With its chocolate-gurgling machines and faucet that gushes liquid milk chocolate, Beanpod Chocolate in Fernie, BC, is the closest thing families might ever get to a Willy Wonka-inspired chocolate factory. Luckily, entry into this café and chocolate factory is free and doesn’t run children the risk of being carried away by Oompa-Loompas for misbehaving. Though gourmet coffee (roasted on-site) and chocolate (made in-house) are the main attractions, the ambiance makes Beanpod a top family-friendly après-ski pick.

“It is more like Willy Wonka’s than your normal family store,” admits owner James Heavey, 39, who is every bit as exuberant about chocolate as the fictional Mr. Wonka. And the similarities don’t stop there—the Heavey family’s story is nearly as fantastical as Charlie’s journey through the chocolate factory.

James and his wife, Mary, fell in love with chocolate in 1996 on their honeymoon in St. Lucia, where they visited several cacao plantations. The couple began researching all things chocolate, leading Mary to learn the craft of chocolate making. Finally, in 2007—11 years and four children later—they got serious about pursuing their dream of making bean-to-bar chocolate from its raw ingredients. That’s when the Heaveys uprooted themselves from Ireland to travel for two-and-a-half years across South America, Europe and Australia. They visited chocolate shops and factories, sourced traditional chocolate-making machinery and, in Ecuador, found a quality and ethically-farmed source of cacao beans. Prior to their epic trip, the Heaveys had fallen in love with Fernie and have now settled in the outdoorsy community, which supplies them with a steady stream of skiers, keen to savour Beanpod’s chocolate bars. (691 2nd Ave., Fernie BC; 778-519-5008)

Bonbons at Beanpod Chocolate