One of Canada’s most popular chocolate companies has a really odd relationship with Canadian history. Laura Secord the person is a Canadian war hero from the war of 1812. She learned of an impending invasion of then British occupied territory (later Canada) and informed the British soldiers of an American invasion. Her information helped the British soldiers win an important battle that kept Canada from becoming American.
Laura Secord the chocolate shop has no real relation to the person, other than being named after her. None of her family owns or has ever owned any part of the company, it wasn’t even founded in the city/town she lived in (although it’s kind of close). The Laura Secord website says the following:
“In 1913, Frank P. O’Connor opened a small candy store in Toronto where he sold hand-made chocolates. He named his store after Laura Secord, the Canadian heroine who was a symbol of courage, devotion, and loyalty.”
While I’m sure Frank P. O’Connor wanted his business to thrive, I’m sure he couldn’t have guessed that it would be one of the biggest candy companies in all of Canada. This is where things get a little weird, because there are likely several Canadians in the world now who know Laura Secord as only a chocolate shop and not a person. While Laura Secord the person did make some history in her time, it appears her legacy is more tied up with chocolate.
The extra odd thing is that the chocolate shop still pays tribute to her. Many of their packages and even the chocolates themselves have her image printed or engraved into them. Her face is still on their logo as well. If I was seeing this store for the first time, my assumption would be that this Laura Secord started this chocolate shop. The thing is, she’s never been to this chocolate shop and never tasted their chocolates.
I’m not sure how the chocolate shop could change that, or even if they would want to. This is a really odd situation where the shop named after a person has become so much more popular than the person themselves.
