The warming smell of holiday spices have been swirling around the factory for the last two months in preparation for the upcoming holidays. We are delighted to share this year's seasonal additions. Returning this year is the eggnog bar; rum-soaked cocoa nibs ground into a spiced mylk chocolate. Cranberry powder and juniper-infused cocoa butter are ground with cocoa nibs to create the cranberry juniper orange bar, garnished with candied orange pieces to create an explosion of seasonal flavours. Both bars are naturally dairy-free as well as our other seasonal favourites; the black forest bar, the dark chocolate spearmint bar and the forest bar. In the fall, we created two flavours that have become pretty popular and will stick around for a while. The cinnamon toast bar is a rich cinnamony milk chocolate with crispy...
This topic has been on my mind for a while since I realized that we make three chocolate bars that present in a very similar colour but have different genetic make up.The original purple DWN bar is the black currant and cardamom bar, which is classified as a fruit bar. The colour occurs naturally from the amount of freeze-dried black currant powder that forms its base, which is ground with cocoa butter and organic cane sugar. There is no cocoa bean in this chocolate. The berry fizz bar starts in the same way as any dark chocolate with cocoa butter, cocoa nibs and sugar. However, the juicy colour of this chocolate comes from the addition of freeze-dried berry powders. I really like this technique...
This past Saturday, the awards ceremony for the International Chocolate Awards for the Americas took place. DWN had three products chosen as jury selections as potential award contenders, however, we did not end up winning. As a small chocolate maker located in a small town, these types of awards are a great promotional tool because it shows that great craftsmanship can be found anywhere regardless of production size and operational budget. As a solo entrepreneur who shows up every day to continue producing and improving, it is nice to occasionally be recognized by one's peers.However, we can't let awards affect our ego too much because they are not the only indicator of taste. For the past two years, we have submitted...
I was inspired to write this newsletter after reading this passage from Mackenzie Rivers (Map Chocolate) when she talks about creating inclusion bars; "It’s about taking an idea, deconstructing that idea (a favorite food, a beloved food memory, a riff on a cuisine or dish) and figuring out how to get that idea into chocolate form."A lot of people ask where I get my ideas and it is usually one of two inspirations; ingredients or memory. I worked for several years as a pastry chef for one of Canada's farm-to table pioneers, which strengthened my determination to work with local ingredients. This is a value that I bring to the chocolate that I make whether it is a fresh ingredient from the...
I was honoured last week to receive the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce. The Business Achievement Awards are held every year to recognize and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of the local business community.
In my acceptance speech I mentioned that the journey of an entrepreneur is often lonely and there are many frustrations. However, I show up every day and continue moving forward. I am happy to have received this award because I have worked hard to create DWN Chocolate and will continue to work hard to keep DWN growing in Simcoe County with more sweet treats. Thank you to everyone who voted for me and to the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce.
