OUR STORY

We began in 1999 as a passion project to bring awareness of issues in the chocolate industry to a wider audience. Today, we are Canada’s largest craft chocolate retailer and educator!

OUR TEAM

  • STEPHANIE

    Owner of The Chocolate Project, Stephanie got her start in chocolate as a long-term “Chocolate Concierge” at The Chocolate Project where she spent her days surrounded by some of the finest bean-to-bar chocolate this world has to offer alongside her wife, Heidi. With palates well refined, the pair began making their own chocolate in 2014 and continue to run a thriving craft chocolate business.

    Stephanie loves to share her enthusiasm for chocolate with people, so stop by the store and learn from her wealth of knowledge—there will probably be a tasting involved, too!

  • MADISON

    Madison has been working at The Chocolate Project since May 2022 while studying Geography at UVIC. Originally focused on climate change, she hopes to make lasting impacts in the craft-chocolate industry that will heal natural ecosystems and help support cacao growers. Madison is combining her passion for geography and chocolate through her work with UVIC’s Geography Environmental Governance Group.


    Madison enjoys surprising tasting notes in her chocolate such as strong tropical liqueur notes in Manoa’s Mililani 70% and bergamot in Amano’s Dos Rios 70%. She also enjoys uncommon flavour combinations such as Askinosie's Salted Licorice Dark Milk bar, the Ritual's Juniper and Lavender bar, and Kasama's Tanned Muscovado bar.

1 2

FORMER TEAM

  • DAVID

    David Mincey is the founder of the Chocolate Project. As a chocolate judge he has to be open minded about all chocolate, but personally he prefers bars on the dark side with tropical, boozy notes. His current favourite cacao source is the Semuliki Forest in Uganda.

    If you've been in the store before, you've probably met David already. Always happy to talk about chocolate, you'll learn something new every time you talk to him!

  • SID

    Sid partnered with The Chocolate Project between September 2022 and August 2024 as a master's student with UVic Geography's Environmental Governance Group. His thesis research focused on supply chain transparency and how craft chocolate companies portray cacao origins. While with The Chocolate Project, he took the opportunity to develop his palate and judge bars for the 2024 Northwest Chocolate Festival.

    Sid enjoys smooth, complex chocolate like Qantu's Morropón bar. He's also partial to dark milk bars, and his favourite chocolate bar of all time is Naive's Dry-Aged Beef bar!

  • SOPHIA

    Sophia started working at the Chocolate Project in February of 2022 and is currently studying neuroscience at UVIC. Being that she is passionate about the environment as well as sustainable production practices, Sophia has thoroughly enjoyed becoming more immersed in the bean-to-bar chocolate world and connecting with all the amazing people involved in it!

    In terms of chocolate, Sophia enjoys warmer, more earthy bars, with a hint of dried fruit, particularly the SOMA Semuliki Uganda bar. A new favourite of hers is the Fruition Bolivia Beniano dark bar sourced from Tranquilidad, Bolivia. Such a delicate, elegant, and complex bar! She was lucky enough to meet the people behind the magic of Fruition at the 2022 Northwest Chocolate Festival.

  • AVERY

    Avery has been working with the Chocolate Project since February 2022 whilst studying Theatre and Education at UVIC. She is elated to explore a whole range of her interests from acting, to travel, to special needs education and of course chocolate!

    Avery leans to either extreme of chocolate tastes, flipping from citrus fruity explosions like Qantu’s Gran Blanco bar, to rich, molasses, mocha notes in Letterpress's Tranquility bar. She would love to meet any of you happy humans who enjoy all things chocolate.

1 4