Thank you for your interest in
Theo Chocolate factory tours!
Our Retail Store will be opened until 7pm on Tuesday, February 14th.
Due to their overwhelming popularity, our tours are often booked up 3-4 weeks in advance. Please plan accordingly.
We do have a walk-in tour every day at 2:30pm. In order to reserve a place on our walk-in tour, you must physically come into the store the day of the tour and pay for your spots. This tour is filled on a first come, first served basis only. (Please do not call to make reservations for our walk-in tour as we will not accept them.)
PUBLIC TOURS ARE HELD DAILY
MONDAY-THURSDAY: 12:00, 2:00, 2:30 walk-in, 4:00
FRIDAY-SUNDAY: 10:30, 12:00, 2:00, 2:30 walk-in, 4:00
Tours are $6 a person.
We recommend our tours for those 7 years of age and older. Theo is a working factory, with loud and hot machinery, and tours are often uncomfortable for younger children.
For safety and quality control, you must wear closed-toe shoes and a hairnet (which we provide) on our tour. We are a fragrance-free facility -- you must refrain from wearing perfumes or colognes on the day of your visit to Theo Chocolate. We cannot make exceptions.
On our tours, we begin with an interactive talk covering the history, farming, ecology and politics of chocolate. We will explain the social and environmental issues relating to cacao and cacao farmers. As we move through our factory we will entertain you with the story of cacao and explain how our equipment works to transform cacao fruit into what we know and love as chocolate. Best of all, you will try our amazing products during your tour experience. Our tour takes approximately one hour.
Please note that our factory usually operates Monday–Friday, and while you will most likely see machinery operating during the week, we cannot guarantee what you will experience on any given day as our production schedule varies.
We look forward to having you as our guest!
If you are making reservations for a group of 5 or fewer, please use our online reservation system. You may pay the day of your tour.
TO MAKE A PUBLIC TOUR RESERVATION CLICK HERE
Have a special request?
For groups of 6-10, please register online for 5 people. You will then need to call our office to reserve your additional spots. (Please do NOT register one group larger than 5 people as two separate groups online.)
If your group is larger than 10, you will need to schedule a private tour.
We require payment in full at the time of your reservation. To make this payment, please call our main line at (206) 632-5100, Monday-Friday, 9-5 PST. If you need to cancel, we require notice 48 hours in advance of your reservation in order to grant a full refund.
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For private tours (exclusively your group), please fill out our online request form. The cost is $20/person, with a $200 minimum regardless of your group size. We are happy to accommodate you, though we do have limited availability given our robust public schedule.
If your party has more than 25 people, we will need to schedule 2 tours, and availability is even more limited given the physical limitations of our factory. To make arrangements for a tour this size, please fill out our online request form.
We require payment in full at the time of your reservation. If you need to cancel, we require notice 48 hours in advance of your reservation in order to grant a full refund.
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For school groups and non-profits (max 50 people), please fill out our online request form. We can offer you a privately scheduled tour at our public tour rate of $6/person. Please be advised we do not recommend our tour for children under 7yo, and we require a 4:1 ratio of students to chaperones for elementary students (for safety reasons).
Given our robust public schedule, and the physical limitations of our factory, we are only able to offer tours at the discounted rate on a limited basis, which means the available slots are generally booked 2-3 months in advance. This option is NOT available Friday-Sunday. To make arrangements for a tour, please fill out our online request form.
We require payment in full at the time of your reservation. If you need to cancel, we require notice 48 hours in advance of your reservation in order to grant a full refund.
*****
It is not always possible for us to accommodate groups over 50 due to the physical limitations of our space. Please fill out our online request form and someone will contact you within 48 hours if we are able accommodate your request.
PLEASE CALL US AT 206-632-5100 IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
USE GOOGLE MAPS TO GET DIRECTIONS TO THE FACTORY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How long is the tour?
About 1 hour.
What are your tour times?
Our tour times can vary, however they typically run:
MONDAY - THURSDAY: 12:00, 2:00, 2:30 walk-in, 4:00
FRIDAY-SUNDAY: 10:30, 12:00, 2:00, 2:30 walk-in, 4:00
Do you have parking?
Yes, there is free 2 hour street parking all around the building. On Sundays, Fremont hosts a street market and additional time may be needed to find parking.
What is the cost of the tour?
Our tour is $6 per person for the public tour and $20 per person for a private tour. When reserving a private tour a deposit of $200 is required at the time of booking.
Is there a discount for students or seniors?
Yes, we offer school groups, non-profit organizations and retirement homes the public rate of $6 per person for private tours.
Is the building wheelchair accessible?
Theo Chocolate is housed in a historical building, so while we can accommodate wheelchairs, the bathrooms are not handicap accessible.
Can I bring a stroller?
Yes, we have an entrance to the side of the building that is accessible to strollers. Again, we do not recommend our tours for children under 7 years of age. Theo is a working factory, with loud and hot machinery, and tours are often uncomfortable for younger children
What methods of payment does Theo accept?
Visa, MasterCard, cash or check.
Is there sampling on the tour?
Yes, upon entering our retail store, customers have the opportunity to sample our different bars, plus there are various samplings throughout the tour.
When is the factory in operation?
Typically, the factory is operating Monday through Friday from 9 am until 5 pm. There is no guarantee that the factory will be running at any given time and due to fluctuations in our production schedule, the factory often runs outside of these times.
Is Theo Kosher?
Yes, Theo has Kosher certification.
Allergies?
Theo Chocolate is not a nut free, dairy free or gluten free facility. Theo does take precautions by cleaning the equipment between batches and works to isolate nuts and other ingredients as much as possible.
What is the lead time for booking a tour?
Reservations are strongly recommended.
Weekends and holidays tend to book up quickly; book 3-4 weeks ahead of time to get the day and time you desire. Smaller parties of fewer than 4 can book 2-3 weeks out, however parties over 5 should try scheduling 3-4 weeks out. Please know that tours fill up on a first come, first served basis.
How many people are in a tour?
Our public tours hold 20 people. Private tours can hold up to 25. If a private tour has more than 25, the group can be divided into 2 tours depending upon availability.
What is the difference between a private and public tour?
The private tours are exclusive to your group and can hold up to 25 people. Customers have the option of tailoring the tour to their specific interests.
How many people can I book on the public tour?
You may fill up to 10 spaces on a public tour, but you must call our office in order to do so. (206) 632-5100. For parties of 6 or more, a full payment of $6 per person is required at the time of booking. See cancellation policy below.
What is the cancellation policy?
For a full refund, cancellations must be made 48 hours in advance.
What is covered in the tour?
We discuss the history and science of chocolate, where we source our beans, the benefits of organic, fair trade and what they mean and we walk you through our factory describing the bean to bar process. And of course, there is plenty of chocolate sampling throughout the tour.
What is your policy regarding children?
Because our tour content is geared towards an adult audience, it’s recommended that children are 7 years of age or older when coming on the public tour. The tour is educational in nature and for that reason, we require a 1:1 adult to child ratio for children under 5. Any child with hair will be required to wear a hairnet while touring the factory. Some parents have found it helpful to bring a hat to wear under the hair net so their child doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Also, when the factory is in operation it can be hot and noisy.
Our factory is a fragrance free zone, so please refrain from wearing cologne or perfume on the day of your tour. We also request customers wear closed toe shoes for safety reasons. We cannot make exceptions. Thank you.
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