Kyle Cooper will be selling gourmet chocolate barks at this year’s Circle Craft Christmas Market, November 9-13.
Port Moody chocolatier Kyle Cooper admits he doesn’t like chocolate.
But it’s nuts that got him into the chocolate business.
Cooper learned the ins and outs of entrepreneurship at family-owned Nuts Ventures when he decided to go independent 11 years ago.
He noticed a gap in the burgeoning artisanal chocolate market and set out to fill it with a large slab of flavor-infused dark Belgian chocolate.
Normally, bark chocolate is sold in pieces, but Cooper believes that storing whole bark chocolate ignites a social experience for foodies who break the slabs themselves and share the pieces. I guessed not.
He calls his product Blink because it’s intriguing.
R&D with friends, family, and his fiancé has resulted in nearly 10 flavors, with limited new dishes added each year, such as Tropical Vacation with limey 68% dark chocolate and shredded coconut. A different flavor experience has been created.
According to Cooper, as people learn more about chocolate, the taste changes from the sweetness of milk chocolate to the slightly bitterness of dark chocolate.
Enhancements like flavor infusions and sprinkled toppings keep your chocolate experience fresh and exciting.
It’s the same wine connoisseur who evolves the wine palate from the lightness of Pinot Grigio to the complexity of Chenin Blanc and aged Rioja.
“Once the ball starts rolling down the hill, you want to try everything.
Using dark chocolate as the base to build his flavor profile, Cooper says his products appreciate its antioxidant properties and an array of minerals, including iron, magnesium, copper, zinc and phosphorus. It is gaining attention for healthy eating habits.
“People are learning more about what they buy and put on their bodies,” Cooper said.
You won’t find Blink Chocolate Bark in the confectionery section of your grocery store. Rather, Cooper works on the farmer’s market and craft fair circuits for months at a time, traveling across Canada from one juried sale to the next.
Cooper may make more money by standing on mass-market shelves, but not so much if he can’t converse with customers at folding tables under 4-by-4-foot shelters. I said it wasn’t fun.
His cries have formed a throng of enthusiastic fans from Prince George to Ottawa, many of whom seek him out when he’s in town, and frequently ask him for suggestions of new flavors and toppings during the off-season. hit.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper has remained home throughout the 2020 market and craft fair season, but has begun selling online.
With neither direct customer feedback nor the ability to offer free samples to attract new customers, Cooper had to cut back on its offerings and limit it to known favorites like its flagship sour cherries and cocoa nibs. .
Last year saw more opportunities to interact directly with Blink fans, and Cooper went wall-to-wall this year, racking up bookings in at least three states.
“I’m really energized by that connection,” Cooper said of going on tour again.
When the season is over, he’ll book next year’s gig at his home in Port Moody and head to the Delta concession kitchen.
Cooper will be selling Blink Chocolate Bark at this year’s Circle Craft Christmas Fair, November 9-13 at the Vancouver Convention Center.
You can learn more about Cooper’s products and other locations on his website.