Organic baking bars can be used in main courses, cocktails and baked goods

Nov. 26, 2008

Ashland, Ore.-based Dagoba, a division of the Artisan Confections Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hershey Co., is now crafting organic cacao for culinary pursuits with a line of organic baking bars.

Lauded for its exotic flavor infusions and rich, dark chocolate bars, Dagoba introduces Dagoba 59 percent semi-sweet baking bar, made of the same rich, organic chocolate as the award-winning Dark 59 percent eating bar. Its balanced notes of cacao and subtle flavors of raisin and fig make it a special find in the baking category. It’s perfect for igniting culinary imaginations and can be used in main courses, cocktails and baked goods.

The Dagoba 100 percent organic unsweetened baking bar is the first of its kind to be made and sold in the U.S. Crafted from carefully selected organic cacao of Latin American origin, the organic bar provides a depth of flavor that makes baked goods deeper and darker and savory dishes more complex. For the true chocolate connoisseur, this bar’s careful blend and extra smooth finish make it palatable enough to eat straight out of the wrapper. Both varieties are packaged as six-ounce bricks scored into one-ounce pieces.

“We create our new organic baking chocolate in small batches with only the finest cacao and great care,” says Liz Kaplan, brand ambassador for Dagoba. “Now amateur and professional chefs alike have access to the finest organic chocolate — the same cacao we use in our eating bars — for their culinary creations.”

A portion of baking bar proceeds supports Project Upala, Dagoba’s partnership with the Upala Cacao Cooperative in Costa Rica. This reforestation and economic development program supports the planting of 60,000 cacao tree and native seedlings throughout farms on the Upala cooperative. By reforesting small family farms, Dagoba is helping to improve economic opportunity, restore native biodiversity and provide habitat for indigenous wildlife, such as the sloth, which makes its home in the trees.

Suggested retail price for 59 percent semi-sweet is $5.99 and $6.99 for 100 percent unsweetened.