Bean To Bar World FAQ

+ What is Bean To Bar World about?

Bean To Bar World is a fine chocolate educational portal and online chocolate shop.

The focus of this site is to:

• Connect you to the finest chocolate in the world
• Help you to understand and appreciate this chocolate, and fine chocolate in general
• Support small-batch fine chocolate makers around the world
• Promote chocolate that focuses on fairly traded cacao, simple pure ingredients, and complex deep flavour

My goal is to help you better appreciate and understand chocolate from both a scientific and historical/traditional perspective.

Learn more here.

+ Why buy chocolate online instead of at the grocery store?

All the products here are rarely found at your local grocery store. Many are not even found at many boutique chocolate shops or high-end grocery stores either. In fact, these are some of the top brands of fine chocolate in the world, and you likely never heard of them.

This website focuses on connecting you with the finest chocolate in the world all in one place, and helping you access chocolate brands that you may not even have access to in your country.

Bean To Bar World connects you to hundreds of bean-to-bar chocolate makers through the app I created, while offering you a small collection of bars available in the online shop to purchase individually, in gift sets, or try in a tasting.

+ What does "Bean To Bar" Mean?

Simply put, it has become associated with chocolate made from scratch, and associated with high quality, fairly traded cacao to produce chocolate with a complex deep flavour unique to each bar.

All chocolate is essentially bean-to-bar, in that it was made from a cocoa bean and turned into a chocolate bar. However, the meaning of the term bean-to-bar has more to it than that.

Essentially, a bean to bar chocolate maker makes chocolate from scratch, that is, from the raw cocoa bean. They have full control over the whole process, much like a wine maker or speciality coffee roaster. This is very different from most chocolate shops in the world, which are chocolatiers and make confections from chocolate, but not the actual chocolate.

Think of it as a high quality baker who not only makes the wonderful natural bread, but also makes the flour itself from speciality grains. A bread with a deeper flavour and better for you. This is very different from the commercially made highly refined bread with additives, higher-gluten hybridised wheat, and lower nutritional value.

Most bean-to-bar makers focus on aspects such as higher quality cacao beans (for which they often pay a much higher price), fairly traded cacao, organic cacao when possible, simple pure ingredients, and deeper complex flavour within the chocolate.

If you would like to learn more, please click here.

+ What makes your chocolate so different?

Flavour

The dark chocolates here taste more than just, well, dark chocolate. Some you may find barely taste like the chocolate flavour you have come to expect.

For those who appreciate fine foods, you will enjoy the complex deep flavours. The plain dark chocolate bars (often referred to as Single Origin bars) often contain an array of flavour notes such as fruity, nutty, earthy, baked, etc. These are not flavours added, but flavours brought out by the chocolate making process.

The flavoured bars (milk chocolate, flavoured dark chocolate, or white chocolate bars) have a much more fuller, complex, and satisfying flavour as well compared to what you can find at your local grocery or chocolate shop.

Ingredients

Ingredients are simple and straightforward. The dark chocolate bars contain only 2-3 ingredients (cocoa beans, sugar, and sometimes cocoa butter). Simple ingredients, yet complex in flavour.

The flavoured chocolate bars contain straight forward ingredients as well, and some very unique and interesting chocolate bar flavours you may have never thought of.

Quality

These chocolate bars focus on not only high quality cacao beans, but high quality cocoa butter, sugar, and other ingredients as well. Every brand of chocolate in the world will state they only use the finest quality ingredients, but only a few actually do, and you will find them here at Bean To Bar World.

Sustainable Relationships

There is a complex network of people that make fine chocolate possible; from the seller, maker, grower, and everyone in between. The reason why we have fine chocolate is because of the enormous amount of effort that was put forward to source and sustain the growing of fine cacao, develop relationships with the growers and their co-ops, make it accessible to the makers, all while educating the public on how this chocolate is different from a Nestle or Hershey bar.

Although it may seem simple enough, there are many wheels spinning endlessly in the background to help sustain these relationships, the livelihoods of those involved, and the balancing of the many facets of being a fine chocolate maker.

+ Is your chocolate fairtrade?

They are made with fairly traded cacao, but not certified fairtrade. You may notice none of the bars on my site are certified fairtrade. If these are some of the best fine chocolates in the world, how can this be? There is a good reason for this.

Many people believe fairtrade is synonymous with better quality. This is far from the truth. You can have very poor to mediocre quality cacao or chocolate which can be fair trade certified. It has nothing to do with the quality of the bean, and more to do with meeting a very minal quota of how much the cacao sells for. Many of the fine chocolate makers buy cacao for much more than the qualifying amount to become fairtrade.

