Port Moody chocolatier Kyle Cooper admits he’s not nuts about chocolate.
But it’s nuts that got him into the chocolate business.
Cooper was learning the ins and outs of entrepreneurship in the family nut venture when he decided 11 years ago to strike out on his own.
He saw a gap in the burgeoning market for artisanal chocolate and set out to fill it with large slabs of flavour-infused Belgian dark chocolate.
Bark chocolate is usually sold already broken up, but Cooper surmised keeping the pieces whole could spark a social experience for foodies as they cracked the slabs themselves and shared the shards.
He calls his product Blink because it piques curiosity.
Research and development with friends, family and his fiancé concocted nearly a dozen different flavour experiences that are supplemented annually with new, limited run delights, like Tropical Vacation with lime-tinged 68 per cent dark chocolate and shredded coconut.
Cooper said as people become more knowledgeable about chocolate, their tastes evolve from the sweetness of milk chocolate to dark’s slight bitterness.
The enhancements like flavour infusions and sprinkled toppings keep the chocolate experience fresh and exciting.
It’s not unlike an oenophile evolving their taste for wine from the lightness of Pinot Grigio to the complexity of a Chenin Blanc or aged Rioja.
“Once the ball starts rolling down the hill, you get more inclined to try anything, he said.
By using dark chocolate as a base from which to build his flavour profiles, Cooper said his product also catches the attention of healthy eaters who appreciate its anti-oxidant qualities and array of minerals like iron, magnesium and copper as well as zinc and phosphorous.
“People are learning more about what they buy and put into their body,” Cooper said.
You won’t find Blink chocolate bark in the confections area of the grocery store. Rather, Cooper works the farmer’s market and craft fair circuit for months at a time, travelling across Canada from one juried sale to the next.
Cooper said getting on the mass market shelves might earn him more money, but it wouldn’t be as much fun without the conversations he’s able to have with his customers over a folding table under a four-by-four-foot shelter.
He said his bark has developed an enthusiastic legion of fans from Prince George to Ottawa, many of whom seek him out when he’s in town and will often hit him up with suggestions for new flavours or toppings during his off-season.
When the COVID-19 pandemic kept Cooper grounded at home base through the 2020 market and craft fair season, he took his sales online.
Without the face-to-face feedback from customers, nor the ability to attract new ones by doling out free samples, Cooper had to trim down his offerings, limiting them to known favourites like his flagship sour cherry with cocoa nibs.
Last year brought more opportunities for direct engagement with Blink’s fans and this year Cooper’s going wall to wall, stacking up bookings across at least three provinces.
“I really get energized by that connection,” Cooper said of being on the road again.
And when the season ends, he’ll be back at his Port Moody home booking gigs for next year and heading to a commissary kitchen in Delta where he brings his flavour ideas to tasty reality.
Cooper will be selling his Blink chocolate bark at this year’s Circle Craft Christmas fair at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Nov. 9 to 13.
You can find out more about Cooper’s product and other places to find it at his website.
