It’s hard not to notice this vegan chocolate brand as they grow in popularity!
But are they tasty? Worth trying?
I can’t make that decision for you, but I give my own personal thoughts in this Beyond Good Chocolate review, along with a discussion about cocoa sourcing!
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Associate affiliate links. This means: if you click on the links and purchase, I earn a commission.
Disclaimer: This review includes information and the authors own personal opinions. It is not personal dietary advice. Talk to your doctor about any health/diet concerns and dietary changes. See our disclaimers for more details.
What is Beyond Good?
Beyond Good is a company known for it’s single origin chocolate – meaning, the chocolate can be traced to a single origin- for Beyond Good, this is Madagascar, and they are working on adding a chocolate factory in Uganda- where they also source cocoa (1).
Beyond Good also sells vanilla extract and beans, but for purposes of this review, we’ll focus on the chocolate!
The flavor profile of their chocolate is different depending on where it came from.
I’ve tried both the Madagascar and Uganda chocolate bars, and I will say that the Uganda line tastes less fruity and bitter- more similar (yet still quite unique) to a traditional 70% cocoa bar.
Here’s all the chocolate currently available from Beyond Good(2):
Madagascar Line:
- Pure Dark (70%, 80% or 92% cocoa)
- Pure Dark Chocolate Melts (60%, 70% or 92% cocoa)
- Madagascar Fleur De Sel
- Madagascar Vanilla Bean
- Madagascar Plantain & Sea Salt
- Single Serve Pure Dark 70% cocoa
- Sea Salt & Nibs (63% cocoa)
- Toasted Coconut (70% cocoa)
Uganda Line:
- Sea Salt (85% cocoa)
- Salted Caramel single serve
- Toasted hazelnut (73% cocoa
- Orange Zest (73% cocoa)
- Salted Caramel (73% cocoa)
- Crispy Rice (73% cocoa)
Why is More Ethically Sourced Chocolate Important?
Unfortunately, cocoa sourcing has come under much scrutiny.
Much of the our chocolate is sourced from areas in western Africa where child labor and slavery has been reported on cocoa supplying environments.
Similar conditions have also been reported for many of Brazil’s cocoa workers.
Unfair wages are also one of the other concerns involved with cocoa sourcing.
I’d encourage you to read this article by Food Empowerment Project (F.E.B) to learn more.
After learned about this, I’ve made I’ve made it a priority to reconsider my chocolate purchases.
F.E.B has a chocolate list where you can easily check if the chocolate is more likely to be sourced from areas where child labor and/or slavery is pervasive.
You can check out that list here.
Luckily- at the date of this review, Beyond Good is a company recommended by F.E.B. based on the issues we just talked about!
But do they taste good? Here’s what I think!
Beyond Good Chocolate Review
Want to watch me try a few flavors from Beyond Good? Check out this video on my YouTube channel below!
FYI- This review contains several Uganda line flavors. I’ve also tried a few from the Madagascar line, but prefer the former.
While they have a very unique flavor, the Madagascar line just seemed very fruity and a bit too bitter for my taste!
Taste
- Salted Caramel: If you are expecting ooey gooey caramel- this isn’t it! I’m totally ok with that by the way.
There are tiny caramel bits instead of runny stuff which- in my opinion, helps to spread the caramel flavor a bit more evenly (not to mention, less messy). The small bit of sea salt helped the flavor shine as a nice sweet and slightly salty bar. - Crispy Rice: These are very reminiscent of a Crunch bar that took a turn to the dark (chocolate) side! See what I did there?
Without the added flavorings of caramel or orange zest flavors, this one did taste a little less sugary, and more ‘dark.’ - Orange Zest: This one tasted just like a dark chocolate orange! You know- the ones that you can crack and are actually shaped like an orange? The mouthfeel is not as smooth as those chocolate oranges because of the tiny bits of candied orange in this bar. Still, they were so tiny that I wasn’t very bothered, and I will definitely purchase again- especially around Christmas time 😉
Finally, all three of these flavors had a nice ‘snap’ to them! Yes, they are a bit more bitter than milk chocolate, but in a pleasant way.
