During difficult times, there is always chocolate.
Five Victoria entrepreneurs say despite the pandemic, there’s no time like the present to open a new store dedicated to the delectable treat.
“In times of recession, people always buy what they like,” partner David Booth said.
He and his wife, Vlasta, have been making TerribleTruffles for more than a decade. They have joined David Mincey, of The Chocolate Project, and Heidi Lalonde and Stephanie Sketchley, of Uncouth Chocolate, in a new retail operation in downtown Victoria.
Chocolat & Co., which opened Saturday at 703 Fort St., is a collective of the vanguard of chocolate producers in Victoria who are sourcing cacao beans from around the world and “obsessing” with roasting, refining and creating chocolate treats and drinks.
“We live and breathe chocolate, all of us,” Booth said. “It’s our passion.”
Mincey, who operated Camille’s restaurant in Bastion Square for years, has been sourcing cacao beans for two decades from farmers in Peru, Papua New Guinea and Madagascar, rather than large industrial wholesalers in Europe.
He created The Chocolate Project to trace the source of cacao beans, right down to the farm and type of tree.
Mincey is now considered one of Canada’s leading experts on chocolate, lecturing on the bean-to-bar process across North America and leading a course at the University of Victoria.
The Chocolate Project, which opened in The Public Market in the Hudson building in 2014, has created more than 350 different bars of chocolate from 60 artisan makers and inspired a new wave in the foodie movement, including Lalonde and Sketchley who launched their business after working with Mincey.
Mincey said Victoria is now considered the chocolate mecca in Canada and one of the leading producers of artisan chocolates in North America.
“I can tell you we definitely have a rabid fan base for chocolate in this town,” Mincey said. “People not only love chocolate, but they love to know where it comes from. We’ve created a library and tasting it is like a journey to an exotic country.”
Mincey said the new venture on Fort Street brings together “a cool mix of different talents.”
David Booth earned his Red Seal certification in pastries in 1992, and began making chocolate truffles at a family-run bed and breakfast. In 2016, the Booths bought the Birdcage Confectionery in James Bay, where a corner is stocked with their Terrible Truffles-branded chocolates.
“Opening a store that is dedicated to chocolate is a dream come true. I’ve always pictured myself with a chocolate shop and a lineup out the door,” he said.
Lalonde and Sketchley have been making bean-to-bar chocolate for the past six years.
The new store will be a permanent home for the pair, who have been selling at farmer’s markets and craft fairs.
Sketchley, a former archeologist and sustainability co-ordinator with Mountain Equipment Co-op, said customers can expect everything from single-origin chocolate bars and baking to truffles, bon bons with fruit and creme and caramel fillings, and hot and cold chocolate drinks.
Chocolat & Co.’s location, near the Royal Bank at the corner of Douglas and Fort streets, has been home to a chocolate shop for nearly 15 years. The Pappas family ran a store there and sold it last September, but the new owners shuttered the store as the pandemic hit.
Mincey said consumers seem very willing to support small businesses. He said sales at The Chocolate Project dipped considerably early in the pandemic, but have since climbed to levels before the virus hit.
Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, said it’s encouraging to see Chocolat & Co. open a new venture during a difficult economic times.
“I think it’s a reminder that we should support local businesses,” Bray said.
He said although some stores and restaurants are showing improvements in sales and traffic, it isn’t near the levels needed to keep everybody afloat.
Bray said with the U.S. border closed and tourism at all-time lows, the key for survival for most downtown businesses right now is the return of government workers and others to offices.
“Come September, we need office workers back or more people to make purposeful decision to shop downtown. If not, there will be significant business closures.”
