Our Story

A Look Into LILY'S

It all started with a neighborhood natural foods store

Fresh out of school, Cynthia Tice knew she needed a job and that she had a passion for helping people eat better. So in 1978, she opened Center Foods in Philadelphia. Way before the rest of us were sipping green juice, Cynthia was raising awareness of better-for-you foods.

In 2003, Cynthia hit a milestone birthday (don’t ask which one) and decided to kick sugar for good. The only problem was chocolate, she just couldn’t give it up. So in 2010, she made her own no sugar added chocolate and launched LILY'S with her longtime friend Chuck Genuardi.

A commitment to better sweets

We strive to source Non-GMO and gluten free ingredients*, and we ensure every product is sweetened without refined or processed sugars. Also, the unsweetened chocolate and cocoa used in most LILY'S products is certified Fair Trade by Fair Trade USA. The outcome? Sweets with no added sugar that’s filled to the brim with deliciousness.

*With the exception of LILY’S Peanut Butter Flavor Baking Chips, our suppliers certify that the ingredients they supply to us have not been genetically engineered.

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Spreading Goodness

Since its inception, LILY'S has been committed to supporting causes we love and believe in, and because of that, we pledge a percentage of our earnings to non-profit organizations.

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LILY'S Frequently Asked Questions

Fair Trade USA is a non-profit organization that ensures that the farmers and communities that provide LILY'S with our cocoa & cocoa butter are fairly compensated. For more information, please visit https://www.fairtradecertified.org/.

None of LILY'S products are marketed as vegan. However, LILY'S Dark & Extra Dark Chocolate Bars (55% Dark Chocolate Bars, 70% Extra Dark Chocolate Bars, 85% Extremely Dark Chocolate Bar, 92% Intensely Dark Chocolate Bar), 55% Dark Chocolate Baking Chips, 45% Semi Sweet Baking Chips, Peanut Butter Baking Chips, 55% Dark Chocolate Baking Bar and 45% Semi Sweet Baking Bars do not contain animal products. Please note, these products have been produced on equipment that also processes products containing dairy. Therefore, we do not recommend consuming if you have a dairy allergy.

LILY'S products do not contain maltitol, maltodextrin, or dextrose. Maltitol, maltodextrin and dextrose are sweeteners with high glycemic indexes, but are different from the dextrin fiber used in LILY'S products.

For almost a decade, Lily’s has used Dextrin/ Soluble Corn Fiber. We updated the ingredient name Dextrin to Soluble Corn Fiber, which is the more common industry name for the ingredient.

We explored dozens of new recipes, and through taste tests amongst current Lily’s consumers, the new 36% recipe was significantly favored vs. versions with 40% cacao.

Based on consumer feedback, we learned that users felt our chocolate could improve from an overall taste liking standpoint. With that in mind, we developed a new recipe to keep Lily’s values and quality ingredients, while addressing three improvement areas: bitterness, off sweet notes & dryness.

We can't wait for you to try the new rich and creamy recipe!

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