SHIPPING INFO

Shipping. Who knew there was so much to discuss? (We did. Company founder is a *big* transportation and logistics nerd)

 

But also- supply chain ethics! Including shipping?! Yes.

 

Oh, we aim to do it all. 

 

Since you asked, here’s how shipping with and by and from Zimt works- in a nutshell.  

We focus on the following areas, below: 

  • Limiting negative environmental impact of shipping
  • Returns + Refunds
  • Postal Codes which sadly do not qualify for free shipping
  • Cold Shipping

 

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SHIPPING

Shipping product takes a big toll on the environment. 

But it isn’t just the ‘getting product to you’ part- there are many other contributing factors. 

  1. Shipping
  • Of course, all of the trucks and vans delivering our precious cargo account for a good chunk of the overall greenhouse gas emissions through ecommerce transport (about 30%). But- how can we make it less bad? Well, here at Zimt, we suggest doing so by group buying. For example, you and your work friends,  who are obviously all brilliant, want Zimt! Do you each order individually to your own home? NO! You order together- one big, group order, to your office. We wish there were an app to make this easier but there isn’t yet! 
  • How we try to mitigate the environmental cost of shipping is to prevent multiple pick ups.  We try- really hard- to have all of our shipments ready-to-go for the courier, so the can pick up in one fell swoop, instead of having to come back to pick up again. 
  • Returns
  • So, since Zimt is food and we don’t it back- this isn’t so much of an issue! But, where we do have room for improvement is- reducing the need to ship twice. What does that mean? Well, we really try not to mess up your orders. Because, if we do, we may have to send out another parcel to make up for it. 
  • Sometimes, it isn’t us who messes up your parcel- the parcel may get damaged during shipping. We try to pack things securely and use FRAGILE stickers to encourage couriers to treat them with the utmost care. Limiting damaged product- limiting problems. 
  • Packaging
  • Here is where we shine. We are so good. Ok, let’s start inside the box- the padding. Sure, we could get brand new tissue paper or peanut puffs, but we do not do that. No. Because it is 1) reduce 2) reuse 3) recycle. 
  • So, we do the first two. Our coconut flakes come in big bags- the outer bags are a fairly heavy brown paper. We rip these up (they’re not dirty) and use these for inner padding. It just makes sense! Then we reduce the need to buy new padding because we have reused an existing material.
  • Outside- it is just corrugated cardboard- those are very high in recycled materials to begin with. But wait- let’s look back to what we just typed about- reduce, reuse. That’s where our friends at Pacific Basket come in- they generously save their small boxes for us to reuse for online shipments! Our packaging lead also brings in boxes from shipments she and her partner receive- reuse. 
  • The tape- well, we actually use a water activated, unbleached kraft paper tape. Most tape is made of petroleum based plastics- we definitely want to avoid that. We also reuse some labels we had printed, dishonestly on the printer’s part, years ago. These are made of petroleum based materials, but we don’t want to just let them go to waste- so we reuse them.

 

RETURNS POLICY

We can only accept returns if: 

  1. The product is unopened, and in its original packaging
  2. The return has been initiated within 7 days of receipt (carrier delivery day)

If you do have an item eligible for a return, please request a return via email: 

sales@zimtchocolates.com

Please include your order #, product description, and reason for return.

 

We don’t cover any return postage- you could request a return label and the cost of the return will be deducted from your refund, or, you can ship on your own. We cannot be liable for any lost or damaged items. If a return is lost or damaged while in transit, we are unable to cover this cost.

Please also make sure that the address is correct and that you package items very safely.

Opened items cannot be returned- if you received an item with a serious quality issue, please email us within 14 days with the following information- we’ll look into the product information and provide you with a response, solution, or explanation. All quality issue inquiries must include a photo, lot#, order #, and short description of the issue you are perceiving in the item itself. 

Please keep in mind- food products fluctuate seasonally and may look or taste different depending upon where they were grown or produced. We therefore cannot guarantee exact consistency in taste, texture or color, and the ‘quality issue inquiries’ pertaining to personal preference (such as color, dislike of texture or taste compared to previous lots) cannot be accommodated!

 

The good news is- we really want you to enjoy your treats and we promise to send them out to you in the best shape they can be. 

 

POSTAL CODES + FREE SHIPPING... OR NOT!

If you live somewhere beautiful, remote, less horrendously expensive than some of the cities in Canada- you are obviously in luck (or wit).

But you are not in luck for free shipping on orders over $75 pre tax! These are the postal codes which do not qualify for that deal. And you know why- costs a pretty penny to get your parcels to you!

