Crafting Chocolate, Cultivating Community: How Cocoa Bistro Has Become a Local Treasure

Audrey Brown, an avid foodie and culinary traveler, has always loved exploring different cultures through food. When she suffered a small but significant stroke 12 years ago – and had to rethink her career in healthcare – she decided it was time to nurture her passion for food and ethnic cuisine. Intrigued by the versatility and decadence of chocolate, she founded Cocoa Bistro – a Kingston, Ontario gem that has been serving up small luxuries for over a decade.  

A careful leap into business

Brown once loved her work as a speech pathologist. But as she explains in a recent conversation, her stroke fundamentally changed her. “It became so that I was not being true to myself to stay in that career. While I wasn’t sure about retiring at 50, the excitement started brewing when I began making chocolate. It wasn’t easy to leave, but it felt right.”

Like many new business owners, Brown took a measured approach to entrepreneurship. For two years she stayed on in her healthcare role while launching Cocoa Bistro on the side. “It was a matter of being careful but strategic,” she says, explaining that she wanted to continue earning an income while learning about the business and building her skills. She outfitted her basement with professional equipment, conducted market research, and took online courses to master the basics of chocolate-making. In-person workshops in Montreal further opened her eyes. “Once I saw how versatile chocolate was – how you can temper it, blend flavours, and really craft something – I realized this could be a full-blown career.”

She spent three years working out of her home – expanding her basement operations to her main floor – before finding a storefront in Kingston’s west end.

A journey of organic growth

In a town the size of Kingston, word of mouth may be the most powerful marketing tool around. As she began building Cocoa Bistro, Brown ran sales at the hospital where she worked and went to every market, festival and church basement function she could find. Then word got out to Queen’s University, some local law firms and Tourism Kingston – and that’s when Cocoa Bistro took off. “Being discovered by Tourism Kingston was one of the seminal moments in my business. They are now one of my biggest customers,” Brown shares.

As the popularity of Cocoa Bistro grew, so did Brown’s team. She employs two full-time staff and a part-time employee, along with casual students. “They are the production team right now. I have moved myself into the front to be the greeter, the seller and the face of the business,” says Brown.

Brown also works with an external digital team that takes care of her website and social media account. “I was doing social media on my own, but it was too much. The team has done a terrific job, getting my message out there and getting people talking,” she says. Having received a grant from the Kingston Economic Development Group for digital enablement, she is happy to outsource work that doesn’t closely align with her skill set.  “I’m so happy to have them on board.”

Facing a bittersweet reality

While business owners across the globe have faced rising prices and supply constraints in recent years, the chocolate industry has been hit especially hard.  While there are a few factors at play, climate change is the biggest threat to Brown’s business today. “The chocolate plantations where our cocoa is grown are facing drought and disease. Most of the trees are within 20 degrees of the equator and the effects of global warming are making it difficult for farmers to get the cocoa out,” she explains.

Meanwhile, large chocolate processors are buying up and warehousing cocoa, putting further strain on supply. The result is a dramatic increase in Brown’s costs. “They’ve doubled in the past year alone.”

True to form, Brown is being careful and strategic in her approach to this challenge. She has been upfront with her customers and client base, going live on Instagram to let them know what is going on and why her prices are up. She is also looking at alternative offerings to make her customers happy. “We will never change the quality of our chocolate. But we are diversifying our product line, adding things like brittles, marshmallows and confectionary products that still feature chocolate in some way.” Her customers have been receptive and supportive. “The feedback I get is, ‘please don’t stop what you’re doing. We still want quality chocolate, and we will pay more.’ It makes me feel good, but it’s still a burden to have to raise my prices,” Brown says.

During tougher times, Brown is grateful for her long-standing relationship with RBC. She’s had her business banking and credit card with the bank from day one, and her Operating Line of Credit provides stability when business slows. “It’s a relief to have that to fall back on – especially in the summer when things quiet down,” she says.

The heart of the community

Brown’s openness is a hallmark of her relationship with the Kingston community – a place that deeply values its local businesses. During COVID, for instance, Brown saw her biggest net increase in sales. “I was running the shop myself and we offered free delivery – my husband, who was not able to work at that time, was running 20 deliveries a day.” At a time when people wanted happiness, Cocoa Bistro stepped up.

This sense of community and connection has remained. Today, Brown partners with other businesses, conducts workshops, supports local charity initiatives and speaks at local events. In fact, she was recently approached by an aspiring entrepreneur who decided to take the leap after hearing Brown’s story. “It gives me goosebumps – I was mentored by people along the way, and now I’m a mentor,” says Brown.

Built on passion, sustained by purpose

Brown didn’t have any business experience before she founded Cocoa Bistro. It was a passion project that grew – and it’s this passion that continues to carry her through. “I love educating people about quality chocolate, supporting farmers around the world and working with a team that shares my passion,” she says.

When other aspiring entrepreneurs ask her for advice, this is what she learns into. “I tell them, you have to love it. If making money is the main purpose, it will be harder to keep the passion alive when times get tough.  Keep networking, show your passion, and the money will come.”

Today, as Audrey Brown navigates a complex chapter in her business journey, her passion and her bond with the Kingston community will be her greatest strengths.