazelnut crunch, but darn, I forgot to eat my favorite LAVENDAR!! It was a great learning experience, we recommend it for all. It is only a $6 tour and well worth it.
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