Americans are expected to spend $323 million on chocolate during the week of Valentine's Day this year. While we can't get enough of the sweet stuff, the sad truth is that the conventional chocolate industry isn't always so sweet.

Because cocoa farmers operate at the mercy of buyers who force prices down, farmers turn to the cheapest labor they can find just to keep their land. In West

Africa, children work as forced laborers on cocoa farms, performing dangerous jobs like spraying pesticides. The U.S. chocolate industry has blown several deadlines to curb such unfair child labor practices.

Want chocolate without such bitter origins? Head to Theo Chocolate in Fremont. The 2-year-old Seattle company is only one of 14 chocolate manufacturers in the United States that imports and roasts its own cocoa beans. Of those 14, Theo is the only one using exclusively organic, fair-trade cocoa beans in all of its chocolate.

"We're trying to create a new definition of quality," says founder Joseph Whinney, who spent years working directly with Latin American and West African cocoa farmers before launching Theo. "It isn't just about how great it tastes. To me, making a delicious product means the farmers do well also." Theo's top honors at the New York Fancy Food Show suggest that the good karma is working.

We suggest you taste for yourself. The intense single-origin bars showcase pure cocoa nibs just-barely-sweetened with organic beet sugar. And Theo's popular 3400 Phinney bars sport texture/flavor combos like buttered toast and coconut curry. Stealing the show are the handmade confections, bursting with close-your-eyes-and-savor concoctions like saffron-infused caramel and Earl Grey ganache.

Looking for sweet indulgence this Valentine's Day? Theo will join Circus Contraption to host an aphrodisiac-themed evening that's sure to be a treat for all the senses.

Learn more about Theo on their website, or sign up for a sample-laden factory tour. Or click here to read more about the issues facing cocoa farmers.

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