In this series, we take a look at the amazing work being accomplished by members of our community. These are the game-changers, the inspirational leaders, and the passion-driven individuals who are changing our community, our health and our planet.
A: Hey everyone! I'm Kyle. I'm one of the founders of Soul Chocolate. My partner Katie and I started Soul Chocolate out of our tiny apartment on the east end of Toronto almost 10 years ago.
We make chocolate that not only tastes great, it does great too. We only use transparently sourced cacao to ensure farmers are paid fairly for their work. We source local whenever possible and aim to build long lasting relationships with everyone who we work with.
A: It's been nearly 10 years since we dove into chocolate making. But it certainly wasn’t the first time we fell in love with it (it's hard not to, isn’t it?). My partner Katie is the true chocolate lover. She has always had a sweet spot for the treats from childhood onwards.
We traveled together to Australia and New Zealand in 2011 and found ourselves digging into so many different types of chocolate bars, bonbons and more. It’s like there was the best chocolate on every corner somehow. And after we headed back home we wanted to learn how to make these little treats ourselves. And that’s just what we did.
We moved from the Niagara region to Toronto, and found jobs at Soma (Katie worked there) and Te Aro Coffee, which is now Pilot coffee (I worked there) and dove into each profession to learn as much as we could.
Originally, we planned to spend 1 year in the city and open a shop back in Niagara. Here we are over a decade later, making chocolate in a 4000 sq ft space. Who would have thought?
A: We source our cacao from 6 different producers currently. We have spent a fair bit of time traveling to origin, to meet firsthand who has been growing our cacao. It's important to us to build strong relationships.
A few notable origins we bring in cacao from are Colombia, Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru, and Madagascar.
Sustainability is important. It’s hard to understate this. Without it, we have no business but more importantly we sacrifice a strong, healthy food system which isn’t what we want the next generation to be given.
A: Quality ingredients, no sacrifices whatsoever. And a never ending curiosity, pushing us to make our chocolate better and better each and every day.
A: I just want to say I'm super grateful for this. I had the pleasure to work at Impact when they first opened, and spent 2 years there. It shifted my perspective on food and fueling myself as best as I can. So thanks!
Building partnerships is all about communication. How can we find a way to work together where we are all excited and making something extraordinary happen. It's all about being open for feedback, applying that feedback to the process and trying again.
A: Hey everyone! I'm Kyle. I'm one of the founders of Soul Chocolate. My partner Katie and I started Soul Chocolate out of our tiny apartment on the east end of Toronto almost 10 years ago.
We make chocolate that not only tastes great, it does great too. We only use transparently sourced cacao to ensure farmers are paid fairly for their work. We source local whenever possible and aim to build long lasting relationships with everyone who we work with.
A: It's been nearly 10 years since we dove into chocolate making. But it certainly wasn’t the first time we fell in love with it (it's hard not to, isn’t it?). My partner Katie is the true chocolate lover. She has always had a sweet spot for the treats from childhood onwards.
We traveled together to Australia and New Zealand in 2011 and found ourselves digging into so many different types of chocolate bars, bonbons and more. It’s like there was the best chocolate on every corner somehow. And after we headed back home we wanted to learn how to make these little treats ourselves. And that’s just what we did.
We moved from the Niagara region to Toronto, and found jobs at Soma (Katie worked there) and Te Aro Coffee, which is now Pilot coffee (I worked there) and dove into each profession to learn as much as we could.
Originally, we planned to spend 1 year in the city and open a shop back in Niagara. Here we are over a decade later, making chocolate in a 4000 sq ft space. Who would have thought?
A: We source our cacao from 6 different producers currently. We have spent a fair bit of time traveling to origin, to meet firsthand who has been growing our cacao. It's important to us to build strong relationships.
A few notable origins we bring in cacao from are Colombia, Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Peru, and Madagascar.
Sustainability is important. It’s hard to understate this. Without it, we have no business but more importantly we sacrifice a strong, healthy food system which isn’t what we want the next generation to be given.
A: Quality ingredients, no sacrifices whatsoever. And a never ending curiosity, pushing us to make our chocolate better and better each and every day.
A: I just want to say I'm super grateful for this. I had the pleasure to work at Impact when they first opened, and spent 2 years there. It shifted my perspective on food and fueling myself as best as I can. So thanks!
Building partnerships is all about communication. How can we find a way to work together where we are all excited and making something extraordinary happen. It's all about being open for feedback, applying that feedback to the process and trying again.
A: It's a good question because I have found myself not really taking time to embrace successes and am immediately onto the next thing. It’s something I'm working on; sitting in the moment and really soaking it in.
So, I would say I have two standout moments. The first is when we outgrew our first piece of equipment. At that time, we were making 1kg of chocolate every 2 days. We scaled up to being able to make 20 kg every 2 days and I remember holding up this block of chocolate that weighed 10 kilos and was so blown away at how far we have come. It was a butterfly inducing excitement.
The second was more recent. When we moved into our new space, and were setting up our equipment, there were many, many hurdles. It was really testing me. Equipment arrived damaged as well as manufactured incorrectly. After getting it all on line, and through a week of testing, everything was working beautifully. In one day, by myself, I was able to make 200 kg of chocolate. Tunes were cranked in the background, I was sipping on coffee that never tasted so good. Everything just clicked. I felt like I was standing on top of a mountain. So good!
I can't wait for the next moment like that.
A: Community, to us, means having someone to have your back, and you have theirs. It's all about working together to support each other through the tough times and to be there to celebrate the wins.
A: Personally, get good sleep! Exercise, eat well. connect with others. Smile. Open myself up to learning new things. And share whenever I can.
We look forward to introducing you to more members of our community who are making an Impact every day.
