Made in Canada is Delicious
Are you surprised?
By Mai Hong
We’ve been taught to expect great chocolate from Belgium or France. The truth is, Canadians consume over 6.4 kilograms of chocolate per person every year—and most of it is forgettable, over-sweetened, and barely chocolate at all. Some bars contain just 25% actual cocoa mass. The rest? Sugar, fillers, and emulsifiers.
But here’s what most people don’t know:
Some of the most exciting, flavour-forward chocolate in the world is being made right here in Canada.
That’s what inspired the 1867 Collection.
This isn’t just a box made with Canadian ingredients. It’s a tribute to the farmers and makers who are quietly redefining what “Made in Canada” can taste like.
And when it came to chocolate, there was only one name that belonged in the box: ChocoSol.
What Real Chocolate Tastes Like
ChocoSol was founded with a radical idea: go back to the root. “Chocolate means good cacao, good relations,” says Mathieu McFadden, Co-owner and Director of Sales. “It’s not about candy. It’s about connection—to the land, to the people who grow the beans, and to the food itself.”
Unlike most chocolatiers, who melt down pre-processed European couverture, ChocoSol works from whole cacao beans sourced directly from Indigenous farmers in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. It’s a commitment that’s as much about flavour as it is about values.
“We’ve only ever worked with cacao,” McFadden explains. “We want to understand what we’re working with, and feel good about what we’re putting into our products.”
It Starts With Better Cacao
The cacao ChocoSol uses is grown in forest gardens—rich, biodiverse ecosystems where cacao trees grow alongside fruit, medicinal plants, and flowering trees.
“It’s not plantation-style agriculture,” says McFadden. “It’s shade-grown, it feeds local communities, and it provides habitat for migratory birds. It’s a resilient food system, not just a commodity.”
ChocoSol is also one of the first Canadian chocolate makers to partner with the Zorzal Project in the Dominican Republic—an initiative using cacao to fund forest conservation and support biodiversity.
Stone Ground, Boldly Textured, Deeply Felt
Once in Toronto, the beans are roasted and stone-ground using volcanic stones. It’s a low-heat, low-shear method that preserves the character of the cacao—its tannins, antioxidants, and subtle compounds that give real chocolate its edge.
“It’s like a good olive oil,” McFadden says. “You want that slight peppery note, the complexity, the antioxidants. That’s what stone grinding helps preserve in chocolate.”
You can taste the difference. And if you’re paying attention, you can feel it too.
“A little buzz. A washing of the skin. You feel it in your heart.”
A Tribute to Canadian Craft
We chose ChocoSol for the 1867 Collection because they reflect what this box is truly about: not just Canadian-made, but Canadian-crafted. Bold. Ethical. Flavour-first.
These cookies aren’t just dessert. They’re a tribute to the makers and ingredients shaping what “Made in Canada” can taste like.
And with chocolate this good, this complex, this alive—we’d say the bar is set.
