Q. Who is Viva
Granola?
Viva Granola is a vegan
owned and operated web store. We are a happy vegan family (2
adults and 3 children) living in Quebec, Canada. Some of us first
started to become interested in vegetarianism in 1996 and
together we moved in that direction gradually over the following years.
We then committed to going vegan in 2005. We celebrate that happy
decision each year on Feb 1st.
Q.
Are you a health store? What does Vegan mean?
No, we are first and
foremost a Vegan Store, which means that all the products on our
shelves are made without the use and exploitation of animals,
without animal ingredients or animal by-products (like meat,
dairy products, eggs, honey, gelatine, leather, wool, etc) and
those products are not and have not been tested on animals.
That being said, we believe that Vegan Candies and Vegan
Chocolates and Vegan Marshmallows are healthier than their
non-vegan counterparts, for you, the Earth and the animals.
Q.
Why did you go Vegan?
Primordially, we choose veganism for the Animals (Animal Rights,
Compassion, Ethical reasons) but we also agree with or believe in all
the other intelligent reasons to go Vegan.
Q. Do you
publish a newsletter?
Yes we do and you can sign-up
to receive it by sending us an email at
vivagranola@gmail.com .
And thank you for that!
Q. Do you have
a physical store?
It is our goal to have one, very soon we hope, but for now we are a webstore, exclusively.
Q.
Can I pick-up my order in person?
We are sorry but we are no longer offering this option at this time.
Q. What are your
hours of operation?
We are open for business Monday to Friday:
11am to 7pm (Eastern)
Q. How quickly
do you answer customers' emails?
We try to respond as
quickly as possible but you can usually expect a reply from us
within 24 to 36 hours during business days.
Q. How can I
order?
By internet
at www.VivaGranolaVeganStore.com;
By mail by sending us your order and your payment by
money order at our mailing address;
By email by sending us your order at vivagranola@gmail.com - payment
by Paypal or money order.
We plan on taking phone orders in the future.
Please note that the minimum order is 10$. Please see the page Conditions of Use for more details.
Please do! We are very
open to product suggestions, in fact, we wish that our customers
would make it a habit to ask for what they want as that is what
drives us. We do and will do what we can to find the products you
are looking for and we will keep you updated on our progress, if you
wish.
Q. What form
of payments do you accept?
We accept credit card
payments, Paypal, and Canadian money orders. Visa and Mastercard credit card payments are processed
securely with Beanstream, directly on our website. Amex credit card payments are processed on Paypal's website (you don't have to have a Paypal account
to pay us with Amex).
Q. How much
tax should I expect to pay?
At this time, Viva
Granola doesn't charge any taxes. We are a very small business and
so, for now, we don't have to charge customers provincial or goods
and services taxes, at least until we reach a certain level of
sales.
Q. Is it
possible to buy VivaGranola Gift Certificates?
Yes, definitely!
You will find them in the Gift Voucher Section of our web-store.
Q. Do you
accept US or International orders?
We ship to Canada and
the continental US primarily but we can accept international orders
if you have a Paypal account. Contact us by email with your
order for a Canada Post shipping quote that will be based on the
total weight of your items and the delivery address. US and
International clients are, of course, solely responsible for any
customs fees, if they apply. Please check with your local
customs office for information pertaining to your country's customs
regulations.
Q. What else
can you tell me about shipping?
The shipping costs charged are
calculated by Canada Post's integrated shipping module on our website. We
don't use a carrier as of yet but would like to offer that service in the
future. Canada Post will charge a minimum of about 8$ for the smallest and
lightest parcel, for example, shipped from Quebec City to Montreal. A
bigger and much heavier parcel (ex. 6kg) will cost around 12$ if again,
shipped from Quebec City to Montreal. Of course, the prices vary depending
on where you want the parcel delivered. But keeping that in mind, you can
see that the heavier the package (the bigger/heavier your parcel is), the
more economical the shipping is.
To have a better idea of what the price of shipping would be for your
particular order, you can place your items in your shopping cart and go
through Checkout. It will tell you how much the shipping would be,
giving you different shipping options based on the weight of your
products and also your location.
**Free Shipping on orders of 200$ or more! Restrictions apply. See our Special Offers page for all the details.
The estimated delivery dates provided next to each shipping option will help you choose the service most suitable to you but note that they are an estimation. If in doubt, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Also please note that we recommend that you choose the fastest service available if you order perishable items that need to be kept cold or that might melt during transport,
and that you include Cool Kits with your order. Generally, a one to two day transit time is acceptable if enough Cool Kits are included.
Please also note that, until further notice, we will be infrequently shipping from our postal address but rather from the nearest postal outlet to continue NOT charging handling fees.
On another note, you might appreciate knowing that when we receive orders from our
suppliers, we reuse their cardboard boxes, styro-foam peanuts, plastic bags,
brown packing paper, bubble wrap, etc. to pack your order and we encourage
you to reuse them as well.
