29 ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER AUGUST 2024 people waiting to buy it. With the support of the local community, the business has continually grown — now employing more than 75 people (the third largest employer in Antigonish), with products in 1,000 stores and a storefront in Halifax. The Hadhad family’s remarkable story has been made into a major motion picture, the subject of a book, and Hadhad has been recognized with several awards, including the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award and Entrepreneur Award 2020. PROUD CANADIANS Hadhad speaks glowingly of his new homeland but says that he hasn’t escaped some of the negativity that immigrants and refugees sometimes attract. He recalls a story of someone who asked him why ‘he came to Canada to take Canadian jobs.’ “No one was born to become a refugee,” says Hadhad. “Becoming a refugee is not a choice, it’s not a decision. It was something we were forced to go through.” “But I believed that my family had something to offer this country.” In 2022, the entire Hadhad family became Canadian citizens. RETURN ON KINDNESS “Many people think only about the return on investment when building their business,” says Hadhad. He leads his business with another metric in mind: the ‘return on kindness.’ “There is something a lot more important than the ROI to measure success,” says Hadhad. “Our company was growing really fast, and we thought that we needed to give back to the community.” Peace by Chocolate donates three to five per cent of its profits to the Peace on Earth Society, a Nova Scotian charity that supports peace-building projects around the world, as well as many other local and Canadian-based charities. They are also committed to supporting refugees through employment and mentoring. “When I became a citizen… I said I could use my platform and business to change the lives of others in the community who are less fortunate,” says Hadhad. The Peace by Chocolate film is available to stream on streaming services such as Prime Video.•
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