| 18th Century History |
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Articles and Products of History Chocolate's HistoryThe process of making chocolate begins with cocoa beans. Grinding the coca beans is the first step in the process. As you can imagine hand grinding was a long and boring task. In the beginning of the 1780s coca beans were first imported to the United States by Dr. James Baker. With the help of his business partner Irishmen John Hanan, they proceeded to build the first chocolate mill in Massachusetts.
Horses spinning a gear operated this mill; it was similar to the grain mills of the time. Approximately thirty years later an Englishman named Fry first used an engine powered by steam to power the cocoa bean grinder. This adaptation opened the door for mass production of chocolate. The Swiss have always been considered leaders in the sweet art of making chocolate. Reports indicate the Swiss established chocolate production plants as early as 1818. The cocoa press was the next major advancement in chocolate making. By pressing the beans versus grinding them some of the coca butter could be squeezed out of the beans. This process also helped with the quality and consistency of the chocolate. At this time chocolate was still in a liquid form, people would drink the chocolate from a glass. In order to solidify the chocolate a father and son named the Frys mixed in sugar and cocoa butter with the chocolate. This formed a paste that hardened. Many people credit the Frys with creating the first chocolate bar. The Cadbury brothers were to come on to the scene in the mid eighteen hundreds. They are credited with many of the advances in the marketing of chocolate. The Cadburys saw the potential for associating chocolate with Valentines Day and are also credited with producing the first heart shaped box. Chocolate has become one of Americas favorite sweet vices with sales surpassing one hundred million per years. Further Reading
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