Dagoba Chocolate

Dagoba Organic Chocolate is an American chocolate brand founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling. The brand emerged within the specialty and organic chocolate movement, offering products positioned around distinctive cocoa profiles, flavor combinations, and ingredient-conscious production. Its name derives from the Sinhalese term associated with a hemispherical dome or stupa, ultimately related to the Sanskrit expression dhatu-garbha. The name reflects the brand's broader use of South Asian and cacao-related imagery rather than a conventional confectionery naming style. Dagoba's portfolio has included dark, milk, and white chocolate bars; baking bars; cacao powder; chocolate drops; and drinking-chocolate products. Its bar range has historically covered several cocoa percentages, from milk chocolate through semisweet and bittersweet styles to an extra-bittersweet 84% bar. The brand also became known for flavored and spiced combinations such as Picante, which combines dark chocolate with chili, cacao nibs, nutmeg, orange, and vanilla; Lavender Blueberry; and Ginger Lime. Its drinking-chocolate line included unsweetened, lightly sweetened, and spiced preparations, including Xocolatl with chili and cinnamon. The Hershey Company acquired Dagoba in 2006. Under Hershey ownership, Dagoba remained associated with organic and specialty chocolate, while operating within a much larger confectionery portfolio. In June 2021, Hershey divested Dagoba together with Krave Pure Foods and Scharffen Berger as part of a portfolio shift toward salty snacks and nutrition bars. Reference material describes Dagoba as becoming privately held after the divestiture, although the post-divestiture ownership structure is not clearly documented in the available material. The brand's later corporate status is difficult to establish from public information. Its former website has been reported as redirecting to Hershey's website, while Dagoba was no longer presented as a brand on the Hershey site. The available material also indicates that Scharffen Berger moved production and headquarters to a Dagoba factory in Ashland, Oregon after the 2021 divestiture, but Dagoba itself was not re-registered as an Oregon business entity. Accordingly, Dagoba's current operating status, ownership, headquarters, and active distribution footprint remain uncertain. Dagoba has emphasized certified cacao sourcing. As of August 2012, the brand's products were described as Rainforest Alliance Certified, and the company had discontinued its earlier Fair Trade certification. The certification position applied to cacao used in the product range, although certifications and product availability may have changed after the divestiture. Dagoba is therefore best understood as an American specialty chocolate brand with an organic-market heritage, a historically broad cocoa-product portfolio, and an unclear post-2021 commercial status.

Dagoba Organic Chocolate was established in 2001 by Frederick Schilling in the United States. The brand developed during the expansion of the organic, craft, and specialty chocolate sectors, using a portfolio that combined conventional chocolate formats with unusual flavor pairings and products designed for baking and beverage preparation. Its name, Dagoba, is derived from a Sinhalese word connected to the form of a hemispherical dome or stupa; the term ultimately relates to the Sanskrit dhatu-garbha. From its early years, Dagoba presented chocolate as both a food product and a cacao-focused specialty experience. The product range included bars in multiple cocoa concentrations, flavored chocolate combinations, cacao powder, baking chocolate, chocolate drops, and drinking chocolate. The bars included dark, milk, and white varieties, while the flavored products used ingredients such as chili, cacao nibs, nutmeg, orange, vanilla, lavender, blueberries, crystallized ginger, lime, raspberries, and peppermint. This combination of cocoa percentages and flavor-led products gave Dagoba a position distinct from mass-market chocolate brands. The company later became part of The Hershey Company. Hershey acquired Dagoba in 2006, allowing the brand to operate within a major confectionery group while retaining its association with organic and specialty chocolate. During this period, the brand's range included products sold as Rainforest Alliance Certified. Reference material states that, by August 2012, all Dagoba products used cacao beans carrying Rainforest Alliance certification. The company had also moved away from Fair Trade certification, which had previously applied to selected products including cacao powder, drinking chocolate, the discontinued Conacado bar, 73% ChocoDrops, and syrup. Dagoba's reported product assortment included eight principal chocolate-bar styles: an 84% Pure Extra Bittersweet bar; Rich Dark 74% Bittersweet; Picante 74%; Dark 59% Semisweet; Lavender Blueberry 59%; Ginger Lime 37%; Milk 37%; and White Chocolate 37%. The brand also sold unsweetened and sweetened drinking chocolates, as well as Xocolatl, a preparation combining cocoa, chocolate pieces, sugar, chili, and cinnamon. Baking bars were offered in 59% and 100% cocoa formats, and the company sold non-Dutched cacao powder and 74% bittersweet chocolate drops. In June 2021, Hershey divested Dagoba along with Krave Pure Foods and Scharffen Berger. The divestiture was described as part of Hershey's effort to focus more strongly on salty snacks and nutrition bars. Reference material states that Dagoba again became privately held after the transaction, but does not identify the subsequent owner or provide a complete account of the brand's corporate structure. The post-divestiture situation is unclear. Scharffen Berger reportedly moved its production and headquarters to the Dagoba factory in Ashland, Oregon, and registered as an Oregon limited liability company in 2021. Dagoba itself reportedly did not re-register as an Oregon business entity. The Dagoba website has also been described as redirecting to Hershey's website, despite the brand no longer appearing on Hershey's brand list. These facts make it difficult to confirm whether Dagoba continues to manufacture, sell, or actively license products. Its current status should therefore be treated as unknown rather than definitively active or defunct.

