In Photos: Making good by making chocolate
Inside the bean-to-bar operation that is East Van Roasters, a unique social enterprise in the Downtown Eastside
Chocolate maker Shelley Bolton, who manages East Van Roasters in Vancouver, a Downtown Eastside social enterprise that is also the city’s only bean-to-bar chocolate maker.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
In a search to find meaningful work for people who live in the poverty- and drug-afflicted neighbourhood, the non-profit Portland Hotel Society hit on the idea of manufacturing chocolate.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Employees engage in the meticulous task of shucking cacao beans from their shells.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Sheree McKay, who lives in social housing at the Rainier Hotel, shells cocoa beans at East Van Roasters on Sept. 10, 2013.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
The success of the unique business has drawn the attention of the city of Vancouver, which plans to encourage and support other enterprises in the area.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Sheree McKay, left, and Shelley Bolton, right, sample some chocolate at East Van Roasters.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Bolton hopes to double production at East Van Roasters, since it currently sells out the 60 kilograms of chocolate, but it produces each week.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail