BUSINESS

Syrian chocolatier to hire, mentor refugees: 'They come here to contribute'

The Canadian Press Published Saturday, February 16, 2019 9:12AM EST

Syrian chocolatier Tareq Hadhad greets children at the door of Peace By Chocolate's factory in Antigonish, N.S. on September 9, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

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ANTIGONISH, N.S. - A one-time Syrian refugee who founded a thriving Nova Scotia chocolate company has announced plans to hire and mentor other refugees.

Peace by Chocolate of Antigonish, N.S., has committed to hiring 50 refugees by 2022, and to mentor 10 refugee-run start-ups over the next few years.

The now-famous company was founded by the Hadhad family, who fled their home in war-torn Damascus in 2012. They arrived in Nova Scotia with next to nothing in 2016.

The company was founded shortly after and quickly found success, bolstered by high-profile shout outs like one from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an address to the United Nations.

The family's remarkable story has been told around the world.

Tareq Hadhad, CEO of the company, said Peace by Chocolate aims to give back to the country that welcomed his family when so many nations were closing their borders to the Syrian plight.