Wendy Boys has a brand new state-of-the-art production facility for Cocolico, her line of gourmet confections. Until this past spring, Cocolico was located in a commissary kitchen on South Marine Drive. After 15 months of planning, the new facility is open just off Main Street and Boys is excited.
It was an empty warehouse, just a concrete shell, when they bought it and now its a fully functioning production facility that Boys shares with a friend. Allison puts savoury things in jars and I put sweet things in jars. It works out great, Boys says.
Her goal was that the space planning and production flow reached the highest standards according to the internationally-recognized food safety management system, HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points). And it has.
Boys passion and expertise at creating sweet things has made Cocolico sauces, chocolates and seasonal treats sought after beyond Vancouver since she started the company almost three years ago. Already in 200 stores across Western Canada, Cocolicos distribution is only limited by supply.
Our distributors are busy these days, selling everything we have, she says. With the production facility up and running, Boys will be able to increase supply to increase distribution across Canada and hopefully into the States.
As far as the dessert sauces are concerned, Cocolico is alone in its category. Our customers really appreciate the ingredients we use organic sugar, the best cocoa, French chocolate, local butter, local cream and real Tahitian vanilla beans in the caramel sauce, says Boys. They look really pretty and people love them in their stores.
The new space has close to everything Boys wanted superior equipment, laundry facilities, a warehouse, packaging equipment, and her own office, complete with shelves of inspiring cookbooks. We thought we had a lot of space until we moved in, she says.
And they have a chocolate room, where Boys can continue to make her much desired vanilla salt caramels with peanut butter and milk chocolate crunch, as well as develop new products such as the new line of chocolate bars coming out soon. Theyre so fun and accessible, but above all, delicious!
Cocolico.ca
