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Frequently Asked Questions

Customer Service

Your Order

  • How can I change or cancel my order?

    Please contact [email protected] for all order questions, comments, or concerns.

  • How will you ship my order?

    Chocolove’s standard shipping is 2-Day delivery with FedEx or UPS.

    Expedited shipping options are available for next day delivery

    Important: FedEx and UPS cannot deliver to PO/APO/FPO/DPO boxes.

  • If I order on _____, when will it ship?

    All orders are processed within 1-2 business days. A tracking number will be provided upon the shipment of the order.

    Orders are shipped Monday – Wednesday, with 2-day shipping service via FedEx or UPS (except for holidays).

    Important: Chocolove will delay orders if temperatures are forecasted to reach 90°F during transit; customers will receive notification if their orders are impacted.

  • How do you protect my order from heat?

    Chocolate begins to melt at 75°F. Insulated packaging, extra cushioning and freezer packs are used to protect shipments when the temperature in Boulder, at the destination, or during transit may exceed 75°F.

  • Do you ship internationally?

    Chocolove does not ship internationally.

Products

  • I’ve read in Consumer Reports that chocolate contains lead and cadmium. Is Chocolove chocolate safe to eat?

    Absolutely. It is important to note that there are minerals and elements in everything we eat, and chocolate is no different. However, all Chocolove chocolate complies with the most stringent lead and cadmium standards set in the US: the CA Prop 65 standards.

    We continue to work with our valued supply chain partners to monitor and seek out incremental improvements in food safety in chocolate production.

    Simply put, Chocolove chocolate is safe to enjoy daily.

    If you would like to read further on this issue, Chocolove has created both a 5-page detailed analysis of the Consumer Reports article and an abridged, by-the-numbers examination of the article.

  • What does the Best Before/Pull Date mean?

    The Best Before date (also shown as “Pull Date“ or “Tastes Best Before“) refers to the recommended date that you use the product by for best physical taste quality.

  • How do I read the Best Before/Pull Date?

    Large Bars: (marked with date and time of production with line code and best by date)

    MMDDYYHHMM  MON

                LINE           YEAR

    Date and Time of Production

    Best By Date (Pull Date)

    Month + Day + Year + Hour + Minute

    (MMDDYYHHMM)

    Month (MON)

    Production Line Code

    (XX)

    Advanced Year (YYYY)

    Mini Bars: (marked with date of production & best by date)

    MMDDYY / MON YEAR

    Pre-Printed & Estimated Date of Production Best By Date (Tastes Best Before Date)

    Month + Day + Year

    (MMDDYY)

    Month + Year (MON YYYY)

    Gourmet Bars/ Cups/Pouches: (marked with date and time of production, “Best Before” is also printed, and best by date)

    MMDDYYHHMM

    MON YEAR

    Date and Time of Production

    Best By Date (Pull Date)

    Month + Day + Year + Hour + Minute

    (MMDDYYHHMM)

    Best Before:

    Month + Year

    (MON YYYY)

  • May I submit poetry?

    We do not take poetry submissions but we appreciate your interest. The poetry used on our wrappers has to be in the public domain which is free and clear of any rights.

  • Why does my bar have a white swirly film on the surface?

    This light powder is called bloom. When chocolate is exposed to temperatures above 75°F, the cocoa butter can change from solid to liquid and move toward the surface of the bar. Subsequent cooling will result in cocoa butter crystals forming a thin, lightly colored powder on the surface of the bar. It also leaves some cocoa particles uncoated inside the bar, causing the chocolate to taste dry, chalky, or grainy. Obviously, higher temperatures can cause a bar to melt and deform, but even at temperatures around 80°F a bar may not deform, but may develop bloom.

    Chocolove is in excellent condition when it is shipped from our warehouses. We go to great lengths to ensure that our storage conditions are ideal and that the transportation used to carry our chocolate is appropriate and refrigerated. Once it leaves our facility we endeavor to educate and monitor our distributors to assure there is no damage to the chocolate. We cannot control distributors and store owners and therefore cannot be responsible for bloomed chocolate. However, let us know if you have purchased a bloomed bar of chocolate and we will follow up with stores and distributors to take measures for preventing such problems in the future.

