Discover the rich history of Leonidas

Discover the great history at the origins of the famous Leonidas chocolates. From Greece to Belgium, via the United States, the main theme has always been passion, perseverance and ingenuity. These efforts and a talent that have been substantially rewarded, since the Leonidas firm is now renowned around the world.

Sweet temptations as a way to survive

Anatolia Leonidas Georges Kestekides was born in Nigde, Turkey.

Back then, nobody knew that Leonidas Kestekides would become someone who follows his heart and realises his dreams. It all started when he was still young and took to the streets with his brother Avraam to sell granita and other sweets. At that time, Leonidas and his brother lived in a politically and economically unstable region and they sold these sweets to survive.

Love takes him from New York to Ghent

But how did this talented Greek end up in Belgium? Ten years later, in 1910, Leonidas Kestekides participated in the World Exhibition in Brussels as a member of the Greek-American delegation.

He presented his confectionery and patisserie creations to around thirteen million visitors. His efforts were rewarded: Leonidas was awarded the bronze medal, designed by Godefroid Devreese. His success didn’t go unnoticed. All eyes were on Leonidas Kestekides, especially those of a particular Brussels beauty, Joanna Emelia Teerlinck. Could she not resist his sweet delicacies? Or could he not resist her slim figure and porcelain skin? Leonidas and Joanna married in 1912 and Ghent became his new home.

The arrival of Basilio Kestekides

While Leonidas celebrated his success with Joanna in Belgium, the political situation in Greece deteriorated.

Rumours of Leonidas’s success made their way to his homeland and the Kestekides family decided to move to Ghent. Leonidas’s family did their bit for the brand, especially his nephew Basilio. Leonidas taught Basilio how to be a confectioner. The two complemented each other perfectly: one was a born salesman and the other was a creative spirit. They developed a father-son relationship and created a range of delicious pralines.

The Leonidas trademark: the sliding sash window

Basilio and Leonidas were welcomed to Brussels with open arms. At night Basilio prepared his delicious pralines in a small workshop near the Grand-Place, and in the morning he crossed through the city with a horse and cart to sell his delights to a loyal clientele.

Everything was running smoothly until Basilio got into trouble for street trading – the police told Basilio that he had to sell his products in a shop. Basilio rented a room in a building at Boulevard Anspach 58, which was small and narrow and didn’t even have a door onto the main street. But Basilio wouldn’t be Basilio if he didn’t have a solution. He displayed his delicious pralines on the window sill and sold them from the sliding sash window to passers-by – a revolutionary idea! Basilio sold up to 35 kg of confectionery a day directly from the production workshop to the counter, without losing any of the freshness or time – and at half of the price of his competitors.

This was the start of selling through a sliding sash window, which later became the trademark of Leonidas.

A luxury product for everyone

Leonidas even kept going during the Second World War. Basilio bought cocoa and produced the chocolate himself. Leonidas became a synonym for success. On 20 February 1948 disaster struck: Leonidas Kestekides passed away.

Leonidas left his shops to his nephew, who seemed more motivated than ever. Basilio wanted to make luxury products which everyone could afford. Demand for Leonidas pralines kept growing and Basilio was able to anticipate this trend. He did this not by increasing the price, but by expanding his workshop so that he could increase production.

Basilio moved from Boulevard Anspach 58 to 46, which is still used by Leonidas to this day.

Leonidas never wanted to turn its pralines into a scarce product by raising the prices; instead, it increased production to keep the prices low.

European fame

Basilio died on 2 April 1970 and he left Confiserie Leonidas bvba to his brothers and sisters. Jean Kesdekoglu-Kestekides took over and after a while his daughter Maria Kesdekoglu-Kestekides started to help out.

From that moment, things really took off for Leonidas. The pralines were sold in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Greece and the United Kingdom.

Anyone who tried Leonidas pralines just couldn’t get enough. The delicious chocolate was loved by everyone. Production expanded and Confiserie Leonidas nv bought the old Crown-Baele factory in Anderlecht. And that’s the Leonidas factory in Anderlecht we know today at Graindorlaan 41-43, where the headquarters are located as well.

The price of success

Maria Kesdekoglu-Kestekides took charge of the company following the death of her father. She was assisted by her brother Dimitrios Kestekoglou and her cousin Vassiliki Kestekides. The production of pralines continued to grow.

Yet at some point, Leonidas had to do something quite out of the ordinary: they launched an advertisement asking people to stop sending requests to open a Leonidas shop. They couldn’t keep up with the demand.

A new design

All Leonidas shops were given a new look. The sliding sash window was replaced by a new style that was rolled out all over the world. For the interior, Leonidas decided to use colours which mirror the authenticity and values of the brand.

The colour scheme is warm and harmonious, reflects quality, expertise, experience and authenticity. Whether you buy pralines in a Leonidas shop in Brussels, New York or Paris, you’ll always feel as though you’re being greeted in the same boutique, in a modern and cosy atmosphere.