Valentine’s Day: It’s Closer Than You Think
So I know Valentine’s Day is still over a week away, and most of us are probably just now starting to think about it. But I just have to say, we sure wish that calendar makers would consult with us before placing important holidays on Mondays and Tuesdays! 
Here’s the one challenge to an online business: you have to order early to allow time for shipping, and, since we don’t ship over weekends, getting packages delivered on Mondays is impossible, and deliveries on Tuesdays require Overnight shipping which is expensive. So, this year, ordering early is even more important then usual.
Don’t wait until the last minute and leave finding the right gift for your Valentine to chance or the whim of the grocery store candy isle clerk. Your sweetheart deserve more than that, don’t you think?
How about treating him or her to the compassionate indulgence of some of the very best organic, dairy-free and fair-trade chocolate on the planet. And, although chocolates are customary for this time of year, we have plenty of other options if chocolates aren’t suited to either their taste or your purpose. Maybe a fair-trade tea sampler or something from our vegan bakery will more accurately express your sentiments. We’re here to help, we want to make your Valentine’s Day as delicious and stress-free as possible: just let us know how we can help.
We Have a Winner for Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s Books!
Wow! You all shared beautiful stories of spreading compassion, so it truly was a tough decision. We did the hard work though, and selected our winner, Kathie, who said that she’d keep Vegan’s Daily Companion and share The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. “I would not actually give the book away. I would rotate it around and let people borrow it and when they are done give it back to me so I could pass it on.” 
Kathie came up with this idea to share the book with many people because “some friends and some family think that vegan food cannot taste good and it would be too hard, yet all are to an extent, animal lovers (except eating them!).” Thanks, Kathie, we love your idea to pass around the compassionate wisdom.
We enjoyed reading all your sweet and inspirational stories of family and friends moving towards veganism with your help and support. Many of you seem to agree that the best way to nudge someone along their path to healthier eating is to share excellent vegan goodies.
In case you don’t have time or inclination to make your own vegan Valentine’s Day sweets, let us support you. Like many holidays, Valentine’s Day has a tendency to creep up on us. Believe it or not, the time is now to order vegan Valentine’s Day chocolate gifts for delivery in time for February 14th. We’re ready to help you grant all your sweethearts’ sweet desires!
NEW: Vanilla-Kissed Strawberry Bark for Valentine’s Day
It’s hard to believe, but Valentine’s Day is in just three short weeks, and we’ve already received a lot of orders! Don’t leave this important holiday’s gifts until the last minute. With our delayed delivery date option, it’s never too early to order our unique valentine gifts for everyone you love.
Despite the winter season keeping us extraordinarily busy in November and December, we’ve been scheming for months to come up with something new and exciting to offer for this sweetest of holidays. We love creating festive and swoon-inducing vegan chocolates for Valentine’s Day and this year, along with our new line of Artisan Truffles and Caramels, we’re also very excited to introduce you to our latest creation: Vanilla-Kissed Strawberry Bark. As gorgeous and delicious as it sounds, this smooth and creamy vanilla-strawberry bark will have you dreaming of strawberry fields.
Don’t wait to order your own unique valentine gifts for all the most important and chocolate-loving people you hold dear. Other February favorites include cherry chocolate organic brownies, double chocolate chunk organic cookies, and our elegant Chocolate Lover’s Gift Set. Order now!
2011 in Review: Surprise Sellers
The holidays are by far our busiest time of year. And, as much as we’d like to say that we’ve been doing this for so long that we have everything completely figured out, each year is a little different. As our product lines and people’s tastes change, we’re always a little surprised by which items are our best-sellers each year, especially in the holiday season. 
In the lead-up to the holidays this year we introduced our new line of Artisan Chocolates, as well as re-formulated vegan peanut butter cups, peppermint bark and peppermint creme patties which we had been working on for most of 2011. And, as a bit of an afterthought, we also added a Salted Confections Gift Set to our offerings to showcase our newest salted caramels and salted chocolate brittle. While all of these new products did very well and received rave reviews from excited recipients all over the country, the surprise top seller in the latter part of 2011 was the Salted Confections Gift Set. We’re so glad to discover that there are legions of dessert lovers out there with palates as salty as ours!