1. 2021Hershey divests Dagoba

   Hershey divested Dagoba together with Krave Pure Foods and Scharffen Berger while emphasizing salty snacks and nutrition bars.

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2. 2012Rainforest Alliance certification becomes the stated cacao standard

   Reference material states that all Dagoba products were Rainforest Alliance Certified by August 2012, while the brand had dropped earlier Fair Trade certification.

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3. 2006Hershey acquires Dagoba

   The Hershey Company acquired the specialty chocolate brand.

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4. 2001Dagoba is founded

   Frederick Schilling founded Dagoba Organic Chocolate in the United States.

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Organic and specialty chocolate with varied cocoa intensities, distinctive botanical and spice flavors, and certified cacao sourcing.

• Chocolate barsChocolate

  Dagoba's bar range has included dark, milk, and white chocolate products across several cocoa concentrations. Listed examples include 84% Pure Extra Bittersweet, Rich Dark 74% Bittersweet, Dark 59% Semisweet, Milk 37%, and White Chocolate 37%. The portfolio also used flavor combinations such as lavender with blueberry, ginger with lime, and raspberry with peppermint.

• Picante 74%Flavored dark chocolate

  A 74% dark chocolate bar combining chili with cacao nibs, nutmeg, orange, and vanilla. It represents Dagoba's emphasis on spice-led and aromatic flavor combinations rather than plain cocoa profiles.

• Drinking ChocolatesDrinking chocolate

  Dagoba's drinking-chocolate range included an unsweetened preparation made with non-Dutched cacao powder and pieces of 100% dark chocolate, an Authentic version with cane sugar, and Xocolatl with chocolate, cane sugar, chili, and cinnamon.

• Cacao PowderCacao ingredient

  Non-Dutched cacao powder intended for cooking, baking, or beverage preparation. The product was part of Dagoba's broader effort to sell cacao in forms beyond finished chocolate bars.

• Chocolate DropsBaking chocolate

  Chocolate drops listed at 74% bittersweet cocoa content, designed for baking and other culinary uses.

• Baking BarsBaking chocolate

  Baking bars offered in 59% and 100% cocoa formats, providing different levels of bitterness and cocoa intensity for recipes and professional or home baking.

• 2021Divestiture from HersheyM&A

  Hershey was refocusing parts of its portfolio on salty snacks and nutrition bars.

  What changed. Hershey divested Dagoba together with Krave Pure Foods and Scharffen Berger.

  Aftermath. Reference material describes Dagoba as privately held after the transaction, but the subsequent owner and operating structure are not identified.

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• 2012Shift from Fair Trade certification to Rainforest Alliance certificationStrategy

  Dagoba had previously used Fair Trade certification on selected products, while its later stated sourcing position emphasized Rainforest Alliance certification.

  What changed. The company dropped Fair Trade certification and reported that all products were Rainforest Alliance Certified as of August 2012.

  Aftermath. The change established Rainforest Alliance certification as the stated standard for the brand's cacao sourcing at that time.

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• 2006Acquisition by The Hershey CompanyM&A

  Dagoba was an established specialty and organic chocolate brand when it was acquired by Hershey.

  What changed. The Hershey Company purchased Dagoba and incorporated it into its broader confectionery portfolio.

  Aftermath. Dagoba continued to be associated with organic and specialty chocolate during its period under Hershey ownership.

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• 2021Dagoba is divested by Hershey

  Hershey divested Dagoba along with Krave Pure Foods and Scharffen Berger as the company concentrated more heavily on salty snacks and nutrition bars.

  M&A
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• 2021Hershey divests Dagoba and related brands

  In June 2021, Hershey divested Dagoba along with Krave Pure Foods and Scharffen Berger as it concentrated on salty snacks and nutrition bars.

  M&A
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• 2021Dagoba's post-divestiture operating status becomes unclear

  After the divestiture, Dagoba became privately held again, but the available reference states that it did not re-register as an Oregon business entity and that its homepage redirected to Hershey's website.

  Other
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• 2012Dagoba products move to Rainforest Alliance certification

  By August 2012, Dagoba's products were described as using 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified cacao beans. The brand had also dropped Fair Trade certification previously associated with several products.

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• 2006Hershey acquires Dagoba Chocolate

  The Hershey Company acquired Dagoba, bringing the specialty organic chocolate brand into its corporate portfolio.

  M&A
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• 2006The Hershey Company acquires Dagoba Organic Chocolate

  The Hershey Company acquired Dagoba, adding the organic and specialty chocolate brand to its portfolio.

  M&A
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• Dagoba's website redirects to Hershey

  Reference material reports that the Dagoba home page redirects to the Hershey website even though Dagoba is no longer listed there as a Hershey brand, contributing to uncertainty about the brand's current commercial status.

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1. Dagoba Organic Chocolate