At the start of the pandemic, some people completed puzzles, others learned to bake bread; Kenesha Lewis, however, became a chocolatier and went on to open her own chocolate shop in Downtown Whitby: One More Cocoa.

Inspired by an old Caribbean proverb, “One One Cocoa, Full Basket”, meaning one step at a time, One More Cocoa was born out of owner, Kenesha Lewis’ heritage, memories, and pure love of chocolate. The store offers handmade, gourmet chocolate bars in over 18 flavours with a mix of childlike wonder and sweet tooth cravings such as caramel popcorn, cookies and cream, birthday cake, and cereal bowl. One More Cocoa also offers beautiful, handcrafted Bon Bons.

After launching her online store in May 2021, Kenesha chose Downtown Whitby as the ideal spot to expand her operations. She opened her first brick-and-mortar at 116 Athol St in September 2021. Being a black, female entrepreneur, Kenesha wanted to make sure she chose a welcoming and inclusive community to grow her business:

I knew I wanted my business to be in a place where it would be accepted. Living in the Durham Region, I was familiar with Whitby, and I knew that despite the recent growth, there’s a small-town feel within the community. The people here want local businesses to succeed, and they support local businesses at every opportunity they get.

Kenesha Lewis, Owner One More Cocoa

 

Almost a year and a half since opening her doors, Kenesha has big hopes and ideas for One More Cocoa. This year, she plans to launch an artisan line of chocolate bars which will use cocoa beans from Jamaica. The “Bean to Bar” line will include three flavours: coconut ginger, mango white chocolate, and spiced rum dark chocolate. This product line has been a dream of Kenesha’s and will launch in May for the second-year anniversary of One More Cocoa. In addition to the artisan chocolate bars, Kenesha will be launching new flavours of bonbons and introducing new coconut truffles.

While Kenesha isn’t busy creating new flavours, she’s working to expand her business in new and creative ways. Since opening, Kenesha has gotten her bars in the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Black Owned Toronto store at the Scarborough Town Centre. More recently, through an opportunity with Foodpreneur Lab,Kenesha struck a deal with HelloFresh and her gourmet chocolate bars are now available in the HelloFresh Marketplace.

From launching an online website to opening a brick-and-mortar to striking a deal with an international company, One More Cocoa has seen exponential growth in the almost two years since its launch. Kenesha is excited to see what 2023 holds for her businesses and more importantly, is excited to keep creating delicious chocolate.

Shop One More Cocoa here.

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