Founder Spotlight: Anissa Tavares of Ember Slown
Meet Anissa Tavares
Anissa Tavares makes hot chocolate from two ingredients, cacao and maple sugar, and sells it under a name that is half invented. Ember Slown’s About page explains that “Slown” is the brand’s own made-up word for slowing down, so the name doubles as advice on how to drink it. According to Tavares, the company has been bootstrapped from day one by a solo founder wearing every hat, and the point of it all is to show that hot chocolate can be an everyday ritual instead of an overly sweet treat.
Company:
Ember Slown
Ember Slown is a premium hot chocolate brand made with two ingredients: organic cacao powder and organic maple sugar. More than just a drink, it’s an invitation to slow down and make a little more space for yourself in your day.
Location:
Montreal, Canada
When did you launch the business?
April 2025
Startup Stage?
Bootstrapped
How did this business start?
Ember Slown was born from an unforgettable cup of hot chocolate I drank in the Dominican Republic. When I came back to Canada, I wanted to stop drinking coffee and replace my morning ritual with that same cup of hot chocolate I’d had abroad. I brought some cacao home with me from the Dominican Republic, and each cup became a moment to slow down — a little self-care ritual I found myself looking forward to every day.
Once my bag ran out, I went looking for a hot chocolate in stores. What I found instead were shelves full of hot chocolates loaded with processed sugar, fillers, additives, oils, and ingredients I couldn’t pronounce. So I built Ember Slown.
I wanted to create the hot chocolate I had been looking for: simple, delicious, and made with ingredients I actually felt good about drinking every day.
What’s one thing you’re proudest of so far?
I’m proudest of having taken a simple idea and turned it into a growing brand while challenging the way an entire category has traditionally been perceived. Hot chocolate is often seen as an overly sweet, indulgent treat, and I wanted to show that it could be something simpler, more intentional, and made with ingredients you actually feel good about enjoying. I’m proud that Ember Slown is starting to shift that conversation and create a new space within the category.
I’m also proud of trusting my instinct enough to build it from the ground up and bootstrap it from day one. Seeing people connect with the idea and choose Ember Slown for their everyday moments has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey so far.
What’s been the most surprising or challenging part of building this business?
The most challenging part has been wearing every hat as a founder. As a solo founder, I’m responsible for everything — from sourcing ingredients and managing manufacturing and inventory to customer service, marketing, content, sales, and constantly figuring out where to focus my time and energy.
What has surprised me most is how much entrepreneurship forces you to become comfortable not knowing the answer right away. I’ve had to learn to make decisions with limited information, figure things out as I go, and keep moving even when things don’t go exactly as planned.
What do you bring to this community, and what are you hoping to find?
I bring the perspective of building a bootstrapped brand as a solo founder — doing it all myself, from sourcing and production to marketing and customer service. I also bring over 10 years of corporate experience, including a background in HR and project management, which has taught me how to build systems and lead with structure. My previous business also taught me valuable lessons about failure, adaptability, and trusting my instincts.
What I’m hoping to find is connection with other founders who are open to sharing what they’re learning — especially around innovation, distribution, marketing, and building a strong community around a brand.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
If I weren’t building Ember Slown, I’d probably be building a dog accessory brand. I absolutely love dogs and wish I could adopt them all, seriously!
Anything else you’d like to share?
If you have an idea you believe in, give yourself permission to explore it, even if you don’t have everything figured out yet.
I spent a lot of time thinking about whether I was ready to build another brand, and eventually realized that you rarely feel completely ready. You can’t always know whether an idea will work before you start, but you can take the first step, test it, learn as you go, and be willing to adjust along the way.
That mindset is what keeps me moving forward with Ember Slown.
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