Your order will be prepared and should be ready to ship within 1 to 2 business/shipping days after we receive your payment and order confirmation
when you pay by Paypal, credit card or money order.
That being said, we ship Monday through Thursday when there is no risk of your items melting or spoiling during transport.
But, if you have included such perishable products, we will mostly ship at the beginning of the week, provided that your order can get to you within the same week.
If in doubt, we will contact you to ask when you would prefer your order be shipped.
Q. Once you
ship my order, will I be able to track it?
We will be taking care of the tracking of your package for you. You can request that your tracking number be sent to you but, for the time being, we will no longer be automatically providing the tracking number for every order. For international customers, we will send you a tracking number if the postal service you choose offers that option.
Q. I did not
receive an order confirmation after I made my payment. Is that
normal?
This happens when a
client doesn't follow the link back to Viva Granola, or doesn't
let the payment page go back to Viva Granola after payment is
made. If you don't click on the return link or interrupt the
process of linking back to your profile, we will receive your
payment but not the details of your order (this is also your
order confirmation). We then have to go to the database to
retrieve your items (know that they will still be in your basket
next time you log in to your profile) but unfortunately, if it
is a busy day, that can delay the shipping of your order.
So please be sure to return to your profile by following the
link to VivaGranola when you finish making your payment. That
way, you will receive your order confirmation and we will receive it
too, we will be able to read the special instruction or note you may
have left us when placing your order, you will be able to see the
details of all your orders with us on your profile page and your
package will be sent promptly.
Q. All your
products are vegan but are they all manufactured by vegan companies?
Indeed, all the
products we carry are vegan. But unfortunately, there
are few entirely vegan companies. That being said, we
believe that the demand for vegan products is a strong
message to send to companies around the world, whether they
are completely vegan or have a vegan line, and that
encouraging such companies is a political gesture that
contributes to the increase in the types and quantities of
vegan products available. Also, Viva Granola
encourages those companies that produce vegan products even
though they must, usually for financial reasons, use
equipment that is also used for non-vegan products. We are
aware that there are a small number of completely vegan
companies at the moment that are in a position where they
can have their own factory or machinery.
Q. I have severe
allergies. What can I buy from your store?
We are sorry but for
your security, we can't recommend that you shop at our store because
there are risks of cross-contamination from certain products.
For example, a lot of products on our shelves contain nuts or are
manufactured on equipment that process nuts. Also, some
of the products we sell are manufactured by companies that share
machinery with other non-vegan companies; even though the equipment
and machinery is meticulously washed and cleaned between the
different batches, it is possible that traces may remain in certain
products. If a note is on the packaging of a product, we
include it on the item's page.
Q. I'd like
to order refrigerated products, what can you tell me about having them
shipped to me?
When a product needs
refrigeration, or prefers it, we mention the risk of having it
shipped to you and even more so if you are outside of a
one-day-shipping region; we also recommend that you add an adequate
amount of ice packs to your order and choose next-day shipping to
minimize your risks.
That being said, we can't take responsibility for spoiled
items arriving at your door, and even more so between the months of
April-May to September-October.
For example, vegan cheeze products should not be exposed to a temperature
of 25C or higher. So having them shipped to you during the warm
summer months of July and August is taking the risk they will get to
you in spoiled condition. Yet, some refrigerated products
can be shipped without worry during the colder/cold part of the year when you add enough ice packs and choose appropriate shipping.
All cold items don't have the same refrigeration needs, some requiring
more than others. You will find details and suggestions on the
description page of these products. If you choose to have them
shipped to you, you accept the risks involved. So if a
refrigerated item arrives to your door in less than optimal
condition, we won't be able to offer you a reimbursement or
exchange. The decision is left to you.
On our side, we do our best to wrap your refrigerated
items and we can decide to delay if necessary, if only to prevent
your package from sitting in a postal outlet during the weekend or
statutory holidays. For example, if you include a refrigerated
item in an order placed on a Thursday, we will wait until Monday to
ship it because it would be impossible for Canada Post to deliver it
the following day (Friday). Another thing we can do to help is
freeze the items you ask us to freeze before shipping. That
helps keep your items colder, even with the addition of one or more
ice packs.
During the summer months, please keep in mind that chocolates can
melt or soften during transport even if they don't typically need
refrigeration. Again, we strongly suggest you add a sufficient
amount of Ice Pack Power and choose next-day shipping to
minimize melting.
Q. What is
your Return & Reimbursement Policy?
For information on
returns - what products can be returned and the procedure to be
followed - and methods of reimbursements, please read the following page explaining the details of
our
Return Policy.
Please know that we will never
give out, sell or exchange your personal information with a third party.
For more information, please read the following page explaining our
Privacy
Policy.
Q. How can I
contact you?
By mail at: (please
note that this is our mailing address only)
Viva Granola
2700 boul. Laurier P.O. Box 31150
Québec QC G1V 2L8
By email at:
info@vivagranolaveganstore.com
