Canada's Vegan Shop! Viva Granola Vegan Store

Viva Granola Vegan Store (or Viva Vegan Store) is a vegan owned and operated web store. We are a happy vegan family (2 adults and 3 children) living in Montreal, 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.

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.

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.

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!

Our newsletter is sent to subscribers & customers who have placed an order with us. We can also send a specific edition of our newsletter to customers who have previously shown interest in a product featured in that month's copy.

YES! Finally! We opened our physical doors on January 21st so please feel free to shop in person at 4148 St-Laurent, Montreal (between Duluth & Rachel)!

Yes, it is possible to place your order online and pick it up in person at our store, or simply shop in person at 4148 St-Laurent, Montreal! You will be given this choice at checkout and the service is free.

Our Hours of Operation are as follows Tuesday & Wednesday: 11:30am to 6pm
Thursday & Friday: 11:30am to 8pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11am to 5:30pm
Monday: Closed

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.

By internet at www.VivaGranolaVeganStore.ca

By phone at 514.903.VGAN (8426)

By email by sending us your order at vivaveganstore@gmail.com - payment by Paypal or Money Transfer.

By mail by sending us your order and your payment by money order at our physical address.

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.

We accept Credit Card payments, Paypal and Interac Email Money Transfers. 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).

Yes, definitely! You will find them in the Gift Voucher Section of our web-store.

We currently wholesale Daiya to restaurants. If you are a business, you can reach us by sending us an email at wholesale@vivagranolaveganstore.com or phone us at 514.903.VGAN (8426). And thank you for your interest!

We ship to Canada and the continental US primarily but we do 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. In the case of an order not being accepted or picked up when arrived at destination, no reimbursement or exchange will be offered. Therefore, please make sure that you are there to accept your package.

The shipping costs charged are calculated by Canada Post's integrated shipping module on our website. Now that we have reached a certain level of yearly shipments, you will notice a saving on the shipping cost that can range anywhere from 10 to 20%. We are very happy about that, to say the least and thank you for your support without which this could not have been possible. You can also choose to receive a FedEx Overnight shipping quote - you only have to leave us a note in the comment box at checkout OR if we can see it would be advantageous to you to use FedEx, we will send you a quick email about it, providing you with a quote. This is often an economical option for all of Western Canada. As for Canada Post shipping, they will charge a minimum of about 7.50$ for the smallest and lightest parcel, for example, shipped from Montreal to Toronto. A larger and much heavier parcel (ex. 6kg) will cost around 10$ if shipped, again, from Montreal to Toronto. 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.

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 only - they in fact include a turn-around time much longer than ours as we generally ship orders very quickly. 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, fresh 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, depending on the time of the year. Please see information about ordering refrigerated products below.

Please also note that we don't ship orders on Mondays. If you are ordering refrigerated products, please make sure to choose the service that will garantee that your order is not in transit for more than 2 days.

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. We also use cardboard boxes from local businesses.

Whenever you are expecting a package, if it has not been delivered within the transit time you chose when selecting your postal service, please let us know right away! If you wait one week to tell us that Canada Post has not delivered your order, it can take even longer for them to find/retrieve it than if the inquiry was opened sooner. Once a package has left our hands, there is not much we can do if only to call Canada Post to ask them to open an inquiry when that package is not delivered on time. So it is best to contact us as soon as possible if you have not received your package on the day it was supposed to arrive.

Please see next question for information about having refrigerated/frozen/perishable items shipped to you.

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 Cool Kits 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 as once the package is in a carrier's hands, there is nothing that we can do. Therefore, shipping of refrigerated products is done at your own risk and you accept this risk by purchasing refrigerated products. The best that we can do is, if the package doesn't arrive by the date guaranteed, request and advocate on your behalf that Canada Post/FedEx reimburse you for your shipping costs. Please note that Canada Post/FedEx won't reimburse you for perishable items that have spoiled, even if they arrive late.

One thing that is good to know though, is that not every refrigerated products has the same refrigeration needs and those can depend on the time of year. For example, vegan cheeze products should not be exposed to a temperature of 25C or higher. 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 and even more so it you don't add enough Cool Kits and choose 1-day shipping. 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. We only ship orders containing refrigerated items Tuesdays and Wednesdays, (and sometimes Thursdays with FedEx Overnight) and/or we can decide to delay until the following week if necessary. 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.

As for shipping refrigerated/frozen items in winter, we have been receiving lots of emails from customers asking if they need Cool Kits or telling us they don't plan on adding them. As ever, the choice is yours but we wanted to mention a few things that have to be considered.

First, although it is cold outside, your package will not be outside in the winter weather the whole time. We deliver them to the post office where there is heating. Then they go in the heated truck and then to the sorting plant which is also a heated building, until the next day. Then they go in the delivery truck again. This is repeated for one or more days if you have chosen a shipping service that has a transit time of more than one day.

Secondly, delays are always possible although they honestly don't happen that often. But during the Holiday Season which is Canada Post's busiest time of the year, it is possible that your transit time of 1 to 2 days can become 2 to 3 days or more (which again would mean your items waiting in a heated facility for 2 or 3 nights).

So before ruling out Cool Kits, you have to decide what you feel comfortable with, after considering all this.

That being said, the Cool Shield Bubble Wrap that comes with the Cool Kit does a wonderful job of keeping cold products cool. We receive positive comments about them all the time and people are amazed, with good reason, at how well the whole Cool Kit works. In any case, delays or not and whatever the season, Cool Kits can only help your items as they will be moved from one heated space to the next.

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 Interac Email Transfer. That being said, we ship Tuesday through Thursday when there is no risk of your items melting or spoiling during transport. If there is an issue with your order, we will contact you.

Absolutely. When we ship your order, Canada Post will send you the tracking information for your package. For international customers, we will send you a tracking number if the postal service you choose offers that option.

This only happens if the payment method is Paypal and the client doesn't follow the link back to Viva (Granola)Vegan Store from the Paypal website, or doesn't let the payment page go back to Viva (Granola)Vegan Store a 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, if using Paypal, please be sure to return to your profile by following the link to Viva (Granola)Vegan Store 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.

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.

For your security, we must advise you that 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.

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 we will not give out, sell or exchange your personal information with a third party. For more information, please read the following page explaining our Privacy Policy.

By mail at:

Boutique Viva Vegan Store
4148 boul. St-Laurent
Montreal QC H2W 1Y8

By email at:
vivaveganstore@gmail.com

Phone Order Line: 1-514-903-VGAN (8426)