FAQ

Yes! Most of our bars are dairy free and vegan except for the Goats Milk. You can search for Dairy Free on our online store to find items that either are always dairy free or have a dairy free option. Almost everything that is dairy free is also vegan EXCEPT the marshmallows (contains gelatin) and some confections that are dairy free, but contain honey. When ordering confections, you can mark your dietary exclusions when checking out.

Yes! The vast majority of what we make is gluten free, but we are not a gluten free facility and do include it in products on occasion. If something is NOT gluten free, then it will be marked with a G or listed in the ingredients. When ordering confections, you can mark your dietary exclusions when checking out.

No! Our chocolate contains three ingredients - cocoa, organic sugar, and cocoa butter. No hidden soy. Sometimes we do use a shoyu (soy sauce) in one of our confections, so if you do have a soy allergy and are ordering confections, please let us know in the order notes at checkout so we can exclude that from your box.

We have peanut-free and tree nut-free options for our confections, bars, beverages, and ice creams, however, we are not a peanut or tree nut free facility.

We have icons to identify common allergens; they represent Dairy Free, Contain Gluten, Contain Tree Nuts, Contain Peanuts. As an added layer of transparency, each item also contains an ingredient list. (If you are looking for vegan items, ALMOST all of our dairy free products are also vegan, with the exception of our marshmallow (contains gelatin) and some confections that have honey in them. So narrowing your options down by dairy free is a good start and then double check ingredients to verify if it is vegan.) Dietary Options Available - means that ACTION MUST BE TAKEN to specify a dietary preference for this product, it does not default as such. Example: Assorted Confections - when adding this product to your cart you can select to have a dairy free assortment, or gluten free, or alcohol free, etc. But if you choose nothing, you may have flavors in your box that contain dairy and/or gluten and/or alcohol, etc. Contains Gluten/Peanuts/Tree Nuts - when you see these icons (individually or all together) it means that this item contains gluten/peanuts/tree nuts; be advised, we are not an entirely gluten, peanut, or tree nut free facility and cross contamination is a possibility. Dairy Free - this means that this item does not contain any dairy products, but it does not guarantee that the product is vegan. Please double check the ingredient list for non-vegan items such as gelatin or honey.

We completely understand your concern about cadmium and lead in your diet and realize that it’s been in the news quite a bit recently. Unfortunately, it isn’t a super straight forward answer, but we will give you as much information as we can based on our own research on the topic. We’ve found this article from The Chocolate Life to be very thorough in giving context to all the different facets of this issue and we strongly encourage you check it out. Please also read below for the FDA's recent statement in regards to this issue: "While the presence of cadmium and lead in chocolate has been the subject of considerable media attention, experts from around the world have found that chocolate is a minor source of exposure to these contaminants internationally." A couple of the main takeaways: Overall, chocolate is a minor source of cadmium in American diets. The main sources being grains (cereals, breads, pasta), green leafy vegetables, and potatoes. The health benefits might outweigh the potential risks because most of the agricultural foods with high cadmium contents are ALSO high in nutrients that are proven to reduce cadmium absorption. We have tested our chocolate and, depending on your serving size, it is below the maximum daily allowance (MADL) of Cadmium as outlined in California’s Prop65 legislation. They recommend no more than 4.1 micrograms/day and our darkest 80% bar (the chocolate with the highest concentration of cacao, the source of cadmium in chocolate) contains 13 micrograms in an entire bar, so if you were to eat a quarter of a chocolate bar, you’d be consuming 3.25 micrograms of Cadmium and that is only for our darkest bar. It would be less for our lower percentage bars. For Lead, the Prop65 MADL is 0.5 micrograms and our 80% bar contains 0.96 micrograms per bar. There are some important notes to consider about the above information: These MADL’s were suspended pending a settlement with some of the chocolate making giants (Nestle, Hershey’s, etc.), and new thresholds were set to 0.45 micrograms per gram. That would mean the acceptable threshold for our 80 gram bars to 36 micrograms (reminder, they only contain 13 micrograms). These levels are ONLY enforceable on products sold in CA; the FDA has not set a limit enforceable nationwide. Part of the above mentioned settlement included a 3 year study to uncover where Cadmium and Lead were entering the product, because if it can be proven that the heavy metals are naturally occurring and not added during processing, then they are exempt from the Prop65 enforcement. The results of the study concluded that the Cadmium was naturally occurring and absorbed from the soil. It also found that lead is primarily introduced during the drying phase of cacao processing from pollutants in the air and ground and it sticks to the husk of the bean. We remove the husk (as do all other chocolate makers) from the bean before making our chocolate, thus limiting the amount that enters the final product. If you have any follow up questions or would like more clarity, please don't hesitate to email us at ContactUs@EscazuChocolates.com to continue the conversation.