The chocolate makers represented on my site use cacao that is nearly always fairly traded. However, we are dealing with small-scale chocolate makers who deal with small-scale farmers. Neither of which can afford or want to "waste" their money on certifications.

The truth is, many of these makers use cacao from sources that are much more transparent and fair, than most of the certified chocolate bars in your local grocery store. Transparent or even direct trade is a goal of many fine chocolate makers, which surpasses what fairtrade is capable of. Some makers know the co-ops, or in some cases the farmers who grow their cacao. And in a growing number of cases, some makers even grow their own cacao!

The priority of many bean to bar makers is quality, healthy, and ethical ingredients. Going the certification route rarely lands you all 3.

Supporting these brands in the online shop does support fair trade relationships, and allows the small business and farmers to hold onto their well earned money instead of paying for a certification label on their bar.

How can you know if they use fairly traded cacao? If you find a maker you love, read up on them. Their website often includes a great deal of information on the cacao they use and where they source it. When in doubt, ask them!

+ Is your chocolate organic?

In the same way as in fairtrade, none of the bars are certified organic, and for good reason. Many of the bars use organic cacao, but to go the certification route would cost them not only more money, but also restrict many incredible cacao sources they wish to use.

There are some well known "bean-to-bar" chocolate makers who do a nice job with their chocolate, and are fairtrade certified. The reason many of these can afford to do so is the certification is not really being paid for by the maker, but by an investor. The majority of the privately owned, small-scale chocolate makers don't have investors.

Similar to fairtrade, organic is not synonymous with quality (quality of flavour or nutrition). Nearly all the organic certified bars I have tried are made from cacao, which is mediocre at best, and pretty standard most of the time.

You can have organic certified chocolate bars that taste just like any mass produced commercial chocolate. As well, certification does not (and often does not) guarantee the growing cacao was not sprayed with some sort of pest control (be it likely a less harmful chemical). You can have organic certified chocolate made with poor quality bulk cacao, to produce very standard tasting chocolate.

You can have chocolate bars not certified organic, that use organic cacao, but also taste more profound and made with higher quality cacao and ingredients in general.

Although the idea of truly organic produce and food is wonderful, in practise, it doesn't always match up with what you read on a label. Going that extra step to find out for yourself will be very rewarding.

+ Do you have vegan chocolate?

Yes, plenty. All the dark chocolate is 100% plant-based. High quality dark chocolate should never contain dairy.

There are also many flavoured bars which are 100% plant-based as well.

Check them out here.

When you checkout an item, if it contains dairy (or other allergens), the site will prompt you and let you know.

Keep in mind that since I do carry bars which do contain dairy, and that many bars were manufactured in small-scale kitchens that may use ingredients that contain dairy, I cannot guarantee any of your chocolate did not come in contact with dairy or any other allergens or dietary restriction.

+ Why do you use the term "plant-based" instead of "vegan"?

Vegan diets vary. What one person considers vegan, another may not. For instance, some vegan diets don't allow for refined sugar, because the sugar was processed in a method which utilised the bones from animals within the refinement process. Another example is honey. Some vegan diets allow for honey, and others do not because it is said to interfere with the bees.

For this reason, I use the term plant-based for products that do not contain any ingredients from animals, big or small. However, a few bars may contain refined sugar, and a rare few bars contain honey. If you see "unrefined cane sugar" or "unrefined coconut sugar" then you can be sure it is not using refined sugar. If you need to know if it contains honey, read the ingredients list.*

Keep in mind that since the chocolate bars were manufactured in small-scale kitchens that may use an array of ingredients, I cannot guarantee any of your chocolate did not come in contact with any allergens or dietary restricted ingredient.

+ Do you have gluten-free chocolate?

Yes, plenty. The majority of the chocolate bars are, but there are a few tasty bars which purposefully include grains or bread added.

When you checkout an item, if it contains gluten (or other allergens), the site will prompt you and let you know.

Keep in mind that since I do carry bars with gluten, and that many bars were manufactured in small-scale kitchens that may use ingredients that contain gluten, I cannot guarantee any of your chocolate did not come in contact with gluten or any other allergens or dietary restriction.

+ Do your chocolates have traces of nuts?

There are many bars which do not contain nuts, but traces of they may.

Keep in mind that since I do carry bars which do contain nuts, and that many bars were manufactured in small-scale kitchens that may use ingredients that contain nuts, I cannot guarantee any of your chocolate did not come in contact with nuts or any other allergen or dietary restriction.

