Leonidas European Chocolate Delights Inc.

Ah, chocolate! The food of the gods! Throughout history mankind has had a love affair with chocolate, and it’s still going strong! Once the domain of the very rich, chocolate is now widely available to all. Brought back to Europe from the tropics by fifteenth century explorers to the New World, it was the Europeans who perfected the art of chocolate making. Today, chocolate is still considered a luxury, a gift of love and, it has now been scientifically proven that chocolate has many healthful benefits as well. Recent tests have found chocolate enhances serotonin levels in the brain, enhancing the feeling of well-being, and flavinols found in chocolate are beneficial for heart health also.*

Some of the finest chocolates to be found in the Greater Moncton Area can be purchased at Leonidas European Chocolate Delights in Champlain Place. Freshly made by hand and imported weekly from Belgium, Leonidas has exquisite chocolates with “melt-in-the-mouth” fillings in both hard and soft textures in dark or light chocolate. Nuts, liqueurs, fruit, and nougat centres appeal to a wide audience as everyone tries to grab their favourites. The creamy fillings are just heavenly!

Leonidas carries a wide assortment of chocolates, truffles, and fruit candies and the customer can choose a selection of favourites or a variety of different pieces all lovingly packaged in festive boxes that come in various sizes and wrapped with a fancy ribbon in your choice of colour. The perfect all-occasion gift, chocolates are a great offering for the new mom, a special anniversary, a luxurious party favour, or a novel dinner place marker, and with the upcoming holiday season it’s a great gift for co-workers, business colleagues, the neighbour next door, special friends, or a loved one. Make a special gift basket of a variety of treats from Leonidas this Christmas, it’ll be a welcome gift that symbolizes friendship, holiday cheer, and the warmth of family and friends – not to mention tradition!

Leonidas’ excellent chocolates are also available to the wholesale customer for re-sale at locations throughout the city such as hotels, flower shops, hospital gift shops, corporations, health food shops, and even spas. With future plans in the works to offer online ordering via e-commerce, university and college students in business curriculums are currently researching programs into this business venture, and with a view to further expansion in the near future, Leonidas hopes to locate to all the major cities in the Atlantic Provinces, bringing the gift of a superb chocolate product to Atlantic Canadians everywhere.

The Leonidas story began almost 100 years ago when a U. S. confectioner of Greek descent, Leonidas Kesekidas travelled to Belgium, winning accolades and medals for his chocolates at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1913. Leonidas eventually settled in Belgium where he opened his own shop and factory, building up a clientele and a reputation for exquisite chocolates throughout Europe. The result was that by 2000, Leonidas Chocolates are on sale in 17 000 outlets in 40 different countries worldwide, and “Today, the name Leonidas has come to stand for the quintessential Belgium chocolate.” By offering quality and freshness, Leonidas ensures “only the highest quality ingredients are used in their chocolates – Belgium couverture chocolate, fresh butter, fresh cream, hazel nuts from Turkey, Morello cherries from the Périgord, almonds from Italy, walnuts from Grenoble as well as the highest quality Amaretto, menthé, and liqueurs.” In 2001, Leonidas obtained ISO 9001 certification, ensuring top quality in ingredients and in absolute customer satisfaction in the manufacturing and sales of their excellent product.

In Moncton, Leonidas Chocolates is brought to you by the father and son team of Joe and Nick Sparturo, both seasoned businessmen and visionary entrepreneurs whose family business empire encompasses a wide range of business ventures, all with the objective of bringing the very best in goods and services to their many customers. With “Quality First” as their watchwords, Joe and Nick and their many dedicated employees at Leonidas will be happy to accommodate your every wish this holiday season. Drop by Leonidas Chocolate Delights at Champlain Place and make your holiday a sweet one with chocolates by Leonidas! Merry Christmas!

* Here are some of the links to the benefits associated with chocolate

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/prevention/nutrition/chocolate.htm
http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/ID/3464
http://www.intemperantia.com/healthbenefits.htm
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/02/chocolate.wmd/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4371867.stm
http://www.canadianliving.com/CanadianLiving/client/en/Family/Detailnews2.asp?idNews=232747&idSm=64
http://www.lifescript.com/www/HealthResources/Spotlight/FoodNutrition/ChocolateBenefits/index.asp
http://stuffedchocolate.com/chocolate%20links.htm