Chocolate

I chaperoned Genna's field trip today to the Theo Chocolate Factory. They are a local micro chocolate maker in Seattle. What could be more fun than chasing fifteen little 4-year-olds around a factory filled with chocolate and dangerous equipment?

Children in Hairnets

This was the "lecture" portion of our tour.

Genna making a fashion statement. We, of course, brought the hairnets home with us.

Sampling cacao nibs. 

Can we get seconds?

"Don't sneeze on the equipment!"

I miss my engineering days. Note that these controls are all in German.

Cacao beans. Only two kids started jumping in the buckets before we caught them. FYI - do not buy any Theo's Chocolate with a date code of March 22, 2011 (only kidding). 

Equipment

Factory scrap

Is it chocolate or beer?

I think I spot a defect

Love this sign

Can we get more samples?

I had a fun time on the tour, and so did the kids. There were plenty of chocolate samples which resulted in a bit of preschool wildness, but a little over-indulging is always fun. I would like to return to the factory and take a "grown up" tour. As a chocolate-lover and former manufacturing engineer, I had a ton of questions, but they just weren't appropriate with a group of 4-year-olds. Several years ago I toured the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory in Berkeley, CA. They were the first micro-chocolate factory in the US. They have since been purchased by Hershey's and closed the Berkeley factory, but I still love their chocolate.

I think I better sneak downstairs for a few pieces of chocolate right now, while the kids are sleeping.