Alberta

T0A2J0, T0A3G0, T0A3K0, T0B0M0, T0C0R0, T0C0S0, T0C0W0, T0C1W0, T0E0B2, T0E0K0, T0E0L0, T0E1H0, T0G0A5, T0G0K0, T0G2N0, T0G2W0, T0H0B9, T0H0E6, T0H0G6, T0H0N0, T0H0S0, T0H1J0, T0H1R0, T0H2N, T0H3X0, T0H4A0, T0P(all), T0V(all), T0J0A5, T0J0B3, T0J0E7, T0J0K0, T0J0X0, T0J1C0, T0J1H0, T0J1L0, T0J1M0, T0J2G0, T0J2M0, T0J2Z0, T0J3C0, T0J3J0, T0K0A0, T0K0A5, T0K0B4-5, T0K0C3-5, T0K0S0, T0K1E0, T0K1L0, T0K1N0, T0K1R0, T0K2J0, T0K2M0, T0K2R0, T0L1Y0, T0M0C6, T0M1L0, T0M2H0

British Columbia

V0B1R0, V0C0A, V0C0B1, V0C0B8, V0C1E0, V0C1G0, V0C1K0, V0C1L0, V0C1S0, V0C1Y0, V0C1Z0, V0C2A0, V0C2B0, V0C2H0, V0C2R0, V0C2S0, V0C2T0, V0C2V0, V0C2X0, V0C2Z0, V0E1S0, V0G0B1, V0G0B5, V0G1B0, V0G1N0, V0J(all), V0K0B3, V0K1N0, V0K1P0, V0L(all), V0N0A6, V0N0B2, V0N0E4, V0N1M0, V0N1Z0, V0N2B0, V0N2V0, V0N3E0, V0N3L0, V0T(all*) (*1M0, 1R0, 1S0 are included), V0V0A2, V0V1A0, V0V1B0, V0V1C0, V0V1E0, V0V1H0, V0W(all), V0P0A, V0P1B0, V0P1J0, V0P1K0, V0P1L0, V0P1S0, V0P1V0, V0P1W0, V0P1Z0, V0R0B, V0R1A0, V0R1B, V0R2B0, V0R2J0, V0S1K0

Manitoba

R0A0S0, R0B(all), R0C0B9, R0C0E2, R0C0G4, R0C0J0, R0C0J0, R0C0V0, R0C1V0, R0C2A0, R0C2P0, R0C3K0, R0E0B1, R0E0B6, R0E0C3, R0E0J0, R0E1E0, R0E1K0, R0E1N0, R0E2E0, R0J0L0, R0J0Z0, R0J1K0, R0J1Y0, R0L(all)

Nova Scotia

B0C1E0, B0E (all), B0K1J0

Newfoundland

A0E3B0, A0G(all), A0H0B8, A0H0C3, A0H1L0, A0H1N0, A0H2C0, A0H2J0, A0J0B, A0J1K0, A0J1L0, A0J1N0, A0K(all), A0M1K0, A0N0A6, A0N0B5, A0N2K0, A0N2L0, A0P(all)

Ontario

K0C1Z0, N0R1M0, P0H (all), P0L(all), P0M0B3, P0M1C0, P0M2S0, P0M2X0, P0M2Z0, P0T(all), P0V(all), P0X0A5, P0X1B0, P0X1E0, P0X1P0

Quebec

G0G (all), G0W0A4, G0W0C2, G0W0C7, G0W1C0, G0W3B0, G0W3C0, G4T(all), J0M (all), J0W2C0, J0Y0A, J0Y2X0, J0Y3B0, J0Y3H0, G0X0E, G0X3M0, G0X3P0, G0X3R0

Saskatchewan 

S0C0V0, S0H0G3, S0H1W0, S0H2V0, S0H3M0, S0E0A4, S0E0G0, S0E0S0, S0J (all), S0K0A9, S0K0H0, S0K0J8, S0K1L0, S0K1Y0, S0K2C0, S0K3N0, S0K3S0, S0K4B0, S0K4E0, S0K4H0, S0L0B7, S0L0E5, S0L0J0, S0L1Y0, S0M, S0P (all)

Nunavut



All

Northwest Territories

All

Yukon

All



SHIPPING IN THE HEAT

In warmer climates or warmer months, ordering chocolate online can be tricky!

Here are our recommendations and guidelines to work with the heat.

Timing

Chocolate, if tempered properly (long story, but an essential part of making good chocolate), does not need to be refrigerated, if kept in temperatures, preferably below 22C. Chocolate should also always be stored in dry, dark places- especially ours, as humidity can cause the cellulose wrappers to decompose. Not what you want when it still contains chocolate.

