Chocolate heaven in the foothills of Alberta

by Jenny DeGuia

It takes Alberta’s climate, local ingredients and an artist’s flair to turn raw Belgian chocolate into world-famous Callebaut.

Alberta is home to dozens of high-quality chocolate makers, but for many in this province, the name Bernard Callebaut stands out.

The story of how a fourth-generation Belgian chocolatier created a successful Alberta business is the stuff of entrepreneurial legend. “I was literally born in the house in front of the chocolate factory,” says Callebaut of his childhood in Wieze, Belgium. “I always had chocolate around me. I smelled it day in and day out.”

Drawn to the mountains of Alberta, and what he calls “the frontier spirit,” Callebaut arrived in Calgary in 1982, bringing chocolate samples with him. At the time, some might have doubted whether Cowtown was ready for him, but Callebaut was pleasantly surprised. A year later, the first of seven Calgary stores opened.

The right environment for chocolate

Callebaut notes that all the chocolates are made at the Calgary head office, due in part to the southern Alberta environment. “Moisture and chocolate are enemies,” he explains, “so Alberta’s dry climate is better to work with chocolate.”

Today, Callebaut’s chocolate-making operation supplies a total of 35 Callebaut stores: 27 across Canada, six in the United States and two in Japan. Though his chocolate is only beginning to reach the far corners of the world, Callebaut insists that mass production is not in his future.

“My wife and I are interested in making a quality company, not a fast-growing company,” he says.

Local ingredients make the difference

The climate isn’t the only Alberta ingredient Callebaut counts on. He also buys quality Alberta cream and butter, important components in his unique products, from local dairies.

“We bring in bulk chocolate, white and dark – made to our specifications,” he says. “Then we melt the chocolate, and then the chocolate is tempered to stabilize it. Then we do the dipping, molding and filling. That’s it in a nutshell.”

There are now nearly 20 chocolate shops and confectionaries in Calgary alone, a growing number that Callebaut attributes to society’s changing attitudes.

“Twenty-five years ago, if you wanted coffee you paid 25 cents for hot brown water,” he says. “Now, people have discovered gourmet coffee and the special roasts and blends. Chocolate is the same thing. More than ever, people appreciate quality.”

Chocolate Fantasy Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 lb.*Chocolaterie BernardCallebaut Dark Chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp.salt
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 lb.* Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut White Chocolate,chopped

Directions

1. Melt dark chocolate and butter together over hot water.
2. Beat eggs with sugar until pale yellow, then stir in slightly-cooled dark chocolate/butter mixture.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to egg/chocolate mixture.
4. Stir in chopped white chocolate.
5. Refrigerate dough until solid enough to form two rolls.
6. Slice 1/2” thick and bake in 350°F oven, 11 – 13 minutes. *1 lb. = 16 oz.