Vancouver Island University students make world's largest Nanaimo bar

Nono Shen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 17, 2025 9:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

A Nanaimo barroom whose look called for food equivalent to the value of a babe elephant has been certified arsenic the world's largest during an lawsuit successful the British Columbia metropolis that bears the saccharine treat's name.

Baked by students astatine Vancouver Island University, the record-setting barroom was unveiled to the nationalist astatine noon connected Saturday, and is 21.3 metres long, 0.9 metres wide and weighs astir 500 kilograms. 

"I volition truly retrieve this acquisition for the remainder of my life, conscionable seeing the Nanaimo assemblage travel down and observe us, and seeing each the radical cheering for america and excited for america to spot and to interruption this grounds and person the grounds truly clasp successful Nanaimo," said Lily David, a pupil from VIU's Professional Baking and Pastry Arts program. 

Aron Weber, the program's chair, said students got the thought a fewer years agone erstwhile they were brainstorming ways to make publicity and excitement for a business.

Weber said they looked up satellite records and recovered that the largest Nanaimo barroom was made by a household successful Ontario, and considering the B.C. metropolis has truthful overmuch pridefulness astir the bar, it inspired the students to bring the grounds home. 

The erstwhile Guinness World Record for the largest Nanaimo barroom was acceptable successful 2020 by a chocolatier from Levack, Ont., with a 240-kilogram bar. 

The caller record-holding barroom look includes 125 kilograms of butter, 91 kilograms of confectioners' sugar, 77 kilograms of graham cracker crumbs and 68 kilograms of acheronian chocolate. 

David praised the combo aft getting a sensation of the barroom pursuing the event.

"You person a nice, crunchy basal that has immoderate walnuts and immoderate coconut, and past a truly nice, soft, fluffy custard, and past a cleanable somesthesia ganache connected top," David said.

The grounds has been certified by 2 nationalist organizations that correspond VIU Trades students: the Baking Association of Canada and the Culinary Federation of Canada. 

WATCH | Raising the barroom with world's largest Nanaimo Bar:

Weber said it's similar a imagination travel existent that students and module worked unneurotic to make the largest bar, which volition beryllium connected show astatine Windsor Plywood Trades Discovery Centre connected field and aboriginal chopped into thousands of pieces to stock with the public. 

"Everything we bash here, like, what a large learning acquisition for our students, too," Weber said.

"It's not each time you get to physique thing truthful huge."

VIU said successful a connection that the Nanaimo barroom is simply a world-renowned dessert, and it was featured connected the paper erstwhile U.S. President Barack Obama hosted a authorities meal successful 2016 for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his woman successful Washington, D.C., and it has received the stamp of support from Canada Post successful 2019. 

Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said the barroom is overmuch much than a "sweet, mouth-watering dessert." He said it's "an icon of the city."

"It lone makes consciousness that the largest Nanaimo barroom ever made is enactment unneurotic here. Many acknowledgment to these talented VIU students for beating the grounds close present astatine home," said Krog, who besides proclaimed Saturday arsenic Nanaimo Bar Day successful the city. 

The extremity of the lawsuit was much than conscionable mounting a caller satellite record. It besides raised wealth to bargain caller ovens for the university's culinary programs, since the existent ovens are nearing the extremity of their lifespans. 

The task besides brought module members and students together. Weber said 4 alumni who initially came up with the thought for the world's biggest Nanaimo barroom years agone came backmost for this event, with 2 of them coming each the mode from Scotland. 

"They are each precise palmy successful the baking manufacture and we're ace arrogant of them," said Weber, adding that helium is thankful for each the support. 

Weber said they besides don't program connected immoderate leftovers. 

"If determination are immoderate leftovers, we volition beryllium donating it to the nutrient bank," helium said.