1. Do you have a physical shop?

Yes. The shop is called Kerstin's Chocolates and we are located at 10139 112 Street in Edmonton, Alberta. Please check out our Edmonton Store's website - http://www.kerstinschocolates.com/ - for hours, news and events.

2. Do you make all the chocolate?

We make and package all of the Chocophilia products right in the Edmonton Shop. That includes the Chocophilia bars, drinking chocolate, and Cocoa Nib Caviar, as well as the Melt-Aways. While the tempering and flavouring of Chocophilia products is done here in the Shop, we do not roast, grind and conch our own beans due to space constraints.

3. Can you create gift items for my employees/clients?

Absolutely! To discuss corporate gifting, please contact us directly at info@kerstinschocolates.com to request options and availability.

4. What is the best way to eat a bar of chocolate?

Now that you've discovered the world of chocolate, it's useful to find the nuances you like or don't like about certain bars or bean producing regions/plantations, so that you can continue to find chocolate you love to savour. One of the manufacturers we carry in our Edmonton store is Amano, who has an excellent intro to tasting chocolate on his site. Of course the internet is a great way to find out more on the history of chocolate, cacao producing regions and bean nuances. If you are in the Edmonton area, we also hold regular chocolate tasting sessions at our Shop. Tasting Workshop tickets and gift certificates are available here.

5. Is the chocolate on this site organic? And if not, why?

Some of the single origin bars in our gift boxes are Certified Organic, and some are not.

We often have problems sourcing quality organic chocolate. The process of becoming certified organic is expensive for small plantations and sometimes the natural nuances, such as diversity of the cacao tree, are lost when focusing on producing a bean that can be labeled organic.

Theobroma cacao (the cacao tree) is also a very resilient, diverse plant that, in correct growing conditions (such as shade, correct moisture and heat and well ventilated soil), requires little to no pesticide use if the trees are attended to regularly. The latter is something that small plantations focus heavily on.

That said, there are some great manufacturers using organic beans. Please contact us directly to request organic items in your gift boxes.

6. Is the chocolate on this site fair trade?

We carry one brand of chocolate that is both organic and fair trade certified - Theo Chocolates from Seattle.

Fair trade certification faces similar issues to those of organic. Most of the chocolate we carry comes from smaller manufacturers and chocolatiers who are passionate about high quality cacao. Most of the chocolatiers have close ties to those who produce their beans, which facilitates a direct relationship focused on working together to produce the best cacao beans and chocolate possible. Because of the passion and high quality involved in producing each of the bars listed on the shopping site, we are certain that the cacao used to produce them was equitably traded.

If you would like to include Theo Chocolates in your gift box, please contact us directly, or leave a note for us in the comments section.

7. Can I bake with these bars?

Of course! Any of the bars on this site would make for truly decadent baking that anyone would be lucky to indulge in. 

8. Do you carry soy free chocolate on this site? And why do some manufacturers use soy lecithin?

Many of the bars in our gift boxes are free of soy lecithin. Please contact us directly or leave a note during checkout to request soy free chocolates in your gift items. Please note that all of our Chocophilia bars contain soy.

Soy lecithin is often used as a replacement for the smoothness of the natural fat in cacao, cocoa butter. Cocoa butter helps to emulsify the cocoa solids. Some of the products we carry utilize small amounts of soy lecithin to keep the cost of their chocolate at a more accessible level.

9. Do you carry nut free chocolate?

Much of the chocolate on this site does not contain nuts, however, all the manufacturers we carry do process nuts in their facilities, therefore their chocolate may contain traces of nuts/legumes. If you have a serious nut allergy, we do not recommend the purchase of any of the chocolate on this site.

10. Do you carry gluten free chocolate?

Almost all the chocolate on this site is gluten free, though that is not specifically noted on any packaging. If you or your gift recipient have a gluten allergy, please contact us or note so in the comments section so that we can ensure your chocolate is gluten free.