02/02/2025
Hey, Iām Jasonāthe chocolatier behind Niagara Cocoa Tree! Itās been a while since I introduced myself, and there are a lot of new faces here, so letās fix that š
I never actually planned on becoming a chocolatier. By day, I run Cool Koala Creative, a media and marketing agency, but during the COVID lockdowns, when my work slowed down, I stumbled across and School of Chocolate on Netflix and thought, that looks ridiculously hard⦠I should try it.
Fast forward through months of learning, experimenting, and more chocolate disasters than Iād like to admit, and Niagara Cocoa Tree was born!
I specialize in artisan bonbonsādelicate Belgian chocolate shells, painted with coloured cocoa butter, and filled with layers of ganache, fruit gels, caramel, crunch layers, and other surprises. People often tell me they look too pretty to eatābut they usually get over that pretty quickly! Depending on the season, I also make chocolate-dipped strawberries, pretzels, honeycomb, bark, bars, and lollipopsāall from scratch in my Public Health-inspected kitchen, using real ingredients and no shortcuts.
Whenever possible, I source local ingredientsāthe espresso in my bonbons is brewed fresh at in Fort Erie, using fairtrade, bird-friendly beans from . My freeze-dried raspberries and strawberries come from . But I also seek out incredible ingredients from around the worldālike the organic, fairtrade cacao beans from Peruās family-run Alto el Sol plantation that go into my 64% Peru bar.
Niagara Cocoa Tree is mostly a one-person operation, but Iām lucky to have an amazing partner, family, and friends who help with packing orders, deliveries, and the all-important job of taste-testing (itās a tough job, but someoneās got to do it). Since I run a full-time creative agency, my chocolate business is a seasonal pop-up shop, open for Christmas, Valentineās Day, Easter, and custom corporate/event orders.
So, whether youāre here for a thoughtful gift or just treating yourself (which I fully support), I hope my chocolates bring you as much joy as I get from making them. Thanks for being here! š