History of Chocolate

The name chocolate most likely comes from central Mexico. One popular theory is that it comes from the word "xocolat"—pronounced so ko lat. There are those who believe the word came through the Spaniards- and became "chokola" meaning to drink chocolate mixed together with water.

Residue of a chocolate substance has been found and dates back to 1100 B.C. in areas such as Honduras, Belize and Guatemala. The Aztecs associated chocolate with fertility. In the New World, chocolate was consumed in a bitter and spicy drink called xocoatl. This drink was believed to fight fatigue. Xocoatl was a luxury item. Cocoa beans were often used as currency.

Christopher Columbus brought some cocoa beans to show Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, but it was the Spanish friars who introduced it into Europe more broadly.

The first recorded shipment of chocolate to the Old World for commercial purposes was a shipment from Veracruz to Sevilla in 1585. Chocolate was served as a beverage at this time. The Europeans added sugar and milk to make the drink less bitter and added vanilla. This drink became a favorite luxury item in the 17th century to nobility.

It was in 1826 that the first chocolate was sold in a solid form. The first chocolate factory opened in 1819.  In 1828 a Dutchman patented a method for extracting the fat from the cocoa beans and making powdered cocoa and cocoa butter. By 1949 the Cadbury brothers were making some of the first chocolate bars.

In 1867 a Swiss candle maker, Daniel Peter, who joined his father in law in a chocolate business. In 1875 the two began experimenting with milk as an ingredient — creating what we know today as milk chocolate.  Daniel was assisted in removing the water continent from the milk to prevent mildewing by a neighbor. The neighbor was a baby food manufacturer named Henri Nestle. Rondolpe Lindt invented the process called conching, which involved heating and grinding the chocolate solids very finely to ensure that the liquid is evenly blended.

About two thirds of the worlds cocoa is produced in Western Africa. Like many food producers, cocoa farmers are at the mercy of the world markets and the price can range from $945.00 per ton to $5,672.00 per ton in less than a 24 month period of time. This price fluctuation is due to investors who can quickly buy and sell shares. But cocoa farmers cannot improve production time or abandon trees at any given time.