BCBusiness
They say “life is like a box of chocolates” and these local brands are filling it with handcrafted confections.
With apologies to Forrest Gump himself, life is, indeed, like a box of chocolates. On Valentine’s Day, that box of chocolate is heart-shaped and these B.C. chocolatiers will tell you exactly what you’re going to get.
For Valentine’s Day, it doesn’t get much more classic than a heart-shaped box of assorted, individual chocolates—and what less could we expect from the 120-year-old B.C. stalwart of chocolatiers, Purdy’s? This year, they roll out the red carpet—err, red heart shaped box—in a few sizes: the 28-piece assorted chocolate heart gift box ($50) which includes the brand’s beloved classics such as mini hedgehogs, Himalayan pink salt caramels and strawberry creams; the 20-piece heart of roses gift tin ($35), including pecan caramels and mango and salted hazelnut flake truffles; and the 12-piece milk or assorted chocolate heart gift box ($31), which includes more than a few of the legendary chocolate company’s most-loved items. purdys.com/valentines-day-gift-ideas
Burnaby-based patisserie Mon Paris expanded its reach of late to include a new location in Vancouver’s Olympic Village, but the quality of its high-end chocolates has stayed the same: gourmet, purpose-made delights that show both craft and creativity. For Valentine’s Day this year, the chocolatier has created six bespoke treats, including 2 boxes of individual chocolates—a nine-piece ($27.50) and a 16-piece ($44.50)—the Key to My Heart Box ($35), made of dark chocolate and filled with six assorted truffles, the Love Letter cake ($39), a strawberry mousse cake on a brownie biscuit and two sculpted chocolate good filled with more chocolate inside, the Louis Vuitton Bag ($60) and the chocolate high heel ($45). monparis.ca/valentine
This Burnaby landmark that makes a nod to the Willy Wonka franchise has been straddling Boundary Road on Canada Way since 1970, making molded chocolates in a myriad of shapes, from chocolate dentures to gummy bears enrobed in the stuff (much like the fictional chocolate factory, the shop also has a running river of real chocolate). For Valentine’s Day this year, the company is selling a variety of foil-wrapped valentine’s themed chocolate plaques ($2.50 per item), heart-shaped boxes of chocolates (up to 800 grams for $84) and the heart candy dish ($16.50), which is a molded chocolate shell heart filled with assorted gummies and candies. charlieschocolatefactory.com/products/Valentines
Vancouver-incepted high-end chocolatier and pastry-maker Beta5 has been making small-batch, sustainable chocolates for 15 years on Industrial Avenue, and the company’s Valentine’s collection is just one example of its attention to detail. For 2026, their six-piece Sweet Nothings box ($26) includes chocolates filled with layers of caramel, ganache, jelly and praline enrobed in a shell of pink chocolate, including the Cherry On Top (a morello cherry jelly with cream cheese ganache and the Torched, with vanilla bean ganache and salted caramel. It also comes in a 12-piece ($48) or 24-piece ($90). They also carry a four-piece Hearts box ($19), which has four handpainted, geometric hearts filled with raspberry jelly and dark chocolate ganache. shop.beta5chocolates.com/collections/2026-valentines-day
Famed for the original “Victoria Cream” confection, Roger’s Chocolates was born in Victoria, B.C. in 1903. More than a century later, the company’s reach has expanded across the province with an ever-expanding line up of chocolates—including their Valentine’s Day collection, which ranges from a classic Be My Valentine heart-shaped box ($29.99), or a heart-shaped take on their signature cream chocolates, a 10-piece heart-shaped creams box ($41.99), which includes flavours such as raspberry, cinnamon and dark chocolate peanut butter. rogerschocolates.com/shop/valentine-s-day
Salt Spring Chocolate
On an island full of makers, it’s no surprise that Salt Spring Chocolate is top tier. Made on Salt Spring Island in small batches, the chocolatier creates delightful individual confections that harken back to their origin, like the milk Salty Gumboot caramel. While there’s no bespoke Valentine’s Day collection, the Local Favourives five-piece chocolate box ($15) comes with a Heart of Salt Spring ginger chocolate heart nestled into the middle of the box, nodding to the romantic gesture it would most certainly be. saltspringchocolate.ca
Kristi Alexandra is the managing editor, food and culture, at Canada Wide Media. She loves food, travel, film and wine (but most of all, writing about them for Vancouver Magazine, Western Living and BCBusiness). Send any food and culture-related pitches to her at [email protected].
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