Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail - SIGN UP

 

Calling all local businesses! Sign up to feature your hot drink on Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail. ☕

 

Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail is a holiday-themed event as part of the Evergreen Festival, where local cafes and restaurants offer specialty hot chocolates and drinks to celebrate the holiday season. This year, the Evergreen Festival takes place from November 27 to December 20, 2026. 

Businesses from the Downtown Halifax and Spring Garden areas are invited to participate in Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail by offering a special hot chocolate or drink made with Canadian milk and/or cream during the Festival. 

This year, the Evergreen Festival is taking place from November 27 to December 20. 

Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia & Dairy Farmers of Canada Partnership

Spruce is pleased to announce that he is once again partnering with Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia and Dairy Farmers of Canada on Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail:

"Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia and Dairy Farmers of Canada are proud to partner with Spruce’s Evergreen Cocoa Trail, celebrating rich, indulgent hot chocolate starting with dairy made with 100% Canadian milk. The creamiest, most delicious cups start with the best milk from our local farms."

As part of this partnership, participating businesses must use Canadian milk and/or cream in their hot drink offerings in order to be eligible to participate in Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail. In return, they will receive an honorarium of up to $200.00* to help cover the cost of purchasing the milk and/or cream products. The drinks cannot feature any dairy alternatives in order to qualify for the honourarium. 

In addition to being featured on the Evergreen Festival website and recognized on Evergreen’s social media channels, participating businesses will receive a special Evergreen Gonk (a festive gnome to display in your business) along with Spruce-themed stickers and decals, Spruce colouring pages, and Cocoa Trail Passports and stickers. The passport will encourage customers to collect up to five stickers from participating businesses for a chance to win a special festive prize package. There will also be other promotional opportunities for businesses participating in Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail (more details coming soon!).

 

Not a restaurant or cafe? No problem! As long as you are a business or organization in the Downtown Halifax or Spring Garden areas, you can offer hot chocolate even just one weekend of the Evergreen Festival to participate. 

 

Get in on the Evergreen fun with Spruce and his cocoa trail! 

 

👉Sign up here. 

 

*For more information about Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail presented by Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia and Dairy Farmers of Canada, read the terms and conditions below.

Terms & Conditions

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    Spruce's Evergreen Cocoa Trail, presented by Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia and Dairy Farmers of Canada and in partnership with Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC), Spring Garden Area Business Association (SGABA), Build Nova Scotia, and Discover Halifax, will offer honorariums of up to $200.00 to participating businesses. This funding is intended to help participating businesses cover the cost of purchasing Canadian milk and/or cream.

    Participating businesses will be required to prepare their hot beverages using Canadian milk and/or cream. Eligible drinks may include hot teas, tea lattes, hot cocoa, hot chocolate, and other hot beverages that include milk products. Participating hot drinks must not contain any dairy alternatives to be eligible for participation.

    Businesses MUST prepare their hot beverages using Canadian milk and/or cream in order to be eligible for the honouarium and to be featured on the Evergreen website. 

    Businesses participating in the Cocoa Trail agree to use Canadian diary products (milk and/or cream) in their hot beverage offerings and to display Spruce’s Evergreen Cocoa Trail materials in their establishment. These materials will include the Cocoa Trail Passports, Spruce's colouring pages, and a festive gonk.

    To receive the honorarium, participating businesses MUST be located in the Downtown Halifax and Spring Garden areas. 

    Businesses will be approved to participate on a first-come, first-served basis, with final approval provided at the discretion of DHBC and SGABA. 

    Once registered for the Cocoa Trail, businesses will be contacted by email within 2-5 business days from DHBC. They will be required to invoice DHBC for an amount of up to $200.00. The final amount awarded will be based on the number of weekends the business participates in the Cocoa Trail: $50 for one weekend, increasing incrementally up to $200 for participation across all four weekends of the Evergreen Festival. 

    Once approved, invoices should be sent to Kimberly Dossett, Director of Finance and Operations at DHBC, at kimberly@downtownhalifax.ca. 

    Participation and receipt of the honorarium are contingent on the availability of funds and will be offered only while funds remain.

     

    For more information, please contact Allana MacDonald Mills, Director of Marketing at DHBC, at allana@downtownhalifax.ca 

SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN SPRUCE'S EVERGREEN COCOA TRAIL TODAY 

 

For more information about the 2025 Evergreen Festival, click here.