Dark Tickle offers treats, tours, and more
Keir Knudsen comes from a family of traditional fish merchants, starting with his grandfather. In 1919, the patriach saw a need in his community and developed Ford Elms Ltd. in St. Lunaire-Griquet, an isolated community at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula in Newfoundland. The business included a general store where they supplied fishermen with groceries, dry goods, fishing supplies, building supplies, and gas. When Keir’s grandfather turned 70 or so, he was looking to retire. He asked if Keir’s mother and father would be interested in taking over. They decided to return home from Toronto in 1973 (Keir was four months old) to take over operations. In 2007, Keir and his wife Stacey followed, returning home from Oregon to help Keir’s parents.
With the discovery of L’Anse aux Meadows (a UNESCO world heritage site where the remnants of a 1,000-plus year-old Viking village were discovered) the Knudsens started to see more and more tourists in the store, so they built a little craft store in the back, which they named the Dark Tickle Shoppe. A tickle is a narrow saltwater channel. Visitors would ask ask about bakeapple and partridgeberry jams and where to get them, so Keir and Stacey went out looking to source local berry jams for their shop, and found it wasn’t commercially available. They decided to start producing it themselves.
With the cod moratorium in 1992, the Knudsens closed the merchant business and put all of their effort into the wild berries. Interestingly, 102 years after Keir’s grandfather started the business, Ford Elms Ltd. is still the legal name of the company, with Dark Tickle being an operating name.

Iceberg Chocolates
Keir and Stacey have achieved tremendous success with their preserves and while Keir feels they may be typecast as jam and jelly makers, they are much, much more than that. Whomever coined the phrase “you can’t be everything to everyone” has never met the Knudsens! Dark Tickle currently manufacturers 163 products—many made from wild berries native to Newfoundland—including jams, tea, drinks, chocolate, salad dressing and ice cream. All berries that are used in production of Dark Tickle products are picked by hand and processed without additives.
They also partner with several Newfoundland businesses to produce wild berry soaps and bath bombs.
While visiting Dark Tickle you can grab a bite at Café Nymphe. The café offers a historic-themed experience that houses The Granchain Exhibit which takes you back through time and explores the rich French migratory fishing history from the “Petite Nord.” The café has a warm and inviting atmosphere and offers great coffee, a variety of teas, soups and sandwiches.
After perusing the gift shop and enjoying lunch why not wile away the afternoon on the water. Dark Tickle Expeditions offers a tour that will introduce you to icebergs, whales, dolphin, and seabirds as well as stunning views of the island’s coast. The tour uses a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) that lets you look below the surface of the water. An aerial drone offers a bird’s eye view of what remains of early fishing and hunting structures, as well as offering a unique view of the icebergs and headlands.
I like to save the best for last and in this case it’s one of my favourite treats, ice cream! Keir wanted to produce the highest quality ice cream possible, totally built around taste and using all-local ingredients. The flavours currently available are bakeapple, partridgeberry, and wild blueberry. Keir says, “Central Dairies manufactures the dairy for us after we call in the order. The wild berries are right off the bog.” As if the quality and flavour wasn’t enough, the ice cream is served in the most amazing cone that I have ever seen! The Sculpin Cone includes two scoops of ice cream and is garnished with a chocolate cod, all tucked into a fish-shaped cone made in-house. Who says that fish and ice cream isn’t a match made in heaven?
What’s the reward for all of this hard work? “Reward? I get to live in my hometown in rural NL and that’s all that’s required” And the cost?
“To try to contribute to the province, our culture, and help the local economy by providing jobs for people, so they can stay here too.”
Dark Tickles full range of products can be found online at darktickle.com and you can visit them in person at 75 Main St, St. Lunaire-Griquet, NL.