    If you purchase a bar that has bloomed, the best way to remedy the situation is to return the bar to the store with your receipt. Most stores will replace the bar free of charge to you.

  • Are Chocolove products Kosher?

    Most Chocolove products are Kosher certified. For those that are, products are certified Kosher Dairy by Scroll-K Vaad HaKashrus of Denver, CO. Click on each product’s page to ensure Kosher certification.

  • How do I store Chocolove products?

    Chocolate must be kept cool, out of sunlight, and in a moisture-proof container to preserve freshness and develop flavor. Chocolate tastes best at a temperature of 70°F. A range of 55°F to 65°F is recommended for storage. You can store chocolate in the refrigerator; however, it should be stored in an air-tight, moisture-tight container. A zip lock bag may not be enough to keep out moisture and other aromas in the refrigerator for longer term storage.

Chocolove XO

  • What is Chocolove XO?

    This is the new line of chocolate from Chocolove, with the same great taste, now with no sugar added. The packaging is white to set it apart from the rest of the line and some new flavors, like Dry Roasted Pistachio in Milk Chocolate, are only in this Chocolove XO line.

  • What makes it sweet?

    It’s sweetened with a unique mix of inulin from chicory root and isomalt from beets.

  • What is chicory?

    Chicory root is white and similar in size and shape to a carrot. It is farmed in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Most people recall having snacked on a carrot that was sweet. Chicory root is sweet due to inulin, which the chicory plant stores in its root.

  • If inulin is not a sugar what is it?

    Inulin is a fiber. Inulin fiber tastes 40% as sweet as the same weight of sugar. When consumed, inulin does not digest as sugar and does not get assimilated as sugar. It behaves like fiber and as such, we recommend eating half a serving a day until you feel you are metabolizing it well. Inulin fiber does get converted to short-chain fatty acids which are beneficial.

  • Some Chocolove XO flavors declare 1 or 2 grams of sugar per serving, why?

    The base chocolate known as cocoa liquor has no sugar, it has carbs. Ingredients added, such as fruit, milk powder, and even almonds have small amounts of sugar. The fiber counts as carbs.

  • Why did you choose chicory to sweeten your chocolate?

    Inulin from chicory has no aftertaste and as a crop is, by default, non-GMO. The fiber from chicory is also beneficial. 

  • Why is no aftertaste important?

    We believe that a no-sugar-added chocolate should taste as good as normal chocolate. 

    We believe there should be no hard-to-pronounce ingredients and there should be no aftertaste. We believe that no sugar added should also be no excuses added. We believe people who want no sugar added should still get great taste, even in the aftertaste. Chocolove XO has no aftertaste: it tastes like Chocolove.

  • Where does Chocolove make Chocolove XO?

    We make it in Boulder, CO using Belgian and French made cocoa liquor and our blend of inulin and isomalt, to achieve the same great taste as the rest of the Chocolove line. 

  • Does it really taste as good as regular Chocolove?

    People who have tasted Chocolove XO, say yes:

    • “I can’t believe it has no sugar added, I am amazed”
    • “It tastes so good, I can’t believe it has no sugar added.”
    • “It tastes this good and has such low sugar, I could eat this every day.”
    • “It has no aftertaste. It tastes the same as regular chocolate.”

Ingredients

  • Do Chocolove products contain alcohol? What is cocoa liquor?

    Cocoa liquor has no alcoholic content. The term “cocoa liquor“ is used to describe finely ground cocoa beans. During grinding, the mill gets hot and the ground cocoa beans become very fine in particle size and the cocoa butter becomes liquid; in short the finely ground cocoa beans are liquid when they exit the mill. When cocoa liquor is cooled and becomes solid, it is the same as unsweetened baking chocolate.

  • Is there gluten in Chocolove products?

    Chocolove products do not contain gluten, with the possible exception of some seasonal gift boxed items. For these gift boxed items, be sure to check ingredient statements.