Of course, after 15 years in business, not everything is a surprise. 
The other popular sweets over the holidays were vegan toffee, especially the chocolate-covered variety, and hot cocoa, both the classic and peppermint drinking chocolate varieties. Given their classic nature we weren’t at all shocked by their doing so well.
As I and my staff catch our collective breath before unveiling a new chocolate pleasure for Valentine’s Day in just a few short weeks, I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks for allowing us the privilege of providing your compassionately decadent gifts for the holidays and throughout the year. It is my pleasure to delight and serve you. And I know everyone at AG shares my gratitude for you. Here’s to a fabulous year-ahead!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY from all of us at Allison’s Gourmet! We love you!
Thank you all so much for sharing such sweet and wonderful gift card messages with each other this year! You write such nice things and it just makes our day every time we get to package a delicious order with a sweet message to go with it. 
Along with loving everyone else this Valentine’s Day, don’t forget to take some time to give yourself some love too. Whether your self-love is getting a massage or eating some serious chocolate, we invite you to indulge in it today. Feel the Love!
It’s Your Last Chance to Order for Valentine’s Day!
This really is it,
Today is the day,
It’s your last chance to order
For Valentine’s Day!
In the spirit of love
Share gifts with your friends
Gourmet coffee gift baskets
And sweet chocolate blends
Can you see how the love
Spreads from one to another?
Send treats to your family
Mom, dad, sister, brother
Don’t waste a minute
It’s your last chance this year
Give luscious chocolate truffles
To all you hold dear.
Spicy, Sexy Fudge
Wanting to add some warmth to your life this chilly February? Know some sexy person who might enjoy a chocolate treat as hot as they are? 
I bet you can think of someone who fits that description, so, add some heat to your romance this Valentine’s Day with our warmly spiced Chipotle Cinnamon Fudge. This deliciously rich and chocolate-y treat has just the right amount of spice to compliment that smokin’ hot date you have planned. (Don’t worry, it’s not too spicy, it won’t send steam out your ears or anything). This perfect marriage of cinnamon and chipotle makes an elegant and unique fair-trade gift for someone who loves exciting and decadent food.
Order Now for Valentine’s Day!
Now is the time to order your fair-trade chocolate items for Valentine’s Day. I know nobody really starts thinking about Valentine’s Day until February actually begins, but February 14th is just two weeks away, and since it’s on a Monday this year, orders for our unique Valentine gifts need to be placed earlier than usual in order arrive before the big day.
We don’t ship over weekends to avoid melted or bloomed chocolate, so we recommend orders be placed in time for delivery the Thursday or Friday before Valentine’s Day. What I’m really trying to say is this: if you’re wanting to order Valentine chocolates for that special person in your life, order them this week so we can make sure they arrive on time!
Chocolate Will Get Us Through
I know they’re a week away yet, but I’m excited about next month’s flavors, so I’m going to post about them now. Although February is the dead of winter and pretty much always dark and cold, flavor-wise at least, it’s one of my favorite months of the year. Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Cherry Chocolate Brownies and Chipotle Cinnamon Fudge are just the things to chase away those winter blues. The warming spices in the vegan fudge, extra chocolate in the cookies, and succulent cherries in the brownies to remind us of spring on its way, make the perfect antidotes to frosty, rainy weather. They’re also great flavors for Valentine’s Day! For the ultimate warming chocolate experience try your favorite vegan fudge, cookie or brownie flavor with a warm mug of hot cocoa.
Cherry Truffle Hearts – Special for Valentine’s Day
You asked, and we’re so happy to be able to oblige! This year, say “Happy Valentine’s Day!” in the sweetest possible way with our unique Valentine gifts including red foil-wrapped cherry truffle hearts included in all 16- and 24-piece chocolate assortments and 16-piece just truffle boxes for the month of February.
Order your Valentine chocolates now with our delayed delivery date option and you’ll be able to choose a delivery date that matches your Valentine’s Day plans. Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday next month, which means that, since we don’t ship over weekends due to the perishable nature of our products, we recommend having your Valentine’s Day gifts shipped for delivery the Thursday or Friday before Valentine’s Day, February 10th or 11th.
