Belgium expats Wim and Veve Tas chose a career that would provide them with a great measure of joy and pleasure, in other words — happiness. Making and selling chocolate at ChocolaTas (half shop; half 5,000-sq-ft production facility) in Abbotsford has done just that; they're happy every day. Coincidentally, a substance in chocolate acts as a natural antidepressant and perhaps is one more reason for all their smiles — customers' too.
Before pursuing his passion with the cacao bean, Wim worked in auto parts where people were often irritable — an environment with little joy he realized. After all, customers were getting their vehicles repaired — an inconvenient and unwelcome expense.
"I told Wim that if he wasn't happy with what he was doing, he needed to find something else," says Veve. "Something where his heart was; something he loved."
Wim enrolled in night classes at first and went on to study at Maison Wittamer, Belgium’s most respected chocolate house and exclusive suppliers to Belgian royalty, where he trained for four years to become a Master Chocolate Maker.
