It might be a little late for 2011 but Fremont’s Theo Chocolate is hoping to make fair-trade Hanukkah gelt, the golden-foiled chocolate coins given to children, available for next season.

Seattle Weekly spoke with Theo, who is trying to find a way to find chocolate manufacturers who can keep up with demand for it.

There are currently two companies worldwide producing fair-trade gelt, but a leader of the local abolitionist movement says the companies can’t keep pace with demand.

Gelt has long been on Theo’s to-do list, but the coin-making process poses vexing production issues. “It requires a completely different capital investment,” Music says, referring to the various nozzles and molds a new chocolate shape requires. Theo would also have to fashion an automated foil-wrapping method in order to produce gelt in-house.

It’s going to come down to volume, as chocolate needs to be produced in massive quantities in order to make it financially-viable. Hopefully between now and the, the demand for fair-trade gelt grows to make their job easier.

I finally got a chance to swing by the new Bluebird Ice Cream location in Fremont today (3515 Fremont Ave. N). Snapped some photos that you can check out below.

They’ve got a full selection of ice creams but there’s a few notables that I wanted to share in case you want to make your ice cream eating experience as Fremonty as humanly possible.

Theo Chocolate Chunk
Made with chunks of Seattle-based Theo chocolate, the world’s only certified organic and fair trade chocolate maker.

Caffé Vita Coffee
Roasted two blocks from their store on Pike Street. So, technically not from the Fremont Vita, but, same difference.

F.A.B. Almond Cherry Brownie
Vegan/gluten-free with chunks of Flying Apron Bakery brownie, from across the street.

Check out what else is going on at Bluebird on their website or stay abreast of new flavors on their Facebook page. Of course, stopping in for a scoop is still the best way to get to know them…

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I don’t need to give you a reason to go out an enjoy some s’mores. You’re probably eating a s’more or s’mores right now, which must make typing really messy.

However, I will indeed give you a reason to go out and enjoy some s’mores. National S’More Day (brought to you by the National S’More Council, I guess?) is a real thing and is happening. There’s some debate as to whether or not August 10th or August 11th is the official day, but I say to you…does it actually matter?

Theo Chocolate is celebrating by inviting you into their kitchen to make not just s’mores, but th’mores:

This quintessential campfire treat is amplified by adding Theo Chocolate to create a Th’more! We make our own grahams and marshmallows in the Theo kitchen – you just choose your favorite Theo Chocolate. We are making this year’s Th’mores celebration even more awesome by donating $1 of every Th’more sold to the local hunger relief organization Food Lifeline. Now that’s a sweet deal!

Meanwhile over at Blue Moon Burger, they’re offering a S’Mores Shake all month long.

Know of any other Fremont places offering up some s’mores-related goodness? Let us know in the comments below…

As you know, Bluebird Ice Cream is coming to Fremont. We had a chance to speak with owner Josh Kessler-Reynolds about the store, how they plan to work with other Fremont businesses and what kind of yummy goodness we can expect.

Why did you choose Fremont for your 2nd shop?

Fremont is the Center of the Universe, right? Apart from that, it’s just such a dynamic neighborhood. I can tell you that when friends and family visit, my girlfriend and I always include an afternoon in Fremont as one of the stops. The neighborhood just seems to offer a lot. From a more specific business perspective, the new neighbors [Hotel Hotel, Pie, Dubliner, etc.]…provide a fantastic compliments to Bluebird Ice Cream.

On the kind on ingredients Bluebird uses...

For those unfamiliar with Bluebird: it’s small batch, locally-sourced, artisan ice cream. We strive to make all of our flavors the-best-you’ve-ever-had: If you try a sample, you’ll want a full scoop. We source locally, taking advantage of our natural surroundings (like fruit from Remlinger Farms) as well as the wealth of like-minded artisan food makers in Seattle (Elysian Stout ice cream, anyone?) It’s ice cream made from local dairy, with all-natural and organic ingredients.

Along with Theo, who provides Bluebird with their chocolate, what other Fremont businesses do you plan to work with?