Chocolate is fairly safe at whatever temperature– especially ours, because it is vegan and we don’t have to worry about dairy products in it going bad! However, if you get chocolate that has been transported in warmer conditions and has not been kept at proper temperatures, you may find that it has bloomed.

What is blooming?

 

Well, guess you do have to learn about tempering! (Or not- skip to the bold...)

For chocolate to be in a glossy, fridge-free, form, and have a nice snap to it and smooth mouthfeel, it must be properly tempered. This is done during manufacturing, when the chocolate is heated and cooled to rather precise temperatures over time, with some agitation. Cocoa butter is the fat in chocolate that gives it it’s great mouthfeel, and it is a component of cocoa beans themselves. Cocoa butter is made of crystals that are changed throughout this tempering process-  if done correctly, makes sure we get the right kind of crystal structure we want (beta crystals).

But, if the chocolate is heated up too much- even after it is tempered, the crystals will change into an unstable form- the chocolate will bloom. This looks like the chocolate has a grey coating on it- it is still totally safe to eat and delicious! But that grey coating is just the cocoa butter rising to the surface of our chocolate- giving it a grey appearance. This is one version of ‘fat bloom’.

(There is also ‘sugar bloom’, which is where the sugar in the chocolate absorbs moisture from the surrounding area. When the water evaporates, it leaves the sugars to form larger crystals, giving the chocolate a dusty appearance. Moving on.)

So. Because we work so hard to make your chocolate properly tempered, we want to keep it properly tempered during shipping.

If any of the following are an issue, we need to take extra special care while shipping:

  • it is warm where you are getting the chocolate delivered
  • the chocolate will be traveling through a warm part of the planet to get to you

We recommend 2-3 days of shipping with cold packs if either of these conditions are at play!

With exceptionally high temperatures, cold packs alone will not do the job. An insulated cooler box  will increase the potency of cooling, but only adds as much as a day. It’s usually better to just be sure to choose a faster shipping option.

If you reeeeeally want your chocolate and it’s hot out, we can get quotes on refrigerated shipping carriers which can be expensive.  The best is to select a form of air freight which should have your order to you within 2 days across Canada. Please watch the shipping estimate times listed on the Checkout page, and be sure to choose one that fits this timeframe.

We most often end up shipping with Purolator or CanPar instead of Canada Post- the rates are similar (may end up a little more expensive on our end) but the product gets to you way faster! 

 

For USA & International: We usually ship via DHL- and they are pretty fast! We avoid using UPS and FedEx whenever possible as these organizations are supporters of ALEC and prison labour. 

Be mindful of weekends as well; we generally only ship out on Mondays and occasionally on Wednesdays. This is because later days in the week may result in your package being stuck in a warm warehouse over the weekend! Not good. You can place an order after Monday afternoon, but we’ll hold it until the following Monday or Tuesday to ship (unless we are unusually organized one day- then we can ship that same day? No promises.). (If you absolutely must order immediately, please include a note in your order, or email admin@zimtchocolates.com and let us know what’s up, or, reach out on our social media.)

Cold Packs

'Wait, I didn't order______ (tea, powdered spices, pasta) from Zimt!'

It is true- you certainly did not. But we clean and re-use bags from dried goods, fill them with tap water, seal them and then freeze them to pop into your order boxes. We used to order eco friendly freezer packs, but to be honest, enough suitable bags already exist out there, and we prefer to re-purpose those instead.

We will include a cold pack in your order if ordering during warmer time periods, or to a warmer location, free of charge.  

Reusing & Recycling Cold Packs

If not mistreated, they can be reused many times – keep them for camping trips, picnics or for icing injuries! They can also be given away, some places like food banks may welcome them.

If you wish to recycle them, that can get tricky as different cities have different recycling capabilities. Generally, soft plastics are accepted at certain London Drugs locations and select city recycling locations. Reduce, reuse, recycle- t is in that order for a reason!

 

Products that Ship Well in the Heat

If you really want some Zimt in your life and don’t want an ice pack, go ahead and order some Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel Macaroons and any type of Drinking Chocolate! They are safe to ship in warm weather without an ice pack.

 

Ideas?

If you have any suggestions on cold shipping methods (e.g. special reusable coolers or specialty freight companies) which may provide a better service to our customers, please connect with us via email or include a note in your order.

Confused? Just Contact Us!

If you’re not sure about this, don’t worry! Send us an email with your questions: info@zimtchocolates.com – and it’s fine if you leave the site, your cart should be saved for your next visit and you’re ready to process your order.