Orillia chocolatier takes on the world

In the heart of Orillia sits a chocolate shop that is taking on the world.

DWN Chocolate submitted its Old Fashioned bar to an international competition in New York City in September, and it impressed the taste buds of a panel of judges.

"My old-fashioned chocolate bar won a bronze in the craft maker competition," said Nita.

The head chocolatier has been immersed in the confection scene in Ontario for over a decade and decided about five years ago to tackle a new challenge and open her own chocolate factory in the sunshine city. 

Over those years, Nita has been perfecting her recipes to separate her products from the pack.

The award-winning Old Fashioned bar is inspired by the classic drink and has a Canadian twist.

"It starts with infusing cocoa nibs in an old-fashioned whisky cocktail which is made by BarChef in Toronto," said Nita.

"The other unique ingredient is sea buckthorn berries, so traditionally old-fashioned drinks are garnished with an orange slice, but instead, we chose to use sea buckthorn."

Since opening the DWN Chocolate brick-and-mortar store in 2021, Nita and her team have been working to fill orders and the shelves as her creamy concoctions have growing in popularity.

Nita attributes her success to her team's focus on local, naturally sourced ingredients that she says begin with the cacao bean. Her attention to detail has led her to help educate local students on the chocolate-making process.

"I'll be hosting my second class with Lakehead [University] in January, and what we do is go through the process of how chocolate is made from being a pod on a tree to a chocolate bar and of course, there will be a lot of chocolate tasting as well," said Nita.