World-class praline maker Leonidas has sustainability at heart
The Greek Leonidas Kestekides is behind the delicious Leonidas pralines. In 1913, he won gold at the World's Fair in Ghent for his latest creations, as we know them today. After a brief warm-up, Ghent became the start of a worldwide success story. Leonidas' delicacies are also steeped in diversity, openness, respect and sustainability.
Even as a tiny tot in the 1880s, Leonidas had a sweet tooth. Politically and economically, Greece was rumbling at the time. To survive, he peddled granitas, sugared ice drinks with a variety of fruit flavours. Later, he sold wine but would end up regretting that. Then let's pursue my dreams in the US in search of fortune, he thought. A passionate sugar/confectioner, he landed with the Greek-American delegation from New York at the 1910 World's Fair in Brussels. With his talents, he won over the organiser and 13 million visitors, including one Joanna Teerlinck from Brussels, his later wife. In 1912, they settled in Ghent.
In 1913, Leonidas and Joanna opened their first tea room there, at Veldstraat 34. World War I temporarily crashed through the business' early success, but the craving for their heavenly pastries, confectionery and ice cream remained undamaged. After the war, their Salle de dégustation et buffet froid in Blankenberge delighted the expensive taste buds of the bourgeoisie, and at the chic Hôtel du Lion d'Or at Kerkstraat 17 – still a Leonidas store today – their second tea room opened. Number 3 followed in 1924, at Rue Paul Delvaux in Brussels.
Meanwhile, relatives from Greece had come to join the family business. Cousin Basilio in particular walked into the spotlight as a creative. Because the police put a stop to his travelling trade in pralines, he had to move out to a store. Boulevard Anspach 58 in Brussels saw the première on Leonidas' trademark: the guillotine window. Simply displaying the treats on the windowsill and opening and closing the mobile section of the window by sliding it vertically from bottom to top and back.
Highlights galore
In 1937, the brand name and logo, named after the Spartan warrior-king Leonidas, were officially registered. The later management stepped up production, but kept the price low, developed some new flavours, expanded, opened more than 1,200 (!) new stores in Belgium and 40 foreign countries and converted Crown-Baele packaging factory at Boulevard Jules Graindor 41-43 in Anderlecht into headquarters.
What is the icing on the cake?
That would be purveyor Leonidas' crunchy or soft, but always irresistible dark, milk and white chocolate, filled with praline, caramel cream or ganache, the original white Manon classics, the Easter eggs, etc. With sustainable cocoa, 100% pure cocoa butter, without palm oil. Locally produced affordable luxury, ecologically packaged, with a sense of social commitment. Everyone's happy – the customers most of all!