Dutch Boys Chocolate . . . New Owners Promise To Honour Traditions Of Award-Winning Chocolate Shop

By Victoria Rose

Windmill prints on the wall and sculpted chocolate displays, help visitors to Dutch Boys Chocolate Inc. make the connection that the creations in the cabinets are more than just food, they are handcrafted pieces of art.

The small shop is the ideal setting for the Dutch Boys welcoming experience . . . the ability to ask questions, get to know the chocolatiers, and try a sample of high quality Belgian chocolate.

“When new customers try the chocolate . . . the look on their face and that sensation . . . it makes it worth it!” expresses Sam Leonard, who — along with his wife, Maggie — recently purchased the chocolate shop from its original owners.

“Those reactions really reinforce the fact that we made the right decision,” Maggie adds.

Dutch Boys opened in 2017, when carver and sales professional Cor Boon collaborated with professional sculptor and fabrication specialist Henry Noestheden to create 3D art using high quality chocolate.

In its first full year of operation, Dutch Boys won a Jimmy Award, handed out annually by travel blogger Jim Byers, as the best chocolate maker in Canada.

In 2022 the partners decided to sell the shop and a Biz X article about the complete turn-key operation being for sale caught Maggie’s attention.

So she asked her husband: “What would you say to being a chocolatier?”

Sam laughed, but it was a serious question that Maggie reinforced by taking him to see the store the next day. After Boon greeted the couple, Maggie launched into her questions and had a tour of the store; he invited them to return when Noestheden would be available to meet them as well.

“We had a down-to-earth conversation, and you could feel it was honest,” says Sam.

The discussions became more frequent and detailed (including trial chocolate days) and three months after seeing the Biz X article, the process began for the Leonards to purchase the business.

Boon and Noestheden stayed on to train the new owners in every aspect of the business and to support them during the Christmas rush. Even now, they still pop in to say hello, connect with customers, and assist the Leonards with anything they need.

“They are such wonderful teachers,” comments Maggie. “They are very generous people. We don’t feel like we’ve bought a business, it’s more like we’ve gained an extended family.”

It was only recently the Leonards learned the store had received four other offers; however, Boon and Noestheden were holding out for the perfect fit.

They felt the couple would be able to make the business work based on their desire to maintain the store’s high standards, combined with their backgrounds.

Sam had worked in the restaurant industry and was a sous chef for some time, but when he wanted to make more money, he made a move and spent the next 27 years as a machinist in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Maggie, while based in Cambridge, spent 30 years in automotive financing, eventually working as a financial advisor.

“It’s very unique,” Maggie states. “The four of us feel it was meant to be.”

The Leonards (who now reside in Amherstburg) love to cook and had always talked about owning their own food-related business in the future.

The couple does not plan on making any changes to the store. Even with rising food costs, they decided not to increase prices, noting that as new owners and new entrepreneurs, maintaining goodwill is very important.

“Why would you mess with something that works?” says Maggie.

Visitors to Dutch Boys Chocolate Inc. at 6 Main Street West, Kingsville, can stop in for samples, ask questions, and get expert help in picking out a treat.

The store has a variety of items including chocolate bars, dipped ginger, 18 flavours of truffles, and salted caramel bars (a best seller!).

Their large chocolate medallions and 3D figures are created using hand-carved moulds from the original owners and the solid chocolate — like the Pelee Island Lighthouse — are wonderful gifts. They even make sugar-free chocolate for diabetics (made with Maltitol).

Dutch Boys can also create custom wedding favours and ship any product across Canada and the U.S. in cooler months.

For more sweet ideas and to find out what’s available for Valentine’s Day and Easter, check out: DutchBoysChocolate.com.