Food, Drink and the Pleasures of Eating in Old-Time Nova Scotia

Moirs Limited Recipes

Moirs Limited has disappeared from the Halifax landscape, but it was once a huge downtown presence, complete with the unmistakable aroma of chocolate wafting through the business district in which it was located. The company began in 1830 as a bakery, expanded into production of candy and chocolate during the 1870s, and in 1923 launched its iconic ‘Pot of Gold' brand of boxed chocolates.

By the late 1960's, when the business was sold to Standard Brands Canada Limited, Moirs was producing and selling over 75 sizes and varieties of packaged chocolates, over 30 varieties of sweets or sugar candy, and several varieties of chocolate bars.

A century of Moirs Limited business records are held at the Nova Scotia Archives, but the candy recipes featured here are held by the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton. Our colleagues there shared them for digitization and online presentation.

The recipes below date from the 1950s and include everything from Black Jelly Beans to French Creams to Molasses Kisses and more….many more. For those of you eager to try these recipes at home, alas -- the ingredients are given in the huge volume quantities required for commercial candy production.