FAQs | Thor's Chocolate

FAQs

we know you're curious...

Why is your chocolate this expensive?

Mass produced chocolate as sold in stores is made in the millions or bars per month or week (sometimes even per day if you're a major manufacturer). We make a few hundred to a few thousand of bars at a time. We lack scale and purchasing power at our low volumes. Our chocolate ingredients are also higher quality and we purchase from sources that pay cocoa farmers enough for them to sustain their families. Our lower volumes, higher quality ingredients and ethical sourcing of materials and craft production of bars make our chocolates more expensive. But if you try them, you will probably agree that they are worth the extra money. They are ridiculously smooth, creamy and full of flavor as you have never tasted before.

Do you have a physical location?

Yes, we have a location in Idaho Falls, ID, USA. But it is only our production site. We don't have a retail shop at that location. On a limited basis, special arrangements can be made to tour our location or pick up orders there. But we don't maintain store hours and this is only available by appointment on a limited basis. We anticipate growing into a physical retail store location at some point in the future.

What are your shipping charges and how do you handle shipping?

We charge $15.00 shipping for any orders under $75.00. This covers 2-3 day express delivery (USPS mostly, but also UPS or FedEx at our choice) to most addresses in the mainland US (so the chocolate doesn't melt) and special packaging, including multiple layers of insulation bubble wrap or thick styrofoam type boxes and ice packs (in hot summer weather). Unfortunately, this is expensive and we can't afford to ship small orders for free as we can't absorb the cost and don't make that much money per bar. For orders over $75.00, we will cover the cost. Generally speaking, that's close to 10 bars.

Do you offer local delivery and pickup?

Yes, we do. Twice per week (days may change as needed), we try to make local deliveries up to 15 miles from our location in Idaho Falls. If you order and choose this option, it will take us a few days to deliver. Delivery charge is $10.00. If you want FREE delivery to your home, please order more than $75.00. We have to pay a delivery driver and pay for packaging to keep everything from melting on your front step.

Do you really make your own chocolate?

Yes! We buy the cocoa beans from around the world. We then roast them, crack them, and winnow them into "nibs". The nibs are combined in our various recipes with varying amounts of cocoa butter, milk, and sugar (or some sugar alternatives like Monk fruit, Allulose, or Stevia for sugar-free/keto chocolate varieties), depending on if we're making milk chocolate (contains milk) or dark chocolate (does not contain milk). We make our own chocolate from scratch. We don't melt someone else's product to make our bars.

Do most chocolatiers and chocolate shops make their own chocolate?

No. Actually, almost none of them do. Nearly all chocolate is made (from beans) by only a handful of large manufacturers. Chocolatiers and "chocolate dippers" and makers of chocolate products like clusters, pralines, etc buy chocolate in bulk and re-melt it and then use it for their creations. They don't make their chocolate. They buy someone else's and melt it. Then use it. However, we make our own chocolate from the bean. That's one thing that really sets us apart from these others.

Can you tell me about your ingredients?

Cocoa beans - come from all over the world. We only buy from distributors who buy beans in sustainable ways, meaning the farmers benefit and are not exploited but are paid fair prices and can sustain their families and business. The beans come from Belize, Uganda, Ghana, Ecuador, Haiti, Guatemala and other areas around the world. Beans grow best close to the equator, so all the world's beans are grown in the tropics. Each bean is different and contributes to a unique flavor of the chocolates we make.

Cocoa butter - we use mostly cocoa butter from Ecuador. As with the beans, the butter comes from sustainable sources and is derived from ethically-sourced beans.

Sugar - we use regular table sugar that comes from the sugar beet. Nothing fancy. From our local bulk food stores. Sugar beets are grown in Idaho, which is where we are located. So, I guess we're supporting our local economy.

Whole milk powder - again nothing fancy. Supporting some diary farms in the USA somewhere. Adds a good amount of creaminess.

Whey protein powder - We use Whey protein powder isolate 90%. We add this to our high protein, low carb "keto-friendly" chocolate.

Raspberry, Pineapple and Peach (and other fruit flavors)- We use real freeze-dried peaches and raspberries in our chocolate, but we also add a small amount of other natural peach and raspberry flavoring that has been concentrated. These are typical natural fruit extracts concentrated in oil. Not artificial flavoring. We have also made pineapple and will add other flavors. They're amazing.

Monk fruit with Erythritol - a sugar substitute, with an almost identical taste to the real thing. Although it is listed as a "carb" on the nutrition label, your body can't digest it, so it contributes no real carbs or sugars to your diet, making it both "keto diet" and diabetic friendly. Monk fruit is an actual fruit that is naturally sweet but contributes no calories to your diet. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol also well tolerated and gives good sweetness. Out of all "fake" sugars, this combination is on that has the lowest GI side effects like bloating and diarrhea, unless consumed in large quantities. We use it as one choice because it tastes great, with few side effects.

Allulose - sugar substitute. Almost tastes like real sugar. Although it is listed as a "carb" on the nutrition label, your body can't digest it, contributing no real carbs or sugars to your diet. It's therefore "keto diet" and diabetic friendly. Out of all "fake" sugars, it's one that has the lowest GI side effects like bloating and diarrhea, unless consumed in large quantities. We use it as one choice because it takes great and has few side effects. It's also easy to get a hold of.

Stevia - sugar substitute. Tastes almost identical to the real thing. Although it is listed as a "carb" on the nutrition label, your body can't digest it, so it contributes no real carbs or sugars to your diet. It's therefore "keto diet" and diabetic friendly. Out of all "fake" sugars it's one that has the lowest GI side effects like bloating and diarrhea, unless consumed in large quantities. We use it as one choice because it takes great and has few side effects.

Why so many sugar alternative options?

They all taste a little different. We may narrow it down based on customer/taster feedback. But for now, we're experimenting with all three. Our first keto-friendly bars have been launched with Whey protein and Allulose.

Are your ingredients non-GMO or organically certified?

Although some of the ingredients are, that's not our primary focus, so we are not looking specifically for non-GMO or organic. We are trying to make the best-tasting chocolate at the most affordable price. We don't have a lot of ingredients. The beans (see above) are sometimes organic and sometimes not, but sourced ethically and sustainably. No slave labor or rip-off prices for the farmers. Sugar is from our local bulk store and the milk powder from a large dairy.

Why Thor?

Because he eats our chocolate and loves it. So does the rest of Asgard. And so should you. And he's fun. We like fun.

What's your charity thing?

We have decided to donate at least $1.00 for each bar we sell to charity. We are excited to give back to the community and other charities worldwide.