The Roger's Chocolate Factory - tour, a chocolate lion's head, brief history and the industry.
It’s every chocoholic’s dream – a tour of Roger’s Chocolate Factory! Victoria BC is famous for Roger’s chocolate. Roger’s Chocolate has been part of the landscape for one hundred and twenty years. The original store on Government Street complete with Victorian charm still stands. I toured the factory which includes a small store on Commerce Street.
George Graham, who works in both product development and promotions, gave me the tour. His love and passion for both food and people led him to a career with Rogers. One of the reasons he loves working at Rogers is because the company is also involved in many charitable events. He told me about the upcoming Chocolate Festival a fund raiser for Big Brothers. He is currently working on a special presentation for the Chocolate Festival, a half life size chocolate lion. And no it’s not for eating. This chocolate lion is indeed a noble beast with smooth deep rich brown lines and features.
The factory is a crowded but congenial work place with the luscious brown stuff everywhere. I breathed in the aroma. It’s all low tech. Not that much different from what it was like when Charley Roger first made chocolate out of his home in 1885. No, they don’t mix the chocolate by hand anymore but they do almost everything else has that special human touch. I saw them make fudge not that much differently from the way you would in your own kitchen but on a much bigger scale. All the packaging is done by hand. They employ 30 to 40 people at the factory depending on how busy they are.
The busiest times for Roger’s chocolate are Christmas and the summer tourist season. There’s a lull after Christmas, but then it gears up for Valentine’s Day, then comes Easter. I saw them make solid Easter bunnies and eggs in both milk chocolate and white. After that it’s Mother’s Day and then they are well into the tourist season with so many people coming to Victoria. Roger’s Chocolate is a prime tourist destination. They also ship out chocolate all over North America to individuals as well as stores.
As George Graham remarked, “Chocolate is now the main part of people’s diet. It’s a staple.” Certainly a staple in my life. The future of the chocolate industry looks bright.
Sadly Roger's Chocolates no longer do group tours of the factory but if you are in Vancouver, Whistler or Victoria be sure to visit their stores. Everything is of high quality but I would personally recommend their famous Victoria cream chocolates.
