The short answer is no.

Fair Trade requires only a small premium over commodity prices and also requires that farmers pay a fee to be part of the program. We prefer to use the Direct Trade model - we have personal relationships with all of our farmers and always negotiate the price directly with them as well. We pay prices that are well above Fair Trade minimums. We've been to origin for all of our beans and know not only the farmers but the workers as well. We always make sure good labor practices are being used, that workers are being treated well, and that they're paid at least the legal minimum wage.

In regard to Organic Certification, although some of our cacao is certified organic we don't require our farmers to be certified. Organic certification is expensive for farmers, and most can't afford it. Plus, the reality is that even cacao that's certified organic isn't always so. That's another reason we visit origin for all of our beans - we know exactly what the farmers are doing and that they're not using pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

We are committed to building and sustaining long term, equitable relationships with all our farmers. For more information about the farms from which we source check out our About Our Chocolate pages.

There are no preservatives, emulsifiers, soy lecithin or artificial ingredients in any of our chocolate!

We never alkalize. Alkalizing not only strips out the natural flavors of the cacao but also removes most of the beneficial antioxidant flavanols.

All of our chocolate is gluten-free. All of our Signature Line dark chocolate bars are dairy-free. We do use dairy in some other bars, and it is always called out in the ingredients (these dairy bars from our regular lineups include: Classic Milk Chocolate, Special Reserve Brown Butter and Maker's Choice Cafe Con Leche.

It's best to store chocolate in a cool, dry environment. But, don't put it in the refrigerator! When the bars go from a cold environment to a warmer one condensation can form, causing sugar bloom (a white powder on the bar). It doesn't mean the bar has gone bad, but it doesn't look very good. If you do need to refrigerate it, be sure to wrap it well, and allow ample time for it to reach room temperature after you remove it from the fridge.

For most of our bars it's two years, although for some bars it's shorter. Each bar is stamped with a "Best By" date.

Keep in mind the chocolate will stay good after that time. However, we recommend eating it as close to the purchase date as possible for best flavor.

When checking out simply type your gift certificate number or discount code into the "Coupon Code" field and click "Apply."

Yes! Just select the "Gift Box" option on checkout. You'll also have the opportunity to personalize a gift message for the recipient.