It is a year of where many things seem uncertain and as we head into gift-giving and gatherings, I want to share some ideas about how chocolate can fit into your plans regardless of budget.A handcrafted bar of chocolate is a wonderful gift. Whether you are looking for a stocking stuffer or need to create a wonderful tasting experience for a group of people, DWN has a solution. Send your bestie your favourite chocolate bar and grab one for yourself so that you can share an experience together whether you are near or far.If you are hosting a holiday gathering, consider making a chocolate charcuterie board. A beautiful tableau can be created with pieces of different chocolate bar flavours, bowls of chocolate-coated nuts, along with fresh...
We are super excited to share the 2022 holiday releases, which are now available in-store and online.The eggnog bar is made by soaking Venezuelan cocoa nibs in rum for over a month before being ground into a spiced mylk chocolate. Dark chocolate ground with sour cherries is the base of the black forest bar and it is finished with a swirl of house-made whyte chocolate. Both bars are naturally dairy-free. Inspired by Italian plum cakes that I used to make for family meals, Ontario-grown purple plums are ground with almond flour and bay leaf-infused cocoa butter to create the luscious chocolate bar. Returning this year are the speculoos malt balls: house-made milk chocolate spiced with cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice and cardamom enrobing crispy malt balls. Finally, the dark...
Three years ago, one of the largest chocolate producers released a product called ruby and it was marketed as the fourth type (they did not use the word chocolate here); giving consumers another option in addition to white, milk and dark chocolate. We are drawn to ruby because of its unique pink colour and berry-forward flavour.The marketing campaign for this product was fantastic but a new type of cocoa bean was not discovered and the colour comes from the way the raw nibs are processed. As a chocolate maker, I am always suspicious about proprietary techniques that are kept secret because I would like to know how my food is produced and what might be in it. Thanks to John Nanci...
The tattoo on my right shoulder reads, "dare to be great," and was inspired by the movie Say Anything when the main character (Lloyd Dobler) is asked about what he plans to do when he finishes high school. This is my motto; always strive to be great in both personal and professional situations.Earlier this year, three DWN chocolate bars were submitted to the International Chocolate Awards' Bean-to-Bar and Craft Chocolatier Competition for the Americas. This was our first time entering the International Chocolate Awards and I am super proud to share that the Old Fashioned bar won a bronze award in the category of dark chocolate with an infusion or flavouring. The strawberry and sumac bar, as well as the sesame chocolate chip bar were also chosen as finalists...
When I drive from the factory to downtown Orillia on Friday nights, I can tell that summer is still in full swing from the amount of traffic on Highway 12 heading towards Couchiching Lake.I recently created a video on how we ship chocolate in warm weather. By paying attention to the forecast, day of the week and careful packaging, we have been successful at getting chocolate across the county in the summer.First, we will always ship with Canada Post's expedited service which does not take more than two business days to arrive. We will ship on a Monday or Tuesday so that the package will not spend extra days over the weekend in a warehouse, as well as watching the weather forecasts to avoid shipping...
