Peace by Chocolate is a Syrian-Canadian

chocolatier A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. Education and training Traditionally, chocolatiers, e ...

company, based in

Antigonish , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = File:St Ninian's Cathedral Antigonish Spring.jpg , image_caption = St. Ninian's Cathedral , image_flag = Flag of Antigonish.pn ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. Prior to being forced to flee from

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

during the country's civil war in 2012, the company's CEO and Founder Tareq Hadhad’s father, Essam Hadhad made chocolate in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, Syria for over 20 years. After immigrating to Nova Scotia in 2016, Tareq Hadhad reopened the family's chocolatier business. Its confectionery is shipped worldwide. On March 5, 2021, Peace by Chocolate expanded by adding a storefront along the Halifax Waterfront.

History

Chocolate-making has been a Hadhad family tradition since 1986 when Essam Hadhad, Tareq's father, opened a factory in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. 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 Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

for three years, living in uncertainty about their safety and their future until arriving in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, in 2016. Upon arriving in Canada, the Hadhad's were determined to continue their confectionery business by launching a facility in Antigonish. Founder Tareq Hadhad wrote a book about his journey. 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. A film adaptation of the family's story, also called ''

Peace by Chocolate Peace by Chocolate is a Syrian-Canadian chocolatier company, based in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. 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, E ...

'', premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

in 2021. In 2022, Tareq Hadhad was named as a panelist on ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...

'', advocating for

Omar El Akkad Omar El Akkad (born 1982) is an Egyptian-Canadian novelist and journalist, whose novel ''What Strange Paradise'' was the winner of the 2021 Giller Prize. Early life and education Omar El Akkad was born in Cairo, Egypt, and grew up in Doha, Qat ...

's novel ''

What Strange Paradise ''What Strange Paradise'' is a novel by Canadian writer Omar El Akkad, published in 2021 by Penguin Random House. The novel centres on Amir, a young boy from Syria who has survived the sinking of a ship that was carrying him and other refugees, an ...

''. In March 2023, during United States President Joe Biden’s trip to Ottawa, Green Party leader

Elizabeth May Elizabeth Evans May (born June 9, 1954) is a Canadian politician, environmentalist, author, activist, and lawyer who is serving as the leader of the Green Party of Canada since 2022, and previously served as the leader from 2006 to 2019. S ...

gave him a chocolate from Peace by Chocolate as a gift.

References

Canadian chocolate companies {{Food-company-stub Food and drink companies based in Nova Scotia Syrian Canadian