Peace by Chocolate

Peace by Chocolate is a Syrian-Canadian chocolatier company, based in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.[1] Prior to being forced to flee from Syria during the country's civil war in 2012, the company's CEO and Founder Tareq Hadhad’s father, Essam Hadhad made chocolate in Damascus, Syria for over 20 years.[2][3] After immigrating to Nova Scotia in 2016, Tareq Hadhad reopened the family's chocolatier business. Its confectionery is shipped worldwide. [4][5][6] On March 5, 2021, Peace by Chocolate expanded by adding a storefront along the Halifax Waterfront.[7]

Peace by Chocolate
IndustryConfectionery production
Founded2016
FounderTareq Hadhad
Headquarters
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
,
Canada
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsFood (Chocolate)
Websitepeacebychocolate.ca

History

Chocolate-making has been a Hadhad family tradition since 1986 when Essam Hadhad, Tareq's father, opened a factory in Damascus.[2] The Hadhad family's chocolate-making facilities in Syria were bombed, and they were forced to leave their home and live as refugees in Lebanon for three years, living in uncertainty about their safety and their future until arriving in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, in 2016.[8] Upon arriving in Canada, the Hadhad's were determined to continue their confectionery business by launching a facility in Antigonish. [2]

Founder Tareq Hadhad wrote a book about his journey.[9] In September 2020, Hadhad won a National Entrepreneurship Awards for his positive impact as a new Canadian, and was one of the recipients of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards of 2020.[10][11]

A film adaptation of the family's story, also called Peace by Chocolate, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021.[12]

In 2022, Tareq Hadhad was named as a panelist on Canada Reads, advocating for Omar El Akkad's novel What Strange Paradise.[13]

In March 2023, during United States President Joe Biden’s trip to Ottawa, Green Party leader Elizabeth May gave him a chocolate from Peace by Chocolate as a gift.[14]

References
  1. Ziafati, Noushin (April 22, 2020). "Companies giving free chocolates to Canadians spreading kindness". www.theguardian.pe.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Bloomberg, B. N. N. (June 28, 2019). "Meet the refugee-run company behind Trudeau's favourite chocolate - BNN Bloomberg". BNN.
  3. "'This day is not one we'll be forgetting': Syrian refugee family opening clothing shop on first anniversary in Canada". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2020-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Nouvelle-Écosse: le chocolatier syrien Tareq Hadhad devient Canadien". January 16, 2020.
  5. Csernyik, Rob. "Good Company: Peace by Chocolate's Sweets With a Mission". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  6. "Make the most of the season with these fall goodies". Toronto Life. 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  7. "Peace by Chocolate expands to Halifax with signature store along the waterfront".
  8. "Refugee and chocolate maker Tareq Hadhad now a Canadian citizen". Global News.
  9. "THE BOOK SHELF: Peace by Chocolate founder shares his dream and journey in new book". www.thechronicleherald.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. Nichols, Trevor (2020-09-15). "Peace By Chocolate Founder Wins National Entrepreneurship Awards". Huddle. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  11. "Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards". Canadian Immigrant. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  12. Brooklyn Currie, "Peace by Chocolate film to debut at NYC's Tribeca Film Festival". CBC News Nova Scotia, May 3, 2021.
  13. "Meet the Canada Reads 2022 contenders". CBC Books, January 26, 2022.
  14. Lombard, Natalie (March 25, 2023). "U.S. President Joe Biden given Maritime-made Peace by Chocolate bar during visit to Ottawa". CTV News. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
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