The average Canadian consumes 3.9 kilograms of chocolate each year. From handcrafted delicacies to popular off-the-shelf products, Canada's chocolate factories produce delicious items that satiate the Canadian sweet tooth as well as support the economy by employing a significant number of people around the country.
From the tropics to Toronto
The raw ingredient of chocolate is the seed of the cacao fruit, which grows on trees in the jungles of Brazil, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The seeds, initially white, are harvested locally and fermented for a week, which gives them the distinctive chocolate flavour we all know and love. Dried seeds are then exported to various countries around the world to undergo further processing.
Once the beans arrive at a chocolate factory, such as the Cadbury Factory in downtown Toronto, they are roasted and their shells are removed to reveal the essence of chocolate: the nib. The nibs are crushed in a process called milling, to extract pure liquid chocolate, generally known as cocoa liqueur. This liqueur is mixed with varying quantities of milk, sugar, and cocoa butter (which is a fat extract of the cocoa bean) to produce different kinds of chocolates.
Kisses and Mini Eggs
Hershey's and Cadbury, two of the world's largest chocolate companies, each have factories in Canada. The Hershey's factory in Smiths Falls, Ontario, was the first Hershey's factory to be built outside the town of Hershey in Pennsylvania. Sadly, it has been slated to close. Located along the scenic Rideau Canal between the major markets of Montreal and Toronto, the factory has produced such timeless products as Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's chocolate bars, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups since 1963. At its height, the factory employed over 600 people and produced more than 100,000 pounds of chocolate annually. The visitor centre, which is still open today, was a major attraction, welcoming over 300,000 visitors annually.
The Cadbury Gladstone factory, located in a residential area of downtown Toronto, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2006. Using Cadbury's secret recipe, the factory manufactures favourites like Cadbury Dairy Milk, Mr. Big, Crispy Crunch, and Mini Eggs, for distribution in Canada as well as export to Europe and Mexico. Gladstone is an important part of its community, employing hundreds and providing free tours to school children from October to June, while also maintaining a chocolate museum.
Boxed delights
If you want to buy a box of mouth-watering chocolate truffles for a loved one, Purdy's and Laura Secord are the way to go. The biggest Canadian name in premium chocolates, Laura Secord has over 140 stores and sells more than 400 products around the country. Today, the chocolates are manufactured in St. Stephe, New Brunswick, known as the chocolate town of Canada by the Ganong Bros., which has been operating since 1873. Famous for their miniatures, chocolate truffles, and french mints, Laura Secord always provides a decadent chocolate experience.
Purdy's, a name synonymous with quality, started as a small Vancouver shop in 1907. With chocolates made from only the finest ingredients from around the world, Purdy's has grown to become the largest chocolate retailer in Western Canada, with a factory in Vancouver and retail stores all over Canada. The most popular item from Purdy's is the chocolate hedgehog. It is also a great place to work, having been voted one of Canada's top 50 employers multiple times.
2008 Woodie Awards
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