Frequently asked questions

Yes, we can ship chocolates during warm weather and to warm climates all year long. We select the appropriate packing material so the chocolates remain nicely cool. When necessary we use Styrofoam packaging and frozen gel packs to ensure that your order arrives in perfect condition. However, in extreme heat it's possible that only express shipping will be available on the website.

You can place an order if you are an adult aged 18 or over. The ordering process consists of following steps:

• You add the products you want to purchase to your basket;
• You enter the delivery address;
• You choose your delivery method;
• You enter your payment information together with the billing address;
• You will be asked to accept the Terms and Conditions;
• Before you submit your order, you will be given the opportunity to review your
  selection, check the total price of your order including the shipping
  charges.

After submitting your order we will send you an e-mail confirming receipt of your order.
As soon as the goods are shipped, you will receive a notification (the "Shipping Notification E-mail"). All orders are subject to availability of the products at the time of dispatch.
We reserve the right to cancel your order for any reason.

No, we never include invoices with products. The biller will receive the invoice by e-mail once the package has been shipped.

You can review all order details and take action at your account centre. Changes you can make at the account centre:

• Edit your contact name, address and phone number

If the system does not allow you to make any of these changes, please call or email the Customer Service team for further assistance.

We use professional local and global shipping companies such as UPS, TNT, DPD, and ChronoPost. The volume of orders we ship throughout Europe on a daily basis allows us to offer premium shipping services at a very low cost for the European market.

As the majority of our deliveries are international deliveries, a signature is required for delivery. In case no one is present at the delivery address during delivery, our delivery company will leave a notice and the recipient should be able to arrange for a new delivery time. You can track this information directly in your Account Centre.

There is no special gift wrapping. The items are shipped as they are displayed on the website.

Unfortunately this is not possible. We cannot predict the specific hours.

Unfortunately it is not customary in Europe for shipping companies to call the recipient before delivery. Use of mobile phones in the field is considered a hazard to the driver. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The phone number provided will be used by our staff or by the local depot of our delivery company to resolve any delivery issues that arise whenever possible.

A voucher code gives you a pre-specified discount when you buy products from our website.

Follow these steps to redeem your voucher:

1. Pick a product from our website. Please be aware that not all products will be eligible for discounts.
2. Go to your shopping cart by clicking CART at the top right of the screen.
3. At the right you will find the text “Got a promotional code? Add it here”. Click on this.
4. A small box will appear where you can fill in your code. After adding your code, click “Apply”. Your discount will have been applied.

Discount vouchers: things to keep in mind:

• They are only valid for a limited time period. Orders must be placed before 23:59 on the closing date.
• They cannot be applied after you have placed an order.
• In most cases, they cannot be combined with other promotions, offers or discounts.
• No cash alternative is available.

Yes. You will be able to add a personal gift message when you view your cart. Your personal gift message can be up to 1024 characters.

We offer delivery Monday to Friday during business hours throughout Europe. Saturday delivery is currently offered in Belgium and France. The earliest delivery date is indicated at the bottom of the product detail page and also at checkout.

Yes, it is possible to cancel your order, as long as the parcel has not been shipped yet. Please contact our Customer Service team as soon as possible (don't forget to mention your order number).

Chocolate should involve every one of your senses: sight, touch, hearing, taste and smell. Allow the chocolate to start to melt in your mouth - it should be smooth, without any hint of graininess. Two or three bites should release the secondary aromas in the filling. Finally, push the chocolate gently against the roof of your mouth to allow the flavour to linger on your palate. Above all, take your time to enjoy the experience. After all, we took our time making it.

We all need magnesium in our diets to promote good neuro-vascular function, but our normal food intake barely provides the minimum. The good news is that chocolate is rich in magnesium.

There are two types of bloom, fatty bloom and sugar bloom. Fatty bloom is a smooth film on the surface of the chocolate which you can't really feel. Sugar bloom looks and feels like tiny grains of sugar.

Fatty bloom is caused by fats migrating to the surface of the chocolate, or by them re-crystallizing. This can be caused by the chocolate layer being too thin, poor tempering, the filling migrating, or the chocolate being stored at too high a temperature. Sugar bloom is caused by the recrystallisation of the sugar in the chocolate. This happens when condensation forms on the chocolate due to a temperature difference and high humidity.

Chocolate should always be stored in dry conditions at between 15 and 18C. That's precisely how we store all our Leonidas chocolates to ensure that they reach you in the best possible condition.

Some of the products in the Leonidas range are suitable for vegetarians and/or vegans. The salesperson in your Leonidas outlet will be able to advise you.