If you are a dark chocolate fan, you’ll probably love them.
And even if you don’t think you like dark chocolate, you might make an exception for these because of the fun flavors!
You can snag all of these bars as a treat or gift for you or someone else below!
Price
These bars can be a bit more expensive than other bars.
Keep in mind that Beyond Good has several bars made with organic ingredients (several are certified organic too). So that may factor into the price, as well as being direct trade.
Here’s a comparison of prices from Whole Foods (please note, prices are subject to change and may vary widely between stores/locations):
- Beyond Good Salted Caramel: $3.69 per 2.64 ounce bar (organic)
- Alter Eco Sea Salt Deep Dark Organic Chocolate: $3.49 per 2.82 ounce bar
- Endangered Species Almonds Sea Salt + 72% Dark Chocolate, $3.49 USD per 3 ounce bar (not organic)
- Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt 70% dark chocolate: $3.49 per 3.2 ounce bar. (not organic)
Ingredients and Nutrition
All three of these flavors are vegan, made with some (but not all) organic ingredients depending on the bar (not all products are certified). Just a ‘nice to know’ if any of that is important to you!
They all contain 73% cocoa solids, which can classified as ‘dark chocolate.’
Cocoa is where the flavonoids (antioxidants) come from(3). That’s why you might have heard that dark chocolate may have more antioxidants than milk chocolate- which typically has less cocoa solids.
Here’s a breakdown of some nutrition facts taken from the pictures above for 1 serving (1/3 a bar) – ranges given because bars differ a bit from one another:
- Calories: 140-150
- Saturated Fat: 6 grams
- Total Carbs: 10-12 grams
- Sodium: 0-30 milligrams
- Fiber 2-3 grams
- Added Sugars: 6-8 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Iron: 2.3-2.4 milligrams
As is to be expected for a chocolate bar- the saturated fat is high.
It’s important to keep saturated fat under reasonable limits for heart health.
Interestingly though, some research suggests that a big chunk of the saturated fat from the cocoa butter (a typical fat in dark chocolate)- called stearic acid, has a more neutral affect on LDL(4).
Since high LDL could increase the risk of heart disease, it’s good to know about the nuances with different types of saturated fat (learn more here).
That being said this is dessert! As expected, it contains a notable amount of added sugars (although it may have less than several other varieties).
In short, a healthful variety of foods is important to keep in mind and treats can fit! (but I’m sure you already knew that- didn’t’ you 😊)
Portion
First things first, even though you may see ‘serving sizes on chocolate packages, it doesn’t mean you must eat a whole serving!
Now let’s take a look at the portion (see picture above). The package lists 1/3 a bar which comes out to about slightly over 9 squares.
This looks like a very generous serving to me, and I’d probably have even less at one time because of how rich they taste.
Would I Buy These Again?
Yes I would! They are super tasty and I love that this company appears to take the cocoa sourcing issues seriously.
I’ve leave ya with a pros and cons list, as well well as some of my favorite flavors that you can get on Amazon here!
Pros
- On the ‘Recommended’ list from F.E.B (cocoa sourcing likely not from areas where child labor and slavery is most pervasive per their criteria).
- The Uganda line is so tasty!
- If you aren’t a fan of dark chocolate, the Uganda line doesn’t taste extremely bitter (in my opinion)
- Chocolate is texture is nice and smooth.
- Several bars are made with organic ingredients- if this is important to you.
Cons
- I can’t say that I ‘m a big fan of the Madagascar sourced chocolates. They had strong fruity notes that I just don’t prefer with chocolate (a very personal taste!).
Have you had any of these treats? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this review, you’ll probably like these too!
–Nugo Vegan Protein bars Review
-Wunder Eggs Review
–Harvest Snaps Review
–Vegan Nacho Fries Review
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Thanks for sharing, I like beyond good chocolate because of its ethical and sustainable practices, not to mention the great taste.