Bensdrop Natco Dutch Cocoa Powder by Gerbs, 4 Pounds Resealable Bag, 22-24% cocoa butter fat, Top 14 Allergy Free Foods, Gluten & Peanut Free, Vegan, Keto, Kosher

Upon arrival, the cocoa powder was packed very well in a standard USPS flat rate shipping box. The product arrived intact with no spillage. I immediately got to work and made some chocolate crinkle cookies, and oh my god. The house smelled incredible, like a rich cocoa scent that just permeated everything and everywhere. They baked up extremely well, and tasted divine! No weird texture, sugar, artificial flavors, or anything like that.I didn't know this company made this product specifically for those with food sensitivities and allergies, I just needed bulk cocoa, but it's a very pure and high quality cocoa powder. I can tell the company puts a lot of time and care into their work to keep their customers healthy and safe, and it definitely pays off. I will be ordering again, best chocolate cookies I've ever had in my freaking life.

A bit of backstory: I developed an allergy to dairy a few years ago. While it's not anaphylaxis-level severity, it is EXTREMELY sensitive and exposure to even the tiniest amount of dairy via shared production equipment will lead to several days of misery. It's been a big adjustment that I struggled with for a very long time; it's quite literally required a complete restructuring of my life to avoid reactions. With very few exceptions, I have to prepare almost every single things I eat from scratch, but even that didn't fully prevent reactions. So many food brands are super negligent about declaring potential allergens & shared equipment, so I've had to learn what's safe the hard way many times over.Being a big chocoholic my whole life, finding a safe cocoa powder was a journey. I'd finally found one before GERBS that tasted ok, and didn't cause reactions. Well, after a few repeat purchases, I suddenly started having reactions. I managed to narrow it down to the new bag of cocoa powder I'd just started using, but there was no indication on the package that anything had changed? After some digging on the manufacturer's website, I found that they'd started selling hot cocoa mixes that contain milk. While there was no allergen statement, it was pretty obvious from my reactions that some cross-contamination was happening during production.My search resumed, and I luckily found GERBS! I'm thankful to have the peace of mind that the brand is specifically targeted towards people with allergies. Not only that, but it's probably one of - if not THE - most delicious cocoa I've tried! I've nearly finished my first bag, and have just ordered a second. I'm sure I'll be back many more times in the future!

Hands down, absolutely THE BEST chocolate chips I've EVER had! Even my non-vegan husband was impressed! He said he preferred the taste of Gerbs chocolate chips over dairy chips! I am vegan & finding good tasting chocolate chips, not laden with preservatives or loaded with sugar has been a bit of a challenge. I am no longer challenged thanks to Gerbs!One thing to keep in mind when purchasing this product is the chips are MINIS. They are not full size as I expected. The size was just fine but keep in mind when using in a recipe that if your recipe calls for 1/2 cup chocolate chips, you may want (haha! who WANTS to use less chocolate?!?) to use less than the full 1/2 cup as the end result may be extra chocolatey due to the fact than mini chips take up less space & therefore you will have added a lot. I made gluten-free, vegan chocolate chip cookies & OMIGOSH! They were SOOO good! I had a party & served both, gluten & gluten-free cookies. ALL of the party goers liked the taste of the gluten-free cookies (they just wondered why they didn't rise). I will definitely be purchasing more vegan chocolate chips from Gerbs because the flavor is spot on to what chocolate SHOULD taste like & this product did not make my throat tingly/scratchy as many other chocolate chips or chocolate candies do. I think the fact that there aren't any GMO ingredients & the fact that the chips are dairy free, makes a huge difference in both the taste & the ultimate quality, which is top notch. Try Gerbs today & taste the smooth, melty deliciousness you've been missing out on!One last note: I purchased the dark chocolate but I will say they certainly tasted much more like the equivalent to a semi-sweet in any other brand. When searching for semi-sweet vegan chocolate, give these a try. You will not be disappointed!

Opening my mailbox we immediately noticed a strong perfume odor. Opening the package, the odor became even stronger. I then noticed some residue on the vacuum sealed bag of cocoa frothing at my fingertips. I was scared the bag might have had pinhole openings, and that this could contaminate the food product inside, so I was careful to wipe the top edge with a wet towel several times, before carefully cutting a corner and pouring the contents into a glass jar.The cocoa itself smells good, and it very finely ground making for smooth drinking cocoa, but the flavor isn't very strong using my recent recipe mix that I've been using every morning (2 tsp sugar 4 tsp cocoa). I will try increasing the amount of cocoa.