everything in place a couple of years ago when we listed with UNFI, which is one of the largest natural distributors in the U.S. with a great broker team.” Ross Chocolates was ready, well that is what they thought, at the beginning of 2020, just as COVID hit. The company had about a dozen dif- ferent events and trade shows in the U.S. to help support the launch and as we all know these events were axed and they were again forced to pivot their launch from focusing on in person meeting at events to relying on product images, some cool bullet points from their products and try to get sales in the U.S. which was challeng- ing. There are a lot of sugar free products out there. What truly sets Ross Chocolates apart from the rest is their taste. People just don’t believe that it is a sugar free product, given that it tastes much better than a lot of regularly produced chocolates that are on the market right now. Hemmings adds, “Taste is our weapon when we are doing a presentation whether to a buyer or at a trade show to an end consumer. So, we really were kind of handcuffed by not being able to get out into that market to be able to really show people what our chocolate was like, espe- cially how it tastes.” The upside of this was, it allowed the team at Ross Chocolates to look at a couple of other things, one of them being how they were pro- ducing chocolates in our facility. They had a recipe that a supplier was making for them. They decided to again upgrade their equipment in their facility, so they were able to take more control over the recipe. In doing so they were able to eliminate a lot of ingredients that didn’t need to be in their chocolate. They were able to adjust the taste portfolio to make it much better than what it was previously. They were able to really look at their sourcing for cocoa and they were able to secure a sustainable cocoa vender called Cocoa Horizons, whose purpose and mission is improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities through the pro- motion of sustainable, entrepreneurial farming, improved productivity, and community develop- ment, which protect nature and children.
“Whatworks inCanadadoesn’t necessarily work in the US.”
products out there than they used to be in this segment. And they’re not all good. And I know that because my desk is covered with them.” Being in the business means that Hemmings gets to try everything out there, and he will tell you that there are definitely a couple of really good products out there other than Ross Choc- olates. As the business looks to expand Hemmings is seeing the demand for the product also grow. At one time a buyer wouldn’t take his calls regarding sugar free products because they already have one in their stores or to offer their customers. Now they are calling him, because they understand the value of these products to their customers because more and more cus- tomers are asking for them and wholesale and food services are becoming a bigger part of the company’s offering. Ross Chocolates is more than a company that is selling sugar free products, it is a company that cares about its customers and their love for chocolate. Yes, they have won many awards, but the most satisfying thing is the emails that they receive which really tells you something about a company and their product. I mean, when was the last time that you ate a chocolate bar and then felt that you had to get online or send the company an email saying how good it was? I know that I have never done that. Taste aside we believe what really sets Ross Choco- lates apart from the rest of the industry is their commitment to a diabetic community. It was the reason that the company was founded and con- tinues to be a driving force day in and day out for the business because everyone should be able to enjoy eating chocolate. “I tried the chocolates and was blown away. I was just like, I had to read the label over a couple of times, just to make sure they weren’t trying to sneak me some sugar in some - where.”
the company as it continues to expand.” We were curious if a consumer’s past perception of sugar free products being essentially taste free as well was hurting their growth? Hennings was quick to respond, “I remember early times, when I tried sugar free chocolate, it was pretty much like eating brown chalk.” Hemmings goes on to talk about the first time he tried their product, “When I came here for an interview, I met with Stefano, I saw the facility. I was on my way out, to be honest I was heading to another interview with a much bigger company, but for a similar role, and Stefano gave me some chocolate on my way out to take with me and said, ‘let’s connect in a couple of days.’ So on the way to my second interview that day, I tried the choc- olates and was blown away. I was just like, I had to read the label over a couple of times, just to make sure they weren’t trying to sneak me some sugar in somewhere. I was so impressed with the product, when Stefano called me the next day to follow up. I was, yeah, I definitely want to be a part of this journey. I was our target customer, so believing in the product helps you push through some of the criticism that might come initially from consumers that have not tried the products. My mindset is, how could you not like this.” That confidence in the product is company wide and it comes through when they are speaking with others about their offerings. They know that they have an amazing product, and the market is changing for ‘better for you’ products. A lot of people are moving toward or need to move towards sugar free options. With obesity and diabetes rising and customers looking for health- ier options, the market is moving towards ‘better for you’ with more people following Keto and Paleo diets. Having good sugar free products is certainly going to help some gravitate towards making these lifestyle changes. Plus, there are a lot more products out there now that are sugar free, but as Hemmings says, “There are a lot more brands and
The Ross Chocolates team also use the downtime brought on by the pandemic to focus on expand- ing their flavour offerings with flavours like cherry almond and salted caramel, but also offering different products altogether such as non sugar added Chocolate baking chips, Chocolate covered Almonds & Hazelnuts, and a Luxury Line of 0% Sugar Gifting Chocolates meant for the Premium Market. When asked about the culture and what it is like to work at Ross Chocolates Hemmings answered with, “We’re a pretty small team, but also a very committed team, aside from the marketing manager, everybody has been here for at least four years. We all have the same goal in mind, so our hats are interchangeable sometimes. We all know there’s a job we have to do and we’re all 100% committed to making it happen. Stefano is a great leader, he makes sure that you know what you need to do, that you have the resources to do it and then trusts you to do it. If there’s a big issue or problem, he is happy to help with his input, but otherwise encourages the team to try to solve it. I think it’s that sort of leadership that has really helped us here. We know that we can count on each other and that has been the key to the great successes we have had, especially the last six to eight months as we have seen some big steps in growth. We’re really going through a transition time right now with the business, moving from a $1.5 million company, to potentially a $4 or $5 million company. So, what that is doing is forcing everybody to stretch again and to look at things differently including our roles and our vision for
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
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