A Canadian confectioner is responding to the recent kerfuffle over US President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario by urging Peace. Specifically, Peace By Chocolate’s ‘Lake Ontario’ candy bar is generating interest on both sides of the border…
Some folks print up protest signs. Some create silk-screened wearables. And others make candy bars to bear witness against social and political injustices. So it was when Peace by Chocolate of Antigon-ish Nova Scotia launched the ‘Lake Ontario’ candy bar…
It’s just the latest…
… In a series of patriotic confections by the NS candy maker, celebrating the family-owned company’s embrace by Canada.
The Hadad family was literally bombed out of business in their ancestral home place, Damascus, Syria, in 2012. They waited three years to receive the green light to immigrate to Canada. And they started all over again from scratch, in Antigonish.
Since then, they’ve rebuilt their business and they’re shipping their products around the Western World again. But they haven’t forgotten Canada’s welcome. And they maintain a permanent line of ‘Canada’ products.
Spurred by tariffs…
When the Trump tariffs first came in, the Hahads issued a, ‘Elbows Up’ candy bar – milk chocolate pockets filled with Maple Cream. And the slogan writ large over a Canadian flag on the label. Before that, they had created a line celebrating positive Canadian slogans including ‘Hey, Buddy!’, ‘Give ‘Er’, and even an ‘Eh?’ bar. More seriously, they feature ‘Go Canada’ and ‘Strong And Free’ bars in their premiere collection.
Now, the ‘Lake America’ controversy has stirred the Hadads to issue a special ‘Lake Ontario’ candy bar. The label proudly reminds us: “Ontari’io’ is Wendat for ‘Great Lake’, or ‘Beautiful Lake’.”
“We wanted to be there for our country, no matter how odd that it sounded,” Family spokesperson Tareq Hadhad told The Canadian Press (CP). “If you showed me a Lake Ontario chocolate bar, even a year ago, I would say, why would we even create one because we have so many great lakes all across Canada? But it meant a big deal.”
“The treat quickly became one of the company’s five bestselling bars, generating interest from coast to coast and a flurry of emails from south of the border, where Peace by Chocolate has paused sales because of tariffs on exports to the United States,” The CP reported last week.
My take
Sellers of gimcrack gimmicks, gewgaws and gaudy merchandise of all types can be expected to jump on social or political events such as the ‘Lake America’ controversy. But it’s relatively rare that a ser-ious corporate entity such as Peace By Chocolate gets on such a bandwagon.
And when they do, I feel they deserve our recognition and appreciation. Well done, Tariq and family! You make us all proud!
~ Maggie J.