To some coffee, tea, and chocolate are just a beverage or treat.
To others, coffee, tea, and chocolate mean much more. Coffee, tea and chocolate can serve as a source of income and a foundation for building lifelong friendships.
They can signify the start and end of relationships.
The Chocolate, Coffee and Tea Lovers market event is crafted for enthusiasts who share an unwavering passion for the divine duo of coffee, tea, and chocolate.
“The goal of this event is for vendors to come, connect, and ask for information to help grow their business, expand or just to have someone to bounce ideas off,” said Gerrit Janssen, the founder of LOKAL and the organizer.
This event is the first of its kind that has been organized by LOKAL, a platform founded in 2018 to empower and support local community businesses .
LOKAL hosted the Chocolate, Coffee & Tea Lovers market at the Marda Loop Communities Association on Feb. 4, 2024.
The event offered the public a fascinating experience in the world of chocolate, coffee, teas, and other products it had to give.
The market hosted over 10 local vendors, each bringing their unique, handcrafted varieties of caffeine and products to showcase at the Chocolate, Coffee, and Tea Lovers market in the hope of attracting new clients and growing their businesses.
“We’re a small-batch artisan coffee roaster and are here to introduce people to the world of specialty coffee with ethical sourcing and transparency,” said David Pierce, Hammer & Chips owner.
“Coffees from around the world all taste very different and we make specialty coffee approachable, affordable, and distinctive,” said Pierce.
The event was free to the public who have a soft spot for chocolate, tea, and coffee, to explore, and connect with the same mind like people, and to support the local upcoming businesses.
“It’s more than just a market,” Janssen said. “We’re a little community hub where we support each other. And I hope to connect all the beautiful vendors in the city to the right people.”
There was something for everybody, from dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, beauty products, fragrances, antique wares and even coffees from different parts of the world.
“As a small business planning to open a store soon, we brought a little piece of Mexico to Canada because Mexico isn’t just all about chilis and mariachis, we also have excellent coffee,” said Frida Murillo, the cofounder of Frida’s Coffee home. “We provide people with the best authentic and unique experience of Mexican-style Coffee.”
In the end, the event connected entrepreneurs through markets and to emphasize connections over competition.
“The energy here today has been great,” Janssen said. “We wanted to make a space where lovers of chocolate, coffee, and tea could connect and sample some of the products the vendors have to offer. And seeing the community response, I think this was great.”
The organizers hosted a gluten-free treat event last year. They have many other events planned for this year such as the Gluten-Free Frost Market on Feb. 11, the General Public Small Businesses Retail Expo in March, and many more.
Here were the vendors at the Chocolate, Coffee & Tea Lovers market:
- Hammer & Chips Coffee
- Frida’s Coffee Home
- ChocoLush Chocolates
- Ruben Coffee, Salsa, Cookies
- Nature care
- Raw-licious Desserts
- Eleventeen Chocolates
- Ellie Bianca Beauty
- Market Junction Chocolate, Coffee, Tea
- The Chai Spice Tea
- ISSA GREEN Tea
