Our Story
In 1918, a young artistic soul from Chatham, Ontario - Mary Ellen (Mae) Bonney - paired her watercolors and canvas with her fiancé- Laverne Davis - and his love of the land to pursue a dream together of life on the Canadian Prairies.
They were itinerant farmers, without much for means or money, renting land and re-working abandoned homesteads in small, sparse communities across Alberta from the 1920's into the 1950's, growing their family along with way.
Despite the hardships of drought, the Great Depression, and World War II, Mae’s creative zest expanded from the canvas to the kitchen, inventing treasured family treats even in the face of a scarcity of ingredients. Her pioneer recipes blended available, basic Canadian country ingredients into sweet, distinctive delicacies.
Crafting flavoured fondant centre shapes with patient hand-dipping, Mae's “Family Chocolates” at Christmas proved most popular. They were made to share with family, friends and neighbours. A sweet escape, in good times and bad.
From the 1960's on, Mae's son Mansel and his wife Marilyn, a Home Economist and avid kitchen creator, took up the torch of the now beloved family tradition.
Mansel's career as a Forest Ranger landed the young couple rural and remote locations. So, like Mae, creativity with basic ingredients in home-made seasonal treats became their forte. Over time, new ingredients came available, prompting flavour experiments that became part of the chocolate-making fun.
To the delight of the expanding family tree, new friends, and ever-changing neighbours, Mansel would often be compelled to "triple the batch" to meet demand.
Today, over 100 years after Mae's first batch, a third generation of chocolate enthusiasts have taken the helm, lead by grandson Bob Davis and his family.
Motivated by the joy of making and sharing chocolates at Christmas, and with the help of relatives for annual production bees, Bob has committed to perfecting recipes and expanding varieties while honing and streamlining production.
Graduating (with distinction) from the Ecole Chocolate Professional Chocolatier Program in 2021, Bob embarked on a new chapter of expansion for the family tradition, making an initial set of three collections available to the public for Christmas 2021.
After selling out that first offering new flavours and assortments have been created every "chocolate season" since.
Mae’s original fruit flavours, Mansel's love of nuts, and Bob's passion for caramel anchor and inspire our Collections.
Welcome to Bonney Chocolates. We’re honoured to share our family tradition with you. We hope you'll be as inspired as we are to to enjoy these treats with your family, friends and neighbours ... and make memories.
