Dare Foods

Dare Foods describes itself consistently as a private, family-owned Canadian company since 1889, founded by Charles H. Doerr and led by generations of the Dare family. Its 2025 Modern Slavery Report names Dare Holdings Incorporated, a Canadian-based parent, as owner of Dare Foods Limited (Canadian entity) and Dare Foods Incorporated (US entity). Corporations Canada's federal registry lists only two inactive predecessor entities (Dare Foods Biscuit Division Limited, Dare Foods Candy Division Limited), so the current entity is likely provincially incorporated in Ontario, which blocks automated search; could not independently verify beneficial ownership or the current head of the family (a 2020 press release names Peter Luik as company president, not a Dare family member).

• Our Story - Dare Foods vendor_statement “Dare has been a proudly Canadian, family-owned company since 1889.”
• Modern Slavery Report - Dare Foods filing “Dare Holdings Incorporated is the Canadian based parent company of Dare Foods Limited (Canadian operating entity) and Dare Foods Incorporated (US operating entity).”
• Search for a Federal Corporation - Search Results registry “2 results were found, 2 returned. 1. DARE FOODS (BISCUIT DIVISION) LIMITED Status: Inactive - Discontinued 2. DARE FOODS (CANDY DIVISION) LIMITED Status: Inactive - Discontinued”

Dare's 2025 Modern Slavery Report states it owns nine manufacturing plants in North America, five in Canada and four in the US (an older marketing page says eight plants total, so the count may have grown). Confirmed active Canadian sites: Kitchener and Cambridge, Ontario (current job postings; Whippet is 'baked in Cambridge, Ontario' per a 2026 press release), Milton, Ontario (candy/gummy plant since 1989), Richmond, BC (Raincoast Crisps bakery) and Sainte-Martine, Quebec (current job postings, Culinar-heritage plant). Confirmed US sites: Spartanburg, South Carolina (cracker bakery since 1994) and Seattle, WA and Charlotte, NC (La Panzanella bakeries since 2019); a fourth US plant could not be identified. Dare states it manufactures Breton 'whenever possible' in Canada but uses US capacity during high demand, so weighting toward the five Canadian plants that make the core shelf brands (Breton, Bear Paws, Whippet, Wagon Wheels, RealFruit) over the raw 5:4 plant count. Could not confirm plants in Toronto, Ontario or Saint-Lambert, Quebec that appear in some directories; they may be closed, consolidated, or misattributed.

• Our Story - Dare Foods vendor_statement “As a Canadian family business since 1889, with our head office in Cambridge, Ontario, we take pride in crafting Breton products with care. Many of our Breton items are made right here in Canada. At times when demand is high, production will also take place in the United States to ensure we can keep your favourite products on shelves.”
• Modern Slavery Report - Dare Foods filing “The Company owns a total of nine manufacturing plants located throughout North America, with five plants situated in Canada and the remaining four plants situated in the US.”
• Production - Packaging - Dare Foods vendor_statement “Production – Packaging Kitchener, Ontario Position Type: Full-Time Remote Type: On Site”
• Journalier de production - Dare Foods vendor_statement “Journalier de production Sainte-Martine, Québec Type de poste : Temps plein Type de travail à distance : Sur site”
• A Canadian Classic Goes National: Dare Foods and Dentsu Creative Canada Bring Whippet Cookies to the Rest of Canada - Dare Foods press “Baked in Cambridge, Ontario by family-owned Canadian company Dare Foods, this iconic cookie is gaining popularity across the country.”

Head office is Cambridge, Ontario. Dare reports over 1,400 employees across its plants but does not break the total down by country; estimated using the five Canada / four US plant footprint as a proxy since production staff make up most headcount at a bakery manufacturer.

• Our Story - Dare Foods vendor_statement “With eight manufacturing plants and over 1400 employees, Dare is part of the fabric of Canada.”

Dare cites real Canadian maple syrup, real cheese and whole grains including wheat (CA) alongside real chocolate and 100% RSPO-certified palm oil (both tropical, OTHER); sugar, a major ingredient across the cookie, cracker and candy lines, counts OTHER under the scoring rule regardless of where it is refined. REALFRUIT gummies dropped animal gelatin for a plant-based recipe in 2021, so gelatin sourcing no longer applies. No published ingredient-spend breakdown by country was found, so the split is an estimate; the Modern Slavery Report notes 99% of Tier 1 suppliers are based in North America, without a Canada/US split.

• Made Better is our Dare promise. - Dare Foods vendor_statement “Our Dare Ultimate Maple Crème cookies are made with real Canadian maple syrup. We use real chocolate in many of our cookies, including our popular Bear Paws, Whippet and Simple Pleasures brands.”
• Sustainability - Dare Foods vendor_statement “100% RSPO certified palm oil** ... Ensure our cocoa and chocolate is ethically produced without the use of forced or child labour”
• Our Story - Dare Foods vendor_statement “REALFRUIT gummies become a flavour explosion that doesn't harm animals. The gummies adopt a new plant-based recipe without animal gelatin.”