Quite the opposite in fact. Once it has been absorbed by your body, cocoa produces 72% unsaturated fatty acids which actually reduce your cholesterol level and clean your arteries. It contains only 20% saturated fatty acids - the kind which aren't so good for you. There's very little cholesterol in dark chocolate made from 100% cocoa butter, like that of Leonidas. In milk chocolate, the cholesterol varies from 15 to 18mg per 100g which is pretty insignificant.

It all depends on what type of allergy you have. Some Leonidas products contain allergens (gluten or nuts for instance). If you have a food allergy, simply send us an e-mail and we'll be happy to tell you which chocolates are safe for the allergy you specify. In short:

Leonidas products contain no eggs, except for our jellies and our lemon slices and orange slices.

Gluten
Gluten is a molecule found in cereals such as wheat, barley, oats and their derivatives such as malt and starch. Some Leonidas products are made with ingredients that contain gluten and that may contain traces of gluten.

Dried fruits
Many Leonidas products contain nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, etc.). All Leonidas product can contain traces of dried fruit.

Milk (lactose, milk proteins, etc.)
Dairy products are naturally key ingredients in the manufacture of some Leonidas products. Leonidas quality assurance procedures demand that between manufacturing cycles, i.e. between different types of chocolate, the equipment will be properly cleaned and rinsed. Despite the implementation of good manufacturing practices, traces of milk proteins may be found in some of our dark chocolates. The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFA) have identified milk proteins as a food allergen. However, methods of analysis have recently become available to manufacturers that allow milk proteins to be detected in minute proportions of parts per million. For the benefit of its customers, Leonidas prints the following statement on all its packaging at the end of the list of ingredients for its dark chocolate "(may contain traces of milk proteins)”.

Chocolate is known to have anti-depressant qualities, which could be linked to the small quantity of serotonin found in chocolate. Serotonin is a substance which is found naturally in the brain and affects our moods. Other substances contained in chocolate help you stay awake and alert, help your muscles work, stimulate the appetite, and help mental activity and alertness. Remember that a good quality chocolate only contains cocoa, pure cocoa butter and sugar.

From 3 August 2003, a European Directive has allowed chocolate manufacturers to use vegetable fats (instead of cocoa butter) in their chocolates, albeit under certain very strict conditions. This Directive caused a lot of controversy among manufacturers and consumers, but at Leonidas we have a very clear and simple position on this issue: Leonidas only uses 100% cocoa butter in its chocolates and fillings. The statement that "Leonidas is 100% pure cocoa butter... and 100% quality" is more true now than ever.

We do have Kosher certification for our products. Please read in the PDF the authorized products published by the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

A list that identifies the products that do not contain alcohol is available on request at info@leonidas.com

When a recent survey asked 20,000 Belgians what they thought about different brands, Leonidas was outright winner in the chocolate category. In fact, 1 in every 3 top quality Belgian chocolates sold comes from Leonidas - and 55% of Belgians say that we are the most highly-rated chocolate maker in the country. Not bad, in the most chocolate-obsessed country in the world.

Yes it does. Chocolate peps up your body and your mind. It has a lot of energy in a very small volume because of its main nutrients such as carbohydrates (sugars) and fatty acids or lipids. Your body absorbs the sugars rapidly to give you a quick energy boost. It processes the fatty acids (the cocoa butter) more slowly to give you energy over an extended period. The mineral salts, oligo elements and vitamins in chocolate also make it a good regenerative food for the brain. Its theobromine stimulates the nervous system and boosts concentration.

To guarantee a unique flavour, Leonidas chocolates should be be consumed within eight days of purchase.

Leonidas chocolate tablets should be consumed within six months, to guarantee the quality and authenticity of the real chocolate-taste.

If you want to enjoy the Leonidas chocolates containing alcohol or butter cream at their best, we recommend storing them in a cool place and eating them cool (straight from the fridge). Our pure chocolates and those with praline, ganache, cream, liqueur cream or almond paste fillings, and our truffles are best stored at temperatures of between 15 and 18°C.

Care should also be taken not to store the chocolates and chocolate in general near foods or substances that have a strong odour, since chocolate absorbs odours very readily.

The company that supplies Leonidas with its couverture chocolate guarantees that the soya lecithin used in the manufacturing process is exclusively from soya from plantations that are strictly controlled to ensure they do not contain genetically modified soya and is PCR negative.

As for glucose and products containing glucose, our suppliers’ guarantee that the glucose is either produced from starch from non-genetically modified wheat or that controls are in place to ensure that no genetically modified maize is used in the course of manufacture.

The Aztec Emperor Montezuma, Casanova, Madame De Pompadour and the Marquis de Sade certainly all thought so. Although it's not really an aphrodisiac, one of the substances it contains, phenylethylamine, causes your body to react in the same way as it does when you're in love. So chocolate may not make you a great lover, but you can't help loving chocolate!