Celebrating chocolate creativity at Chapel Cove Chocolate
Meet Allan Keefe. He describes himself as the chief cook and bottlewasher at Chapel Cove Chocolate.
The Pictou County chocolate factory produces quality chocolate for people who want the real thing.
Prior to making chocolate, Keefe was in the oil business, working as a contractor. When his group was downsized and he needed a new career, chocolate became it.
Together with his wife
Jan, he bought a chocolate business and learned the art from the ground up. They operated that business for five years on the west coast before selling the location and moving home.
Keefe, originally from Halifax, and Jan from Pictou County had left Nova Scotia in the 1980s as there wasn't much holding them here. He says there were big opportunities out West, so they first moved to Alberta and then to British Columbia five years later.
It came to a point where life in B.C. was becoming more expensive and they were at risk of losing a family property in Nova Scotia. So, they loaded up their horses in a trailer and brought them back across the country.
“The lifestyle works for us. Jan is now teaching music again and I'm making chocolate for people that really appreciate the quality handmade makes,” he says.
When they did move back, Keefe says he was still in his 50s and thought he had lots to offer. Instead, he found employers were not looking to hire older workers in Pictou County. So once again, they had to reset.
“We had built a new house, and as I had kept a chocolate machine, some chocolate, and a few moulds with me as a hobby, we decided to put a kitchen in the lower level,” explains Keefe.
It soon became more than
Chapel a hobby, however. Cove Chocolate was launched in Nova Scotia in 2013.
Because they had moved back to the Pictou County property where Jan grew up on Chapel Cove, the name of the business seemed obvious. It gives them a sense of place here on the north shore of Nova Scotia, he says.
Keefe says they decided to offer Fair Trade certified products. Although they cost more, the couple felt better empowering cacao farmers and communities collaboratively through partnerships with local and international organizations. This higher price provides producers and growers with a better income. The business pays an extra $300 a ton to ensure a fair wage and education to the growers, he explains.
“We felt the local market would support a product
quality, made with excellent and they have proven us right,” he says.
That first Christmas in 2013, Keefe says he made a few things for Christmas for family and friends and sold some products at the Truro Farmers' Market. From there, they started making chocolate bars and selling them to their neighbourhood store.
Then, in 2014, they sold some Easter bunnies at the same store. When the local celiac community found out about these gluten-free bunnies, they bought the store out, says Keefe.
After that, they approached the New Glasgow Farmers Market for a table, and things started to take off. At this point, chocolate making was still a hobby.
For the next five years, Keefe says it was just him, slowly building the chocolate business. But then, in 2019, they reached a tipping point.
“I couldn't keep up with demand, and I hired my first employee,” says Keefe.
increased
As a result of their productivity, sales almost doubled. They were excited and kept growing. And then COVID-19 hit.
Chapel Cove Chocolate had started to wholesale to local stores, which kept them going during the pandemic, but they lost their face-toface sales stream.
This prompted them to start selling at their own store, which was their production facility. They offered contactless pickup and local delivery. They also pivoted to online sales in the last year as well, launching their website, chapelcovechcolate. ca, allowing them to fulfil orders remotely and have them delivered countrywide. Social media has also been an important avenue to advertise what they are doing, he says.
Out of everything they make, Keefe says they have several items that are very popular, and some are seasonal. Their candy cane bark (peppermint bark), a combination of white and dark chocolate and crushed candy canes, is a huge hit at Christmastime. This is the only time they sell it. Then, at Easter, their top item is their personalized giant Easter eggs. He remembers that in the old days, personalized eggs were a big thing and now they have brought it back.
“Kids love waking up to find the Easter bunny has brought them their own egg with their name on it,” says Keefe.
During the rest of the year, their dark chocolate with salt, or chocolate bars are consistently their biggest sellers.
Keefe says he has really enjoyed taking up a second career later in life. In fact, he knows of several people who have started businesses in their 50s and 60s and they are thriving. Everyone is now doing things they had always wanted to do, or who are doing new things because they were required to make a career shift. This is becoming a fast-growing segment called senior-preneurs.
“Personally,” says Keefe, “I really enjoy the creativity the chocolate business allows me. I get to indulge in things I like.”
CONTRIBUTED “We felt the local market would support a product made with excellent quality, and they have proven us right.” Allan Keefe Co-owner of Chapel Cove Chocolates