Not all Chocolate Covered Strawberries are created equal.
We can guarantee something that our competitors can’t: All of our strawberries are guaranteed to be dipped in true chocolate, not the fake chocolate or the chocolate flavored mystery dip they use.
We use true gourmet chocolate, and the largest, freshest strawberries available (never frozen)
Most of our competitors don't, and we've found they have been up to much worse.
Short Version: $$$: If it’s significantly cheaper it's not the same class of product: not real chocolate, tiny grocery strawberries... and worse (see longer version below).
Free shipping: Not really, they raised the price of the box about $25 and then require a $4.95 shipping upgrade to keep it from melting.
Longer version:
Fake Chocolate: At least seven national companies are advertising chocolate covered strawberries, but the product does not contain the key ingredient (Cocoa Butter) that is legally required to be called chocolate. Their products are Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil based. (Read More - new window)
Fiveare being sued for passing the customers credit card data to a 3rd party under the guise of a coupon signup/free shipping/shipping rebate, which then bills your credit card every month until you catch it and cancel it. (See legal documents - new window)
Not all of the makers are using the same grade of fruit (tiny strawberries are a lot less expensive)
One has raised its prices and then claimed free shipping. When prices go up $25 a box it's not free, it's included, there is a difference. Then they require a shipping upgrade whichs adds $4.95 per item for warm weather shipping, this make no sense because it’s always warm somewhere and if they don’t think their standard shipping will result in a satisfactory product why are they defaulting to an unsatisfactory shipping method.
Some have also cut costs by only dipping them part way, this gives little protection to the berries, un-dipped/un-protected berries are easily bruised and turned to mush.
We even had one ask that we send our credit card information by e-mail, (a totaly insecure method no merchant should never do).
We saw some were charging $1.99 extra for gift cards and a further $2.99 for "Care & Handling", (extra profit for them) it's hard to compare prices when they hide random fees like this at checkout.
You have heard of some of the above companies. You've probably even seen or heard their constant radio & TV commercials or paid internet ads for really cheap strawberries. Even when you think you know who they are: they have multiple websites running under different names.
You get what you pay for, if you want real chocolate on your chocolate covered strawberries: we do that. If you want cheap, fake chocolate or tiny berries: we don't do that.
We detail the above questionable ethical activities in our corporate blog at blog.ccberries.com