Some products may have come in contact with nuts either at my facility (packaged bars with no nuts next to packaged bars with nuts) or at the manufacturing facility of the chocolate.

If you have a severe nut allergy even in trace amounts, then I recommend you assume the bars do contain traces of nuts.

+ What's the difference between dark and milk chocolate?

Dark chocolate should not contain any milk or dairy ingredients. Milk chocolate does contain milk powder.

Keep in mind, lower quality dark chocolate may contain whey or some dairy component, so read the ingredients carefully when you purchase chocolate from the grocery store.

None of the dark chocolate bars here (single origin or flavoured dark chocolate bars) contain any dairy. They are all 100% plant-based.

+ Why is your chocolate so expensive?

Great question! It's not just the pretty packaging, although there are brands out there that do get away with selling a mediocre product at a high price because of the brand and beautiful packaging.

The reason the chocolate sold here is so expensive is mainly two fold. One, the cacao beans used by these chocolate makers are much more expensive than the cacao beans used to make your Nestle, Hershey, Callebaut, Cacao Barry chocolate. When I make chocolate, my beans cost me around $12-$13 per kilo. If I were to buy in larger quantities, it would be cheaper, but not nearly as cheap as the cacao beans used to make your bulk commercial chocolate. Those cocoa beans are usually purchased for around $2-3 per kilo (USD), give or take. And that's a fair estimate. That's a huge difference in price, and that price reflects in the price of the chocolate bar.

Why pay so much for cacao? Quality. The high quality cacao beans grow on trees that require more work for the farmers to grow, and so require better compensation to make it worth their while. As well, even though most of the bars are not fair trade certified, the makers buy from farmers or co-ops that fairly compensate the farmers because they believe in not taking advantage of them.

The other is economies of scale. All the makers are small-scale, many small or micro-batch makers.

+ What sort of classes do you offer?

The most popular are the chocolate tastings. These are private virtual tastings open to the public. They can be booked for 1 person, a couple, or a couple hundred people. They are very educational, and open to all who want to learn about chocolate.

I also offer a wide range of private virtual chocolate lessons on topics such as tempering, colouring molds, bean-to-bar making, and much more.

More classes to come, so stay tuned!

+ I want to book a tasting, where do I go?

Book it here!

+ I want to take a lesson, how do I book?

Book it here!

+ Do you host in-person classes?

No. I used to host in-person classes, tastings, and lessons through my old website, but this website focuses on virtual classes, tastings, and events at the moment.

+ Do you make the chocolate you sell?

I do not have my own line of bean-to-bar chocolate at the moment. I used to have many in-person classes or sell at local markets where you could try my chocolate. However, at the moment and for the purpose of this website specifically, I am wearing my chocolate sommelier and instructor hats.

Therefore, all the chocolate bars you see in the online shop are from other incredible chocolate makers who I wish to showcase and share their work with you. I do not get paid to promote their chocolate in any way at all. I showcase those of my choosing. And believe me, there are many more I wish to showcase, but all in due time!

+ Do you offer subscriptions?

Not at this time. Perhaps in the future. If you're very interested, let me know. The more people I hear from, the sooner I am to implement it.

+ Do you offer gift cards?

Yes, gift cards and other gift ideas. Click here.

+ Do you offer any free resources?

Yes, plenty! Check out:

The Bean To Bar World Academy

The Bean To Bar World Map App

Free PDF Tools & Reading Material

+ Are you an affiliate or receive any monetary resources for promoting or selling products?

Absolutely not. Everything you see on this website is curated in an honest and genuine fashion.

Any promotion you see of products on my website, media, marketing, or literature are based on what I wish to share for the sake of helping you, the consumer, and supporting bean-to-bar entrepreneurs around the world.

I do not receive any monetary compensation for blogging, app creation, or product and service promotions. The goal of this website is to be like cacao in the ideal situation: highest quality and sold with transparency.

+ Where do you get your information?

Good question. I have always had my nose stuck in a book. When I was a child I read about science and animals, and as I grew older my interests became more involved.

My educational background includes a BSc degree (mostly in biology and zoology as well as some fine arts mixed in), Pastry Arts, and teacher education courses.

I entered the fine chocolate industry before any sort of chocolate sommelier class existed. Therefore, I had to rely on my own research through books (chocolate and non-chocolate related), primary scientific research articles (again chocolate and non-chocolate), discoursing with other professionals in the industry, and through experience. With this I had built up my knowledge and created my own curriculum which I include in my online content, classes, and in the Bean To Bar Compass I developed.

