STANLEY BRIDGE, P.E.I. — Sue Humby and Jane Woodley are reminded why they got into the chocolate business every time someone bites into, and enjoys, one of their creations.
"It's delightful. That's why we do it," said Humby, who co-owns the Jane & Sue Chocolate Shop with her sister, Woodley.
The shop opened at 4880 St. Mary's Rd. in Stanley Bridge on Nov. 4. The sisters, however, have been selling their chocolate creations at the Summerside Farmer's Market for about two-and-a-half years and will continue to do so.
"There's days when we're thinking: 'why are we doing this?.' And then we go to the farmer's market and we see all our customers and they're so happy, and it's like, 'this is why we do it.' That's what we love," said Woodley. "Or, creating something new and thinking, 'Oh, I hope people are going to like it,' and have them try it and just love it. That's why."
The sisters grew up in Burlington, Ont. About 30 years ago, Humby owned a restaurant in Hamilton, Ont., where they worked together. They went their separate ways, had children, and lived their lives. As fate would have it, they had the opportunity to work together again – this time on P.E.I.
Woodley's daughter, Laura, encouraged her mom to pursue the opportunity.
"She said, 'mom, you're not getting any younger. You're not going to want to do this in a few years from now.' So, I said, 'OK, I'm just going to do it,'" said Woodley.
That led to Jane and Sue's Simply Splendid, and now the new kitchen and retail shop in Stanley Bridge. Laura also helps out around the shop.
Humby said the advantage of their new shop compared to their previous working environment is space. The old spot had a separate certified kitchen for the business, but "it was taking over the house," laughed Humby.
"We had equipment all over the place," added Woodley. "Space, and then the retail aspect."
The plan was to open the shop during the summer, but like many plans, COVID-19 came along and caused delays.
Humby explained they bought the property in March, and a week after closing the deal, COVID-19 restrictions were put in place and shut down many businesses and the Summerside Farmer's Market. COVID-19 also made it difficult to hire contractors and get the renovations needed to become the kitchen and retail space it is today.
They're looking forward to next summer and hopefully more tourists on the Island. The shop's location is near the Stanley Bridge Hall and the Rattenbury Road roundabout, which, normally, has a lot of traffic pass through on the way to Cavendish and North Rustico or to Kensington and New London in another direction.
For their products, they use Belgian chocolate, single-origin and organic chocolate and a lot of organic, local, fair-trade and gluten-free ingredients.
"The emphasis for us is on quality," said Humby, who is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Canada's pastry arts program.
They're planning to launch a website shortly and expand their online sales. They're also interested in serving coffee to customers at the shop, and Humby said she's thinking about becoming a chocolate maker and roasting and processing her own beans for the shop's items. But for now, they're busy with the new shop and Christmas approaching. And on Nov. 12, they were also busy getting ready for the annual Crafts Council Christmas Fair Nov. 13-15 at the Delta Convention Centre in Charlottetown.
Since opening the new shop, the response from the community and businesses has been "overwhelming," said Humby.
"We're just looking forward to being part of this community," added Woodley. "It's been fun meeting a lot of people in the area."
Terrence McEachern is a business reporter for the Journal Pioneer.
