This journey began when we moved to Toronto, driven by my desire to continue working with chocolate based products I had been creating in Vancouver. At that point, not everything was clear but I was certain about one thing: I wanted to continue with chocolate. Over time, I discovered what I wanted to create, how I wanted to do it, and which path to follow.
At the time, we were living in Vancouver. My formal education background was in child development, but baking and pastry had always been my true passion. I went to school for baking and pastry and spent years working across restaurants, pastry shops, hotels, and cafés. I continuously challenged myself, gained hands on experience in different kitchens, and built years of professional expertise while working toward my Red Seal certification. This was never a hobby, it was always my profession.
When we moved to Toronto, I was in the process of job hunting. At the same time, I wanted to create something that could generate income while allowing me to stay connected to the field I knew best. That’s when the chocolate-dipped strawberries and colorful chocolate-covered dates I had made for special occasions in Vancouver came back to mind. I wanted to continue but this time, with the intention of building something sustainable and scalable.
Back in Vancouver, these chocolate-covered dates I used to make in Vancouver for special occasions
Chocolate already held an important place in my professional life, even though it had once intimidated me. Hand-tempering is demanding and stressful, especially at scale. Over time, that fear turned into confidence. Today, working with chocolate is one of the most enjoyable parts of what I do.
Shifting from fruit-based products to chocolate was also a conscious decision. Chocolate offers longer shelf life and consistency, making it far more suitable for wholesale. At the time, Dubai Chocolate was almost nonexistent in Toronto. Finding the original mold took months but when I finally did, I knew it was the right place to start.
I visited countless bakery and chocolate suppliers across the city. Being new to Toronto, I didn’t know the suppliers, the market, or where products sold best. Everything was learned through trial, error, and persistence.
One day at home, I made a small test batch using pistachio cream and kadayif. As I worked, a thought crossed my mind: This feels small right now, but it might be the first step toward something much bigger. I still clearly remember the excitement I felt while decorating the chocolates with cocoa butter
The very first Dubai chocolate I ever made — where everything quietly began.
Around that time, my mother-in-law was visiting us from abroad and brought back two of the molds I had finally sourced. That’s how it truly began with just two molds. We partnered with our first market, and interest slowly started to grow. Some businesses encouraged caution; others passed entirely. Many later turned once demand became clear.
Production soon outgrew our home kitchen. Tempering kilograms of chocolate by hand, working late nights, tired arms and dealing with failed batches became part of the process. As demand increased, we moved into a ghost kitchen.
When that was no longer enough, we took the next step and moved into our own production kitchen.
That transition changed everything. We expanded our product range, introduced new flavors, and began supplying across Canada. While our team continued handling wholesale orders, we focused on developing special products and refining our processes. Giving up was never an option we trusted our flavors, our quality, and our vision.
From day one, we have stayed true to the original. The same recipes, the same designs, the same quality, and the same packaging unchanged since the beginning. Today, we work with over 500 chocolate molds, but every product is still guided by the same values. That consistency is something I am deeply proud of.
This journey taught us what building a business truly means resilience, ethics, patience, and responsibility. We have always tried to do what is right, and to do it properly, even when it was difficult.
This journey has given us far more than we ever imagined and it’s still just the beginning.
We have exciting plans ahead. Stay tuned!
