This rags-to-riches story will make anyone smile and feel encouraged. Especially one where someone completely uproots their life and can create and succeed in a new one. It can be a terrifying decision to uproot your life and business and attempt to build a new one in a new country. A Syrian immigrant family made such a decision and now has a story that will inspire.
The Hadhad family arrived in Canada as refugees from Syria. Assam Hadhad had run a successful chocolate business in his hometown Damascus. When his family arrived in Canada, he wanted to build his company again. Initially, they started out small, running the business out of a shed in Antigonish. They named their business Peace by Chocolate and through hard work and dedication they worked to grow the business. They will now start operating out of a factory in the middle of town and recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for it along with a tour for anyone who was interested.
The Hadhad’s run a chocolatier in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. However, according to Mayor Laurie Boucher, the family offers much more than just chocolates. The family’s success has given hope to the community that a future can be built there. According to CBC news, Boucher said that “there’s a lot of doom and gloom sometimes about our children going away to work or families having to leave to get work…They’ve shown us what people can do here.” The Hadhad’s have beaten the odds and built a successful story.
The small family business has now expanded to a 10-person workforce, and they are planning to hire ten more people bringing their total workforce to 20. According to Tareq Hadad, Assam’s son said that without the support of their community that Peace by Chocolate would not have happened. He said that the family was very welcomed and supported when they first arrived in Antigonish. Part of the purpose of the ribbon cutting ceremony and a tour is a way for the Hadhad’s to say thank you for the kindness and support they received from the people of the town.
The community weighed in on their success as well. Glenda Hamlon was employed by the Hadhad’s recently, and she says that seeing them come from such a war-torn country and start a business in a shed and move on to where they make you realize that anything is possible. Their success story is one that touches the hearts of many.
The Hadhad’s came to be in the new factory because of a deal with Sobey’s grocery chain. They struck a deal to sell the chocolates in the grocery store, and the grocery chain agreed to lease the factory space, which was empty previously, to the Hadhad’s. According to the Vice President of Operations at Sobey’s Atlantic, the biggest challenge was the production of the chocolates and making sure the family could meet all the food safety requirements.
He knew they had the space available so offered it to them, but it needed several renovations and is now almost complete. It should allow the family to produce 30% more chocolate and as more equipment arrives, that number should go up. The family will start selling in the Atlantic Canada Sobey’s stores, and as long as they have success with that, they will expand across the country.
The Hadhad’s story is one that would inspire anyone, not just immigrants. They prove that through hard work and dedication, you can build something out of nothing.
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Source: CBC News
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