We love Theo. There are more special collaborations in the works between us. Pie and Ice Cream is an obvious match, so I would hope for some exciting things to happen between our two businesses. We’ve done some stuff with Homegrown, and I consider those guys to be great colleagues of mine. I hope for further collaboration and cross promotion in the future. Caffe Vita just up the street will be collaborating with us, and next door to that Bluebird Ice Cream will soon be available at all Via Tribunali locations. When we have our grand opening (Aug 1st? No promises.) We’ve already been discussing with the Pie girls and the guys at the Hotel Hotel hostel upstairs about hosting some kind of block party, along with the Dubliner, so keep your eyes out for that. I’d encourage anyone who has a place that they want to serve Bluebird ice cream to send an email (bluebirdseattle@gmail.com) and we’d love to supply your favorite restaurant, market, or grocery store.

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Theo Chocolate is soliciting for t-shirt designs and they want to give the winner a year supply of “award winning organic, fair trade certified, bean-to-bar Theo Chocolate,” $250 cash and a t-shirt with their design. Two runners-up will win a t-shirt plus a small selection of chocolate.

We are not limiting the t-shirt design competition to a particular theme, but will be looking for a design that epitomizes the story and romance of chocolate, and/or Theo’s organic and fair trade mission. To participate, email your image to: contests@theochocolate.com, and upload your image here so the public can vote on your design! “Like” Theo Chocolate” on Facebook for contest updates and results.

Check out the designs that have already been entered here. Entries will be accepted until May 30th.

Equal Exchange Espresso at Ballard Market and Theo Chocolate are teaming up to present a public viewing of the, The Dark Side of Chocolate, on April 14th at Theo Chocolate in Fremont.

The film is a 43-minute documentary examining continued allegations of child labor, trafficking, and slavery in the international cocoa industry. While this can be an upsetting and emotionally charged subject, the event organizers hope that this event will be a positive experience that can help raise awareness for these issues and encourage consumers to buy fair trade products when possible, especially in time for Easter.

This event is also sponsored by Sustainable Ballard, Seattle Good Business Network, Community Alliance for Global Justice, and Fair Trade Seattle.

The event will be held at Theo from 7 to 9 pm with doors opening at 6:45 pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit with sponsors, sample delicious Theo Chocolate and Equal Exchange coffee, and participate in a discussion about fair trade and the cocoa industry led by event’s sponsors.

Valentine’s Day is coming up quick. If you’re a Fremonster, I assume you be forgetting all that Hershey’s and See’s Candies nonsense and picking up some local Theo Chocolate goodies for your sweetheart.

Just in case I need to sweeten (ahem) the deal for you, how bout if you could get some chocolate at a reduced rate AND help protect endangered wildlife?

Over at Ideal Network (like Groupon but for good causes) they’re offering up a deal to get $20 worth of delicious, artisan confections from Theo for only $10. Plus, Ideal will donate $2.50 of your purchase to the Woodland Park Zoo to help raise funds that provide excellent care and nutrition for endangered species whose existence is in jeopardy (the red panda, snow leopard and Humboldt penguin for example).

You’ve got six days left to take advantage of this deal and help Ideal reach its goal of a $5,000 donation. You can purchase the deal here.

Some items of interest for Fremonsters as you wonder where all this snow is…

We know the Stone Way Festering Pit is going to filled finally. According to Wallyhood, that might be happening sooner than later. Work may start on or around January 17.

Showa, the other new Fremont Asian comfort food joint, gets their Happy Hour profiled by the Seattle Times.

Plans for a proposed 48-apartment, four-story building at 3606 Woodland Park Ave. N. is profiled at Fremont KOMO.

Theo Chocolate performs well but comes just up short in the Battle for Seattle’s Best Chocolate & Orange Bar.

Rock-jazz quintet Spellbinder will headline the final night at ToST, reports Examiner.

Fremont’s own Theo Chocolate is not just a place to indulge your sweet tooth, it’s also dedicated to organic Fair Trade practices from “bean-to-bar,” having recently earned the first Fair for Life certification in the United States.

It’s one of 10 most popular nominations for Green Business of the Year from Green America, a Washington, DC-based not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982 that was known as Co-op America until January 2009.

Vote before October 6.

Green America states its mission: “to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.” It defines green businesses as “companies that work to help – not hurt – people, communities, and the planet. Only businesses that have passed Green America’s screening process are eligible.”

Winners will be announced in November, at San Francisco’s Green Festival.

It defines green businesses as “companies that work to help – not hurt – people, communities, and the planet. Only businesses that have passed Green America’s screening process are eligible.”