The Story Behind the Chocolates

Olympian Candies is a locally owned company founded by Greek immigrant James Chagares in 1909. Very much the family business, his three sons and two daughters were the only employees helping make candies and ice cream in the early days.

When his children married, the work force expanded to include daughters-in-law and sons-in-law. In 1953, the business was taken over by William Chagares, the youngest of James’s children. William continued the line of hand-dipped chocolates and stopped producing homemade ice cream. The business also moved from the 900 block of Main Street to the 600 block, where it remains today.

Some of the featured items made and sold during these years were caramel apples, caramel corn, and fondant mints, which could be matched to nearly every color. William’s son, daughter, and wife helped him; it became their jobs to order ingredients, package the candies, and wait on customers while he followed his father’s original recipes for the nine flavors of chocolate creams, all hand-dipped in milk and dark chocolate.

William’s son Dimitri brought the business into the 21st century in 1983, taking over the business with new visions and focus. He added in-store printing capabilities that allowed all boxes to be printed and personalized on the premises. Boxes can be printed in large or small quantities with business names and logos.

The business continues to be family owned: in 1999, the Chagares family sold to Gail Bowman and Kim Mitchell, a mother and daughter team specializing in novelty candies. Some of the best-selling items are chocolate roses, Santas and bunnies; they are able to create special candies for all holidays. Their English toffee recipe has been especially well received.

Dimitri worked with Kim at Olympian Candies, adding his expert guidance to her excellent candy-making skills. The candies are still made according to the original recipes, using only quality ingredients. They are all still hand-dipped and packaged.

We at Olympian Candies are grateful for the opportunity to introduce our quality product line. We want to serve you in the best way possible.