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

Listen Live راديو نساء

THE CANADIAN PRESS- Nisaa FM:- 'Being a refugee is not a choice, it's not a decision, it's not a life goal. These people are fleeing their homes because of war, because of persecution': Tareq Hadhad, CEO of Peace by Chocolate

Assam Hadhad, a Syrian refugee who arrived in Canada last year, displays a tray of chocolates at his shop, Peace by Chocolate, in Antigonish, N.S. on September 21, 2016. The 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. ANDREW VAUGHAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS

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.