"I'm a Chocoholic"

Check out this link to see Lorrie Neskovski and Jennifer Robinson on Daytime.
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?gid=75867&lid=237&rid=23

Business is SWEET!

Business is pretty sweet for Georgian College student
By NICKI CRUICKSHANK, BARRIE EXAMINER
Updated 2 months ago
Who doesn't like chocolate?

That's what Brendan Neskovski wants to know.

And, what if those morsels were

actually good for you, able to cleanse your body with each bite?

The first-year travel and tourism student at Georgian has some healthy chocolate he'd like to sell.

"It's a hard sell sometimes, because we're all so conditioned to think of chocolate as candy that's unhealthy," said Brendan, 19. "You have to teach people this dark chocolate is good for you. Any dark chocolate is.

"We all love chocolate at our house. I've been eating this stuff for two years and feel great. I have more energy because of it, and it tastes great," he added.

Two years ago, the Woodville resident (near Lindsay, ON) and his mother, Lorrie, joined forces to market this treat - Xocai medicinal chocolate - from home.

They are independent distributors of the products.

The American company branched out into Canada in 2006, and the Neskovskis learned of its products' healthy benefits while Brendan was still in high school and Lorrie was still a nurse.

Xocai dark chocolate is loaded with anti-oxidants, as well as acai berry and blueberry.

The chocolate isn't cooked. It's cold-pressed right from the cocoa bean and is to be consumed in its raw form. It comes in the form of squares, nuggets, protein shakes and now an energy drink.

The products aid in weight loss, cardiovascular health, reducing blood clots and high blood pressure, all the while tasting as good as any other dark chocolate.

"This is not candy. It's medicinal chocolate, and it curbs your sugar cravings and keeps your blood sugar levels in check," Lorrie said. "It's great for diabetics, but it's great for everyone. It also increases the seratonin in your brain to make you happier."

"It was my mom who heard of it first, and I said, 'Mom, we need to jump on this,'" Brendan said. "I have always wanted to own my own business, and this excited me. I knew it was something I could get passionate about."

"He's got the heart and the drive to do this," Lorrie said of her son. "At first, I worried about him getting into this at his age, but he's a business-oriented young man."

Brendan wants to expand the business into Barrie, where he sees a potentially fruitful market.

"That's one of my goals, to build the business here," he said. "It's a hard sell because people don't all take someone my age seriously. But, I already have a few people interested here.

"I'll pull out a piece of the chocolate at school and people will say, 'Oh, that looks really good. Can I have a piece?' They don't realize it's good for them."

Brendan has a few plans to market this product locally.

"I want to hold a couple of tasting events to promote it," he said, adding he'd also like to get the product into bed and breakfast locations, so a chocolate can be left on the guest's pillow.

"I think there's a good chance this can fly here in Barrie," he said. "People have to realize it's not going to work for them overnight. But, after a month, they'll start to feel great and notice more energy."

This chocolately treat isn't cheap, totalling $115 a box. But, each container holds enough to last a month, Lorrie said.

"This isn't candy and you aren't supposed to eat these chocolate squares like candy," she said. "They're supposed to last all month, eating two or three a day."

And, Lorrie said, when you consider how much people spend on vitamin tablets, the price is comparable.

To order your own supply of Xocai healthy chocolate, call Brendan's personal business line at 374-5419, or visit www.lovechocolatelovelife.com.