Newfoundland Chocolate Company wins Atlantic Food Product of the Year

The Newfoundland Chocolate Company is celebrating its being awarded Co-op’s Eat Atlantic Food Product of the Year.

Owners Christina Dove and Brent Smith were on hand at their Duckworth Street location Thursday morning to accept the award.

According to an article in the Telegraph, the award is determined by an online vote, in support of Co-Op’s Eat Atlantic promotions (eatatlantic.ca).

“This is a big deal,” Smith said in the article, calling the award a “massive honour.”

“The Newfoundland Chocolate Company received more than one-third of the votes and double the nearest competition,” said general manager of the Gander Co-op, Morley Goodyear, speaking on behalf of Co-op stores. The runner-up was Scotsburn Dairy Group’s Hoof Prints ice cream.

Other finalists in the running for the award: Covered Bridge Potato Chips, New Brunswick; King Cole Tea, New Brunswick; Oxford Frozen Foods Blueberries, Nova Scotia; Amalgamated Dairies Limited (ADL) Cheese, Prince Edward Island; Culinary Wines Liquid Seasonings, New Brunswick; Crosby’s Molasses, New Brunswick; Terra Beata Farms Dried Cranberries, Nova Scotia and Ganong Bros. Chicken Bones, New Brunswick.

The Newfoundland Chocolate Company said it focuses on premium product, using local ingredients wherever possible, no preservatives and using natural sweeteners like dried wildberries.

“We were again overwhelmed by the response to our competition,” said Paul-Émile Légère, chief executive officer of Co-op Atlantic in the article.

At least 6,000 online votes were cast for the different finalists this year through social media accounts.

He added: “This shows how passionate Atlantic Canadians are about the world-class products that are produced here in Atlantic Canada. Clearly when it comes to food, nothing beats the taste of home. That’s good for our economy, our environment and our future."

Last year's winner was JustUs! coffee, out of Nova Scotia.