We cannot accept returns of any food or beverage products. This includes both our chocolate and our edible retail items. We will accept returns of non-edible products until 30 days after the purchase date in the form of store credit only. To start the return process, please email us at ContactUs@EscazuChocolates.com with your receipt number. If there is something wrong with your order, please email us at ContactUs@EscazuChocolates.com.

Please send donation request information to ContactUs@EscazuChocolates.com. We are a small company and feel that we can be the most impactful by choosing to make one or two substantial donations a year. Due to the large number of requests we receive, we only respond if we are able and interested.

Yes, you may have noticed that some of our items have increased in price over the past couple years. As with almost every industry, prices have increased across our supply chain and we incrementally adjust our prices to keep our profit margins sustainable. We appreciate your understanding and continued support.

Yes! Follow this link to our Flavor Guide.

While we aren't able to print custom labels for our chocolate bars (it is very cost prohibitive to do small runs of labels), we do offer some customization options: • Custom Stamped Cloth Bag: we order a stamp with your logo and can add on a custom colored ink if you'd like. One side of the bag is stamped with your logo and the backside is stamped with our logo. These bags can fit 1 -3 full size bars inside. • Custom Tile: similar to the bags above, we would stamp your custom logo on one side of the envelope and ours with the ingredients on the backside. The tasting tiles are small 2x2 squares of our 65% dark chocolate, bite size!

We have a bulk discount structure on our full size chocolate bars. Stock varies, so shoot us an email to find out what is currently available for bulk ordering and get current pricing information. We can put together customized gift boxes to fit your budget and preferences, ship each individually, or have them ready for pick up. Fill out our Special Orders Form to let us know a little more about what you need!

Absolutely! We consider anything over 60 pieces a special order, and typically request a 2 week notice. Please fill out our Special Order Form to let us know a little more about what you're looking for and how we can help! We are a very seasonal business, and quickly reach capacity for special orders in December, and we do not take special orders in the month of February.

When we changed our online store platform, the one drawback was that we can no longer use the same gift cards for in store and online. If you received a plastic, physical gift card OR an e-gift card from Square, it will only work IN STORE. If you received an e-gift card from Escazū Chocolates purchased through the new online store, it will only work ONLINE. Below is an example of what an ONLINE ONLY gift card looks like: If you'd like to convert either of these (in store to online or vice versa), email us at contactus@escazuchocolates.com with your gift card number and which version you currently have.

It shouldn't! We cold pack and insulate every package when either the ship from or ship to location is hotter than 70 degrees. (We add a $5 cold packing surcharge to shipping on orders under $35.) You have the option of 2-Day or Overnight shipping. We recommend choosing Overnight shipping when temperatures are above 85°F if you want to be 100% sure that your chocolate will arrive in good condition and your package will be guaranteed against any damage during shipping. 2-Day Shipping is effective during the warm weather the vast majority of the time, but because there are so many variables outside of our control after the package is picked up by UPS, there is no way it can have a 100% success rate against melting. If there is an issue with your order, please let us know (pictures are very helpful!) at ContactUs@EscazuChocolates.com.

