What Happened:
On June 24th, EMKAO Foods and Roots and Wings Distillery joined hands to host a whiskey and chocolate tasting workshop in honour of Father’s Day. Our goal was to work together to translate the unique notes of our locally produced chocolate and whiskey for the whole community to discover and enjoy. We were honestly touched and surprised by the wonderful turnout.
The Story Behind Roots and Wings Distillery:
Just like EMKAO, Roots and Wings distillery is a family-owned and operated business, running a micro-distillery in Langley, more specifically in the heart of Fraser Valley. With passion and love they carefully craft and curate their own Whiskey, Gin, Absinthe, and Vodka. Customers are free to adventure into the world of craft cocktails, artisan spirits, and the many wares found in their bar gift shop.
Their distillery is inspired by their strong roots in agriculture, where they plant, grow, harvest, mash, ferment, and distill their own products in their small-scale stillhouse. With this holistic approach and control of processes from farm to table, they ensure the highest quality or production every step of the way.
This is something EMKAO greatly respects as a fellow family-owned and operating business similarly located in Fraser Valley. For generations, EMKAO has been sourcing organic certified cocoa beans from our CEO’s family Kotou Farm, located in the Méfou-et-Afamba region of Cameroon. EMKAO grows, harvests, processes, and ferments cocoa to produce the highest quality chocolate-based products utilizing all parts of the bean. As a business, it was important to find collaborators who understood the refined art of creation and the importance of servicing customers with quality ingredients, supply chain transparency, and traceable products.
How it Went and What Was Included:
We were pleasantly surprised and overjoyed with the overwhelming turnout of people who came to celebrate and take the time to participate in our workshop. For two hours guests were able to sample, savor, and learn about the delights of chocolate and whiskey. They were also able to discover and inquire more about EMKAO’s processes, mission, and what kind of impact our business has on the world. Judging by the positive feedback we generously received, everyone enjoyed the niche and carefully curated chocolate and whiskey pairings. This is all thanks to the graciousness of Roots and Wings’ incredible whiskey selection including:
- Coffee
- Old Fashion
- Sidekick
- Doug
- Man’o
- Honey
All paired with EMKAO’s coffee, vegan coconut milk, sea salt, white, and nuts-infused chocolate bars.
Ayissi’s Favourite: Old Fashioned Spirit paired with 71% Dark Chocolate
As one of Roots and Wings’ limited edition whiskey-based blended spirits, they’ve tucked away their young Rebel whiskey with sugar and bitters found in the classic Old Fashioned style we all know in a barrel for months to create a brand new flavour experience. Best enjoyed on the rocks with a garnish of orange zest and cherry, it paired incredibly well with EMKAO’s 71% dark chocolate bar. The key notes of orange zest and sweet cherry were drawn out by the deep and luxurious flavours of our chocolate, creating a one-of-a-kind flavour explosion that greatly impressed our guests.
What We Believe In and What Collaboration Means to EMKAO:
We first want to thank everyone for coming out and trying our chocolate, as well as Roots and Wings distillery for believing in our impact and desire to touch local communities. We believe that through this workshop and short partnership, we can
express the importance of supporting and buying local, as well as connecting with different communities to uplift families, friends, and neighbors. This is a way for us to give back to the communities that have supported us through our early stages of growth and helped build brand awareness so that EMKAO can be in the position it is today. We also appreciate every opportunity given to educate more people about what goes on behind the scenes in our supply chain from the wonderful farmers that ensure our chocolate makes it to your plate.
Overall, we deemed this event a HUGE success and deeply appreciate everyone who came out to show EMKAO and Roots and Wings distillery love. Considering the overwhelming support we received, we are considering the potential of another partnership and more events like this in the future. So for those of you who missed out or were unable to attend, please look out for more events and collaborations from us and other local vendors!
Please feel free to check out the links to the event listing and workshop collections:
https://rootsandwingsdistillery.ca/2023/05/whisky-and-chocolate-pairing/
https://www.emkaofoods.com/collections/workshop