When Len Kleine first moved to North America from Sweden, he noticed that Canadians took a different approach to candy. Back in his homeland, kids would visit neighbourhood shops to fill up little bags of sweets; here in Canada, shoppers tend to purchase pre-packaged items. Len thought there was something missing in the Canadian experience experience and decided to introduce the European pick-and-mix approach to local candy lovers.
“In Sweden, there’s a little Saturday tradition where kids go to the candy store and pick out a little bag of sweets,” says Len. “It’s a nice tradition, but I didn’t see it in Canada and thought many kids here would love that sort of treat.”
Together with some fellow Swedes, Len opened up Canada’s first CändyBar in Whitby. The unique confectionary shop stocks treats from Swedish candy makers and encourages customers to customize their own personalized dessert bags.
