PEACE BY CHOCOLATE

The Hadhad family created and shipped chocolate all over the middle east and Europe for nearly 30 years. Their chocolate and their brand were renowned and they were the second biggest chocolate business in the middle east. When the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011 their chocolate factory in Damascus, Syria was bombed and destroyed. They were forced to leave much of what they had left behind and flee to Lebanon. In Lebanon they were granted refugee status by the UN, and after three years, were informed that they would be immigrating to Canada.

When they landed in Antigonish, Canada, they were greeted and processed by ISANS workers (Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia). After being without a home for three years they were eager to get to their new living accommodation and were the first ones out of the arrival’s terminal. Little did they know a news crew was waiting outside the terminal with the intention to give a grant to the first refugee family that walked out the door to support a business idea they had. Tareq Hadahad and his family walked out of the arrivals door and were met with the warmest of welcomes as people rushed towards them and congratulated them. They didn’t know what was going on and would soon find out the truth; they were going to build a new chocolate business in Canada.

Just eight months after arriving in Canada the Hadhad’s opened a small chocolate factory in their new hometown of Antigonish, about 3 hours from Halifax. It had a new name: Peace by Chocolate.

In 2016, Justin Trudeau spoke to a room full of world leaders, including Barrack Obama, at the United Nations. He spoke of Peace by Chocolate and used them as an example to show how countries should treat immigrants and newcomers.

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I came across Peace by Chocolate during my visit to see family in Halifax in 2022. As I walked on the Halifax boardwalk, I noticed a new store with a prime waterfront location. Attracted by the colorful display windows I went in. I saw beautifully packaged chocolate bars with PEACE in different languages (including Chinese), so I bought some for my friends back in China. I knew this was no ordinary chocolate shop. Then I saw the Hadhad family picture of the wall and decided to research more into their incredible story. From losing everything, they had created a new life with more purpose and meaning. Peace by Chocolate is not only a successful business, it also supports various educational peace initiatives and sponsors refugees with their profits. There is a now a book and movie sharing the Hadhad family’s inspiring refugee story. Chocolate is not only a successful business, it also supports various educational peace initiatives and sponsors refugees with their profits. There is a now a book and movie sharing the Hadhad family’s inspiring refugee story.