Tareq Hadhad
| Tareq Hadhad | |
|---|---|
| Born | طارق هدهد October 21, 1992 Damascus, Syria |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Syrian, Canadian |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
| 📆 Years active | 2015–present |
| Known for | Motivational speaking, Peace by Chocolate |
Tareq Hadhad (born Tareq Hadhad; October 21, 1992) is a Syrian-Canadian entrepreneur, international public speaker, and philanthropist, living in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. Hadhad is known for his role as founder and CEO of the local Antigonish confectionary Peace by Chocolate and for his public speaking engagements.[1]
Life Before Canada and Education
Prior to being forced to flee from Syria during the country’s civil war, Tareq’s father, Essam Hadhad, made chocolate in Damascus, Syria for over 20 years.[2] The Hadhad’s home and chocolate facilities in Syria were destroyed in one of the country’s many bombings, and the family was forced to leave their home and live as refugees in Lebanon for three years. Tareq Hadhad had completed four years of medical school while in Syria and was well on his way to becoming a doctor, with only one year left in his schooling.[3]
With the help of sponsors, the Hadhad family immigrated to Antigonish, Nova Scotia in 2016. Tareq Hadhad reopened the family’s chocolatier business in his new community with the name Peace by Chocolate. Soon after, the Hadhad family began selling their chocolates at local farmers’ markets. Over time, sales and attention towards the company and its chocolates grew[4] and the factory’s confectionery is now being shipped internationally.[5] In the continuing pursuit of his medical degree, Hadhad started his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish in 2016.[3]
Peace by Chocolate
Chocolate-making has been a Hadhad family tradition since 1986 when Essam Hadhad, Tareq’s father, opened a factory in Damascus.[4] Upon arriving in Canada, the Hadhad’s were determined to continue their confectionary business by launching a business they called Peace by Chocolate in Antigonish. After their initial success at local farmers’ markets, the new company made its products available online which expanded its reach significantly.[4] In 2018, Peace by Chocolate signed a deal with Empire Co.’s Sobeys grocery store chain, providing national distribution throughout Canada via 900 stores within two years. This helped to increase Peace by Chocolate sales by 400 percent in 2018.[6] Tareq aims to make Peace by Chocolate one of Canada’s biggest chocolate companies in five years.[7]
What began as a small kitchen-based operation in Antigonish has since grown into a nationally distributed business, with Peace by Chocolate being recognized in 2016 and again in 2019 by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.[6]
Citizenship
On January 15, 2020, Hadhad participated in a citizenship ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hadhad received a 100% score on his Canadian citizenship test.[5]
Charity Work and Associations
Tareq Hadhad has expressed in many news articles his desire to give back to the community through initiatives funded by his family’s successful chocolate business. As a company, Peace by Chocolate's goal is to employ over 500 people within Antigonish, a small town of roughly 4,500 with an 11.6 unemployment rate, as a way of giving back to the community who sponsored the family’s move to Canada.[4]
In 2016, Peace by Chocolate donated a portion of the company’s proceeds to the Canadian Red Cross to help the tens of thousands of Canadians displaced by wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta.[8]
Currently, Peace by Chocolate donates 3-5% of all company profits to their own organization titled The Peace On Earth Society - a registered organization that donates funds to peacebuilding projects around the world.[7]
The chocolate company also has permanent donations agreements with specific organizations related to sales of specially made products. For example, their Peace Needs Love - Pride Bars donate one dollar per bar sold to Phoenix Youth Program in Halifax, NS[9] and the Nitap Indigenous Friendship Bar gives a portion of its proceeds to the Paq’tnkek Mi'kmaw Nation.[10] Peace by Chocolate also makes a Welcome Bar for the University of Ottawa’s Refugee Hub which acts as a fundraising initiative for the organization[11], and in January of 2020, the company launched their Peace of Mind Bars which directs a portion of their proceeds to the Canadian Mental Health Association.[7]
In 2019, Peace by Chocolate also donated $10,000 in support of the Paq’tnek 12-week Nitap Program in collaboration with the Paqtnkek Community Health Center, the Municipality of the County of Antigonish Recreation Department, and volunteers.[10]
Public Speaking
Hadhad gave his first speech in February 2016 after being asked to speak at a community breakfast.[12] Although he was still learning to speak English, he attended and spoke about his experience in Syria and Lebanon, as well as his fresh start in Canada. He ended up speaking for over an hour. He claims that this helped him to realize his talent for public speaking. He has now spoken at and attended over 350 speaking engagements across Canada to share the story of his family and the founding of Peace by Chocolate.[12]
Hadhad's current speaking engagement topics are "Resiliency through Adversity: Perseverance from Pre-War Syria to the United Nation", "One Peace Won't Hurt: Building a cause through Entrepreneurship and Community", and "Peace is Beautiful in Every Language: How Offering Kindness is the Key to Accelerating the Integration of New Immigrants".[13]
Awards & Accomplishments
- June 2020
- RBC’s Top 25 Immigrants to the Maritimes[14]
- September 2018
- Grow With Google National Hero Case Canada[15]
- October 2017
- Start Up Canada’s National Newcomer Entrepreneur Award[16]
- November 2016
- The Chronicle Herald’s Now! Nova Scotia Good News Award[17]
References
- ↑ "Peace by Chocolate expands to Halifax with signature store along the waterfront". HalifaxToday.ca.
- ↑ Moftah, Ibrahim Shehab and Ahmad. "The Syrian refugees finding hope in chocolate". www.bbc.com.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/refugee-roadblock-doctor-antigonish-syrian-1.3519565
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bloomberg, B. N. N. (June 28, 2019). "Meet the refugee-run company behind Trudeau's favourite chocolate - BNN Bloomberg". BNN.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Nouvelle-Écosse: le chocolatier syrien Tareq Hadhad devient Canadien". January 16, 2020.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Alhmidi, Maan. "Trudeau presents Pelosi with Antigonish Syrian refugee's chocolate | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Beswick, Aaron. "New citizen Tareq Hadhad has ambitious plans for his Peace by Chocolate | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com.
- ↑ Kestler-D'Amours, Jillian. "Canada wildfire victims: Syrian refugees to the rescue". www.aljazeera.com.
- ↑ "Nova Scotia company sends sweet message of love around the world with Pride chocolate bars". June 24, 2018 – via Toronto Star.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Hooked on Friendship: Paqtnkek's Nitap program a big hit | Paqtnkek". paqtnkek.ca.
- ↑ "New Welcome Bar to have a sweet and impactful effect on newcomers to Canada". Media.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "From chocolatier to speaker Tareq Hadhad".
- ↑ "Tareq Hadhad — VOX Management Agency — Canadian Talent Agency: Booking Live Entertainment for Events Across Canada | Representing Musicians, Comedians, Artists, and Keynote Speakers | Book Celebrity Talent for Event | Live Music Agency | Conference Speakers | Guest Speaker for Corporate Event". VOX Management Agency.
- ↑ "Canadas Top 25 Immigrants 2020".
- ↑ "Work, teach, and learn from anywhere". Grow With Google.
- ↑ https://www.startupcan.ca/2017/10/2017-national-startup-canada-award-winners-celebrated-ottawa/
- ↑ "The Now! Nova Scotia Good News Awards are back". Dalhousie University.
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