In the Fall and Winter, we ship out orders Monday through Friday and in the Spring and Summer we ship out orders Monday through Wednesday. Orders placed before 2 pm will sometimes ship same day, but please allow 1-2 business days for us to pack orders before they ship (and sometimes longer during the holidays). Confection orders will need extra processing time if the confection stock is low or if you place an order of 60 or more confections.

UPS is not guaranteeing ship times and therefore we cannot guarantee them either. Furthermore, we cannot be responsible for any damage, delays or lost packages caused by the carrier. In regular times, this shipment option is timely and reliable, but these are still not regular times. We will send you tracking information, but we also recommend signing up for UPS My Choice to get updates on your shipment and communicate with UPS in the case of any delivery issues.

Yes! We are more than happy to hold your order to ship at a later date, even during the holidays! To have your order held, leave us a note on the product page giving us a window in which you'd like your order to arrive. We will do our best to ship on a date that will fall within that arrival window, but can't make any guarantees as once the package leaves our shop, it is in the hands of the carrier.

Yes! We offer in store pick up and you can choose it during the Delivery step of check out. Sometimes the website is a little tricky and drops you down right underneath the option to choose pick up, so if you don't see it right away - scroll up! This is what you're looking for:

We try to make the In Store Pick Up option as easy as possible for you. During checkout, you will have the ability to schedule your pick up for the day and time that works best for you. A couple considerations when choosing your pick up date: Confections: These will have a Consume By date of about 15 days from the production date. We will put together an assortment of the freshest chocolates for your pick up date, but if you pick up after your scheduled pick up date, we do not re-pack your confections with new ones. Drinks: All drinks will be steamed to order upon arrival. Once your order is placed you will receive an order confirmation email. Please wait until you receive a SECOND email, letting you know that your order is Ready for Pick Up, before coming to the store. We will have orders ready for pick up early only when it does not affect the freshness of your items. When you arrive at the store, walk right up to register and let us know the name on your order. No need to wait in line!

Unfortunately since chocolate is food, it is a little tricky for us, as a small business to ship international. As much as we would like to, we are not currently able to do so.

Please send us an email at ContactUs@EscazuChocolates.com if something is wrong with your order. If you are able to reference your order number and provide pictures, that is a great place for us to start!

Confections have a ~15 day shelf life from the date of production. There will be a consume by date stamped on your box.

Our chocolate bars never really go bad if stored properly (see below). However, their flavor will dull after a year and a half for dark chocolate and 6 months for milk chocolate. The last 4 digits of the batch number are the month and year (MMYY) that the bar was produced.

The best (and only) way we recommend storing chocolate is at a comfortable room temperature, no warmer than 70 degrees, away from any strong scents (like spices) and direct heat sources. For longer term storage, an air tight container is ideal. We do not recommend refrigerating or freezing your chocolate.

We're so glad you asked! We do our very best, and almost always pay extra, to minimize our waste production and be responsible consumers so you can be too. IN STORE Hot and cold cups: commercially compostable Hot and cold lids: commercially compostable Straws: commercially compostable Napkins: commercially compostable Drink stirrers: commercially compostable PRODUCT PACKAGING Cello bags: commercially compostable Confection boxes: curbside recyclable Candy pads: trash Paper bags: curbside recyclable Clear boxes: curbside recyclable (if contains PET marking) SHIPPING SUPPLIES Shipping box: curbside recyclable Honeycomb paper: curbside recyclable Green Cell Foam Liner: foam - home compost, dissolve in water or burn; plastic liner - recycle Ice Pack: put in freezer and reuse

We have been using a local composting service - Compost Now - to help us limit our landfill waste. There are many options now for compostable packaging, but most of it is only compostable through a commercial composting service, not at home. With the ambiguity of recycling efficacy, we decided to make the switch to commercial composting which provides more transparency. If you live in Raleigh, Durham, Atlanta, Asheville, Charleston or Cincinnati, Compost Now serves your area!!