Craft chocolate scene emerging on Vancouver Island

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and business is picking up for one Victoria-based chocolatier.

But she says it’s not just the romantic holiday boosting business. Rather, it’s a revolution of sorts within the industry.

Pure Lovin’ Chocolate started small, making artisanal treats in a home kitchen nearly a decade ago.

Now, one of its owners, Leah Blackburn, says more and more chocolatiers are popping up around Vancouver Island.

“People are coming out with some really creative ways to eat and make chocolates. It’s really great to see more companies coming out and different products for people to try,” said Blackburn.

Working with such a versatile product lends itself to countless opportunities, according to Blackburn, who compares the art to craft beer brewing or specialty coffee.

“People are getting more into quality chocolate, more artisan chocolate and recognizing things like fair trade and where their beans are coming from and being more conscious about that,” said Blackburn.

“It’s good for everyone to have more variety, to have more people interested, and just have it be more of a scene, mainstream thing, getting your chocolate from small local producers instead of getting it in big stores as much.”

Blackburn says some of the latest industry trends include bean-to-bar production and ruby chocolate.