Jill Wherrett

I must admit to a little trepidation leading up to my visit to Hummingbird Chocolate’s factory. Despite having survived an elementary school trip to the now defunct Hershey plant in Smiths Falls, I still couldn’t get visions of Willy Wonka’s fantastical facility out of my mind. Would I be swept into a chocolate river? Turned into a giant blueberry?

But I summoned up my courage and headed to Almonte for the 45-minute tour. Entering Hummingbird’s space, my fears were put to rest; there were no garbage chutes or nut-testing squirrels. Instead, a bright and stylish shop and café, awash with the enticing aroma of chocolate, with large windows providing a view into the production facility.

Hummingbird, a craft chocolate company specializing in single origin dark chocolate, sourced from cacao farms with sustainable and ethical practices, began as a basement hobby for former international development workers Erica and Drew Gilmour. From its start in 2012, Hummingbird has gone on to win numerous awards and distribute its products across Canada and to several U.S. and international locations. After outgrowing its original facility, Hummingbird moved to its current space in 2022.

The group tour at Humming bird Chocolate get underway with a taste of dark, rich drinking chocolate. Photo by Jamie Brougham

Our group of about 16 people, all adults save one preteen (Hummingbird advises that tours are geared toward adults and not recommended for children under eight), gathered in a small room adorned with large photos of cacao farms and fermenting beans. Arrayed on the table were cacao pods, bowls of roasted and unroasted beans, nibs, and cocoa butter.

After whetting our palates with a sample of rich, dark drinking chocolate, our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide spoke about how Hummingbird carefully sources their beans, then led us through the initial steps ofgoing from “bean to bar”: sorting the cacao beans by hand to remove debris and categorize the beans by size, roasting and cracking the beans, and then re-sorting and winnowing the pieces to separate the shells and nibs. As she spoke, we passed around a giant cacao pod and nibbled on roasted cacao beans.

After grinding the nibs into a paste, they are run through a conche, a machine that liquifies the paste. Sugar is slowly added, along with cocoa butter and flavourings (depending on the final product). To ensure the result is super-smooth, the conche runs for three days. Then the chocolate rests in a pan for about 30 days for the flavours to meld, before it is tempered to become smooth and shiny, poured into moulds, wrapped and packaged.

The bright and stylish café and shop in Almonte is an inviting showcase for Hummingbird`s single origin dark chocolate. Photo by Jamie Brougham

Our overview of the process complete, we stepped out to look into the factory area, watching chocolate makers pour enormous scoops of ingredients into the conche and other staff carefully drying moulds for chocolate caramels. Shelves of large slabs of untempered chocolate ageing were on view, as were trays of resting chocolate. Overcome by all that chocolate, my inner Augustus Gloop wanted to dive into the conche, but I managed to resist.

Thank goodness I did, as next up was a guided tasting of the final product, complete with a chocolate flavour wheel to help us identify the aromas and flavours. We sampled two single origin 70% cacao bars, Hispaniola (dark and fruity) and Zorzal (rich and smooth), as well as Maya, a bar with a hint of spice and heat from chili, cinnamon and nutmeg.

After being told by our guide, “Be forewarned: life is different after you’ve tried it,” I had to pick up a Dark Milk bar. If you’re hankering for a snack before or after a tour, the café offers a wide range of hot and cold drinks, chocolate treats, gelato and more, with seasonal specialties.

Tours, which can be booked on-line at hummingbirdchocolate.com, are offered every Saturday, at a cost of $10/person plus tax. Hummingbird Chocolate is located at 476 Ottawa Street, Unit 2, Almonte.