I hope that my passion and work will benefit you and your journey into fine chocolate, wherever you plan to go with it. The sole purpose for me to do what I do is to help all of you learn, enjoy, and appreciate fine chocolate the way I do.

+ How do I taste and enjoy fine chocolate?

Great question! You can learn about some simple steps here, purchase the Bean To Bar Compass tasting workbook, book a tasting, or book a one-on-one tutoring lesson.

+ Why are you not active on social media?

Bean to bar world does have an Instagram account, but you will not see me use it often. You may also see me on Quora, and I do post my videos via YouTube, but I do not use any other social media platforms.

Due to the work I do I'm unable to spend time to post and connect via social media. My time is more efficiently spent working on creating more quality content for the website, new classes, all for you to learn, enjoy, and share.

I am more than happy to connect with questions about fine chocolate, so feel free to chat via the orange icon at the bottom of your screen, or contact me through my contact page. I feel these modes of communication are more effective and more condusive to quality communication.

+ How are your bars/products wrapped/shipped?

Chocolate bars and products from the online shop are shipped wrapped in tissue and placed in the carrier box or packet, or shipped in a smiple white mailer box with stuffing to keep them secure. Bars are wrapped with great care not only to get them to you in great condition, but to respect those who made them.

A la carte orders from the online shop are packaged in the most cost effective-way for you. However, if you wish to add more pizzazz, you can upgrade your order with the Deluxe Gift Box Set. This is also great if you are buying bars a la carte and wish to send it as a gift. The gift box comes with a colourful branded box, tissue, stuffing, and some extra perks! Learn more about the deluxe upgrade here.

+ How can I pay?

Online Shop

You can pay right here, online, using a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex) Apple Pay, and Paypal.

Tasting Kits

Once details are confirmed, you will receive and e-invoice, for which you will pay using a major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex), Debit Card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

+ Where are you based?

Canada. No in-person pick up available. The address online is a office location only.

+ Where can I find information on Shipping?

Please check the shipping page.

+ How long does shipping take?

Online shop orders

Packing time: 1-2 business days normally after receiving order

Shipping time: Depends on your choice of shipping method. Click here to read more on shipping estimates

These times do not include customs delays for international (Non USA) addresses.

Tasting Kit orders

Packing time: Depending on where you are located and quantity of kits. For 30 or less, I require 2 weeks notice at least for the most affordable shipping rates (standard). For groups of 50+, I usually require 3 weeks minimum, and for 100+, I require at least 4 weeks notice.

Again, this depends on where you are located (Vancouver or New York), and how many participants, and how many addresses I will be shipping to. Please ask me these questions when you reserve your booking, or contact me if you are still unsure.

Shipping time: Depends on your choice of shipping method. Click here to read more on shipping estimates

+ How does shipping work?

For products in the online shop

You select your method of shipment during checkout, allow for a couple days to pack the order, and then you will receive a tracking link once the order is scanned by the courier.

For tasting kits

I will discuss with you your shipping options after I receive your reservation. I will also let you know of the deadlines I require the payment, and the shipping information & addresses.

+ Do your shipments come with a tracking number?

Yes, all orders whether through the online shop or your tasting kits will come with a tracking link. Ensure you provide me with the correct email address or you will not receive a tracking number.

+ What if I don't like my chocolate?

The fine chocolate or craft chocolate world (whatever you wish to call it) is all about new flavours and new experiences. Many of the chocolates have very interesting flavour profiles. Some of these you may not love, and that's okay! I hope you do find bars that you greatly enjoy, but even in my experience, there are some very high quality bars that I just don't enjoy.

There are no refunds or exchanges for not liking the flavour of a bar. That is the fun and the excitement of trying new bars or new foods in general. It's also a great opportunity to share it with family or friends who actually might appreciate that flavour profile.

In the chocolate tastings, there may be samples you don't like either. This is part of the learning experience!

However, I would still very much want to hear from you regarding why you didn't like your chocolate bar or product. Help me understand what you didn't enjoy about it, and your thoughts on it.

+ Do you offer refunds? Exchanges?

Due to the nature of the product, I do not offer exchanges for any food related products, or any used non-food products.

As mentioned above, I do not offer refunds for chocolate or products you did not enjoy the flavour of.

I also don't offer refunds for melted chocolate (see FAQ above regarding melting or living in hot climates)

Refunds may be offered based on your specific case.

I do want you to be satisfied with the products and services at Bean To Bar World, so please do let me know if you are not 100% satisfied and why. If I can, I will try my best to rectify the situation depending on what the issue is.