BeaverTails stretched a family recipe into a Canadian icon

In 1978, Grant and Pam Hooker sold their first hand-stretched pastries at a small fair in Killaloe, Ontario, using a family recipe. Two years later they opened in Ottawa’s ByWard Market, and the cinnamon-sugar treat shaped like a beaver’s tail became a Canadian classic. Today BeaverTails serves skaters, festival crowds and travellers at locations across Canada and beyond, still piping hot.

• Founded in 1978 at the Killaloe fair in Ontario by Grant and Pam Hooker, from a family recipe passed down from Grant’s grandmother
• Opened in Ottawa’s ByWard Market in 1980, then won over skaters along the Rideau Canal each winter
• Known for whole-wheat pastries hand-stretched into the shape of a beaver’s tail, served hot with sweet or savoury toppings — the classic is cinnamon and sugar
• Made headlines in 2009 when U.S. President Barack Obama stopped in the ByWard Market for a BeaverTail on his first visit to Canada
• Now headquartered in Montreal and led since 2002 by Pino Di Ioia, Tina Serrao and Anthony Di Ioia, with franchised and licensed locations across Canada and abroad
• The lesson from BeaverTails: start with one great product, take it where people gather to celebrate, and let happy customers carry your name across the country

Sources: BeaverTails, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Canadian Franchise Association, The Canadian Press

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The lesson from BeaverTails: start with one great product, take it where people gather to celebrate, and let happy customers carry your name across the country.