Cynthia Cheng

It’s chocolate season.  The stores are stocked full of Valentine’s Day and will be replaced with chocolate bunnies and eggs soon after it’s over.  But it’s the same thing year after year.  So what if we want something a little different? Kakayo Chocolate Company, located in Toronto’s Leslieville area is the brainchild of Colleen Wong-Sala.  Colleen, who was into organic and locally-produced foods years before it became trendy, discovered that the only places in Toronto selling organic fair-trade chocolates were health food stores.  What started as experimenting at home and holding focus groups, eventually led to a brick and mortar store on Queen Street East. Every Kakayo truffle is made with ingredients sourced out from local farms.  In addition, Kakayo encourages people to re-use packaging.  Those who bring back the packaging for their next purchase receive a discount.

 
On the name, Kakayo:

Kakayo is a play on words of Cocoa or Kakao, which means cocoa pod or chocolate.  My fiance came up with it.  Initially I wanted to call the company “Cocoa” but I soon learnt that trying to get a “cool” web address (URL) was nearly impossible.  They are either in use or someone has purchased the rights to them.  As a start up with limited funds, you have to be creative. 
On how long it generally takes to make a box of truffles:

It is a multi-day process, from infusing your ingredients to the making the ganache (the soft centre in the truffle), to forming truffle ball to tempering the chocolate (coating the ganache).   However, if you wanted to rush the process, you could do it in 4-6 hours.

On what makes Kakyo different from other fair trade brands:

I don’t only just source fair trade, but I also go out there to get to know the folks that are actually growing the ingredients that I use in my recipes. 

On the “typical” Kakayo customer:

Foodies and chocolate connoisseurs or people with specific food restrictions: dairy-free, gluten free, soy lecithin free. 
 

Recommendation to those new to Kakayo:

I find out if their palate prefers sweet or savory, and based on that I can point them in a direction. 

On her favourites:

I love each one! 

For more information on Kakayo, please visit their website at www.kakayo.com

Kakayo Chocolate Company is located at 1584 Queen Street East in Toronto.