A Canadian official gifted a piece of chocolate produced by a Syrian-Canadian family to U.S. President Joe Biden during his visit to Canada, in a gesture highlighting the success story of refugees who fled the ravages of war in their country.

In 2016, the Haddad family from Syria relaunched their chocolate company, naming it "Chocolate for Peace".

After fleeing Syria and settling in Canada, the family began producing one type of chocolate in their home kitchen and selling it at local farmers' markets.

Then after about seven years, they had more than 250 chocolate products, combining flavors from Syria and Canadian ingredients.

In addition to a store in Antigonish, they also operate a main site in Halifax.

On Friday, the leader of the Canadian Green Party, Elizabeth May, gifted a piece of "chocolate" from the Hudhud company to the U.S. president during his visit to Ottawa.

Canadian sources said the gesture marked a milestone in the family’s success story, which was highlighted by international media and turned into a feature film.

For his part, Tarek Hudhud, who was in Ottawa for the president’s visit, pointed out that he had no idea the Green leader would gift Biden his family’s chocolate.

Hudhud, the founder and CEO of the company, said on Twitter: "It is truly a moment of pride for our family and the people of Antigonish."

A spokesman for May also said that the Green Party leader purchased the chocolate last week, specifically for Biden during her visit to Antigonish in Nova Scotia.

Hudhud added that he hopes the president and First Lady Jill Biden will reflect on his family’s refugee story and the kindness of Nova Scotia residents and Canadians in general, "by giving us a second chance after the world closed its borders".

Canada has received more than 35,000 Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the civil war.