Providing the “How” in Living Vegan
You may have noticed that we stay mostly on the positive side of veganism around here. You don’t hear much from us about the torture and abuse of farm animals or the horrors of the dairy, leather and fur industries. 
We’re not, however, trying to gloss-over or ignore these issues. We care very deeply about animal welfare and a compassionate lifestyle, which is why we put most of our time and energy into providing the “how” to being vegan.
There are many amazing resources out there providing the “why” of vegan living from VegNews and Mercy for Animals, to PETA, The Humane Society of the United States and Farm Animal Sanctuaries around the country. They give you the reasons and facts behind veganism, from ending factory farming to the health benefits of animal-free eating. Then, when you’ve decided that you want to live an animal-free lifestyle but don’t feel like baking, or think that veganism means complete deprivation from all the foods you love, that’s where we come in. 
We’re here to offer you solutions, the answers to all your cravings from vegan toffee and gourmet cookies to veganized comfort food recipes. We’re also a great gift-giving resource for vegans and non-vegans alike. Families and friends of vegan enjoy giving delicious, high-quality desserts to their plant-eating loved ones and vegans themselves give Allison’s Gourmet treats when they want delectable, compassionate and fair-trade gifts that even a carnivore will love.
We love providing vegan lifestyle answers to everyday dilemmas, and, although we’re all about the food, we’re happy to be able to connect our customers to other vegan choices too, like donating and volunteering at animal shelters, purchasing animal-friendly attire, and reading the latest vegan books and blogs. We’re here to help. Have a vegan lifestyle question? Looking for vegan inspiration in some area of your life? Ask your questions here and we’ll see if we can dig up the answers.
Eco-Friendly Gifts for Grads
It’s spring again, and all over the country students of many academic levels are taking finals, matriculating and making plans for next year. It’s a time of celebration, and it’s especially exciting for me to note that more and more of today’s young people are seeing the benefits of a healthy, green, and compassionate lifestyle. 
As you celebrate the accomplishments of the eco-conscious, animal-loving young people in your life, consider giving them vegan, fair-trade gifts they will love that will also align with their values as responsible global citizens. Get your soon-to-be graduate a hot cocoa sampler to keep him or her going through the final weeks of school, or give cookie of the month clubs to graduates going off to college in the fall to sustain them through late nights and all those college exams. 
Monthly clubs can be ordered now to begin shipping in August, September or any other month you specify.
Gentle on the earth, and kind to animals and people alike, our organic, vegan and fair-trade treats will be enjoyed immensely by students of any age. Conscientious young people are sure to appreciate a deliciously decadent fair-trade gift that they can feel great about enjoying and won’t take up closet space.
Springtime Scavenger Hunt!
Last spring, I told you about our vegan Easter egg hunts with our daughter Olivia. This year, I thought it’d be fun to create an Easter hunt for you, right here on our website! To enter, find the Allison’s Gourmet products that match the five visual clues below, write down their names, and send us an email with your answers! If more than one person finds all five products, a winner will be picked at random from among all the correct answers. The winner will receive a tray of our decadent Java Crunch Fudge. Let the games begin!
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. (Congratulations to Jennifer!) Stay tuned for our next giveaway. 
Find the product names that correspond to the following pictures:
#1 Something from our vegan bakery…
#2 Foil-wrapped…
#3 An elegant collection of fair-trade gifts…
#4 Sweet, salty and oh so delicious…
#5 An eye toward sweetness…
We’ll announce the winner next Monday. Happy (vegan) Hunting!
Flex Your Spending Power!
As the holiday shopping season gets going, I’d like to take this moment to remind everyone (including myself) of the impact that our spending habits have 
on the global economy, human rights, animal rights and the health of the environment. Each purchase we make supports whatever system or company is behind it. For example, by purchasing fair-trade gifts like our vegan chocolates, fair-trade teas, and fair-trade coffees, you will be directly supporting eco-conscious agriculture, healthy working conditions and a decent wage for farmers around the world. 
It seems like an obvious choice, when the alternative – buying non-fair-trade items – supports child labor, hazardous working conditions, impossibly low wages and the destruction of the environment world wide. What’s really wonderful about buying fair-trade gifts is that you get higher quality products as well as the knowledge that your purchasing power is making a positive impact on the world. And, the same goes for buying vegan and organic!
Gift Sets: Perfect Treats, All Wrapped Up
Our gourmet gift sets have been gaining popularity recently, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Deliciously decadent without being junk food, and elegant but not overwhelming, these Gift Sets make excellent fair-trade gifts to express your love and appreciation for friends, loved ones and colleagues. 
Besides the obvious Chocolate Lover’s Gift Set, we also offer a Classic Vanilla Lover’s Gift Set for those with more traditional tastes. For the more adventurous types, try the exciting Spice Lover’s Gift Set.
Other luscious fair-trade gifts for you to choose from include Organic Tea, Coffee and Drinking Chocolate Samplers.