  • Which Chocolove products are vegan?

    Most of our dark chocolate arrives at our facility as kosher pareve which means it is completely free of milk products, according to Jewish dietary law. The remainder arrives kosher dairy, which means the dark chocolate was made on equipment that also makes milk chocolate. Chocolove has separate equipment for melting and molding milk chocolate and dark chocolate. We take measures to assure that milk chocolate is kept away from dark chocolate.

  • Is Chocolove chocolate made with alkalized cocoa?

    No. Adding alkaline, or Dutch processing, is sometimes used to make cocoa powder more soluble in drink mixes. It has very little application in chocolate and has no use in making premium chocolate.

  • What is the caffeine content in Chocolove products?

    It is important to note that there are other stimulants in chocolate in addition to caffeine and that are similar to caffeine, namely theobromine and theophylline. These naturally occurring compounds have different types of stimulant properties. Given the mix of compounds and varying body chemistry of consumers, the reaction or stimulation one gets is uniquely personal. One Chocolove bar could equal one cup of coffee in total stimulants; although how you feel after eating one bar of chocolate would be different than after drinking a cup of coffee. The higher the cocoa content, the more stimulating the chocolate will be.

  • Why do you add soy to your chocolate?

    For those bars that do contain soy lecithin, lecithin is less than 2% of the formula by weight and is made from soybeans that are GMO-free. Lecithin is used in the formula to facilitate even distribution of cocoa butter throughout the chocolate.

  • What type of sugar do you use?

    The organic chocolate in our organic bars is made with cane sugar. The chocolate in Chocolove’s other bars is made with beet sugar. The beet sugar is grown in Europe and they have strict laws against GMOs there.

  • Are there trace minerals in Chocolove products?

    Chocolate is a nutrient-dense food, high in anti-oxidants and derived from cocoa beans, which come from cocoa trees grown in soil. Because of this, chocolate is comprised and loaded with naturally occurring minerals and elements, including calcium, magnesium, and iron, among others.

Sustainability & Social Responsibility

  • Are Chocolove products made with sustainable practices?

    Yes. We take a variety of approaches towards ethics, social issues, and sustainability, as we see knowing who grew and handled every ingredient in every product as raising the integrity, reliability, and quality of food; making for a better Chocolove for you.

    You can read more about our sustainability and social responsibility practices in the Sustainability, Social Responsibility section of our website.

  • What certifications does Chocolove have?

    Chocolove’s certifications include Rainforest Alliance, Non-GMO Project, Fair Trade, Organic, and others. The subjects of certifications, corporate ethics and morality, social responsibility, and cocoa supply chain sustainability are all interrelated, but cannot be answered by one logo or name.

    Please visit the Sustainability, Social Responsibility section of our website for more information.

  • Are there GMOs in your ingredients?

    No. Some of our bars contain soy lecithin made from soy beans that are guaranteed GMO-free. The beet sugar used in Chocolove bars is grown in Europe and they have strict laws against GMOs there. To date, Chocolove is proud to have over 50 of our products verified by the Non-GMO Project.

    We strive to sell only foods that are free of genetic reconstruction and are committed to achieving the ultimate goal of having all of our products fully Non-GMO Project verified.

  • Are the foil and wrapper recyclable?

    The paper wrappers and foil wrapping are fully recyclable. The foil stamping has no bearing on the wrapper’s ability to be recycled. The metallic foil material is removed from paper in the same process that ink is removed during recycling.

    The plastic wrappers are not recyclable in standard single stream. However, some recycling programs have the capability to recycle candy bar wrappers.

General

  • Do you give factory tours?

    We do not give factory tours. Several factors play into our decision not to offer tours, including compliance with OSHA and FDA regulations.

  • Whom do I contact to request donations or a sponsorship?

    Chocolove welcomes donation or sponsorship requests and we take seriously how best to allocate Chocolove’s resources. All requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis and at least 90 days advance notice is required. Please use the contact us form and choose Donation/Sponsorship as the subject and tell us the specifics of your request.