Chocolate
Cacao
The main part of chocolate is actually a very small, bitter, bean called
cacao. Cacao is found in many places in the world, but it is most commonly
found in rainforests. Cacao grows in altitudes below 1,000 feet in areas that
receive around four inches of rain per month. The cacao bean is different
from others, because it grows on the trunk of the cacao tree. The cacao
tree ranges from 15-25 feet tall in rainforests. Cacao bean pods (bean and
shell) are hand picked. Many people that pick them are children. After the
pod has been picked, it’s hard shell is split open by a knife or machete
revealing the insides. The insides of a cacao been are similar to a cell. The
shell is like the cell membrane. The pulp like substance that surrounds the
beans is like the cytoplasm of a cell. The main part of the pod, as well as
chocolate is the cacao bean itself. The cacao bean is similar to the nucleus
of the cell. After the beans have been picked, they are dried out, and then
are off to be processed to help make chocolate.
History
The Mayans and Aztecs first discovered cacao. They treated cacao
as if it was royalty. Cacao even became their money! Chocolate milk for
the Aztecs and Mayans was not what modern day people consider it to be.
In fact, chocolate milk was not even what they called it back then. The
Aztecs and Mayans would put an earlier form of a cup or vase on the
ground, and then hold the “chocolate milk” above there heads and pour it
into the cup or vase. They poured the mixture from a higher height, so that
there would be a smooth bubbly mixture on top of it. This drink, called
chocolatl, was a mixture of dried, ground up cacao beans, and water. To
them this was a very expensive and tasty drink.
One time Christopher Columbus and some of his fellow shipmates
came upon a trade ship that carried many goods including cacao.
Columbus told them to take over the ship, and steal all of the goods on the
ship. Columbus went back to his homeland, and showed the goods that
they had acquired to the King. They were far more interested in the gold,
jewels, and other riches to notice the small little cacao beans. Many years
later they found out how valuable the small beans were. After that cacao
trading was what led the rest of the world to discover chocolate.
Columbus’s country soon found out about chocolatl, but found that it was
very pungent in taste. They added vanilla, or peppers to it to make it taste
better. Cacao then became popular in Spain.
Manufacturers
Chocolate is sold and manufactured all around the world especially in
the United States. The U.S is home to one of the largest chocolate
manufactures in the world which is the Hershey Chocolate Company.
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company was started by a man named Milton S
Hershey. Mr. Hershey decided in 1894 that he wanted to produce a smooth
chocolate coating for his caramels that he made at the time. Six years after
the company began they began making chocolate bars, wafers, and other
things. Since the Hershey Company made chocolate affordable, more
people bought it. Mr. Hershey decided to open up more facilities that would
produce his chocolate. He chose to build another one in Pennsylvania
close to his hometown. There he would be able to get the needed amount
of cacao and sugarcane for his chocolate. Pennsylvania also had a lot of
dairy farms which would be perfect for him to make milk chocolate with. In
1907 Milton S Hershey decided to increase his product production. He
began making a flat-bottomed conical shaped candy, also known as the
Hershey’s Kiss. In 1924 Mr. Hershey had his Hershey Kiss trademarked. In
the next couple of years The Hershey Company began producing more
products. In 1925 they began making the Mr. Goodbar. A year later they
began producing Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. Hershey’s Chocolate chips
were introduced to the world in 1928. Ten years later they made the
Krackel Bar. Hershey is also over many other candies such as Kit Kat,
Reese’s Pieces, York, Almond Joy, Mounds, Twizzlers, and the many
different types of Hershey Candy Bars.
Mars Chocolate Company
The Mars Chocolate company makes Snickers, Twix, Milky
Ways, and M&M’s. The Mars Company makes more than just candy; it also
makes gum, mints, and pet food, as well as many other things. In 1911
Frank C Mars made the first Mars candies in Tacoma, Washington. The
Mars Company’s first candy confectionery was the Milky way chocolate bar
made by a father, and a son both with the last name Mars. An interesting
fact about the Mars Chocolate Company is that it has five principals. These
five principals are quality, mutuality, responsibility, freedom, and efficiency.
Quality is there goal. They want to give consumers high quality products.
Mutuality is there version of a shared benefit. They believe that a shared
benefit will help there company prosper. There workers have to take
responsibility for themselves as well as there fellow staff. The Mars
Company needs freedom to shape there future. If they do not have
freedom, they will not make any profit to make more chocolate. The Mars
Company uses efficiency when producing goods by using all of there
resources to the fullest, and wasting nothing so that they will be the best
that they can.
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is the company that produces
those wrapped, square, chocolates with an assortment of fillings.
Ghirardelli is one of a very limited number of chocolate companies that
controls the entire process of making its chocolate. That means that they
start with the cacao bean, and make it into a delicious chocolate candy. A
man named Domingo Ghirardelli is the main founder of the company.
During the gold rush, in the mid- 1800’s, Mr. Ghirardelli noticed that the
fatigued miners needed some kind of a luxury to spend there gold dust on.
Mr. Ghirardelli began selling his chocolates to help with production. Since
that time over one-hundred, fifty years ago they have been making
chocolate.
Other Chocolate Companies in the U.S.A
Another chocolate company in the U.S is not exactly a chocolate
company, but they produce a chocolate flavored candy known worldwide
This company, called Tootsie Roll Industries makes Tootsie Rolls in all
shapes and sizes, as well as a wide variety of flavors. Tootsie Roll
Industries also produce Tootsie Pops, Junior Mints, Sugar Daddies,
Razzles, Double Bubble, Dots, and many more. Some other chocolate
confectioners are the Blue Bell ice cream company where they use
chocolate in a lot of there ice creams. Chocolate is also in other products.
Some of these products are Oreos, Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies,
Brownies, Little Debbie Cakes, Chocolate Milk, Chocolate puddings and
yogurts, and chocolate covered fruits. People have even begun to make
chocolate flavored gum!
European Chocolate Manufacturers
J.S Fry and Sons
J.S. Fry and Sons, a European Chocolate Company, is best known
for its Turkish delight, a rose flavored candy covered in milk chocolate. A
Turkish delight is a jelly filled candy covered in sugar and starch. In the
movie “The Chronicles of Narnia the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe,”
one of the characters was tempted by a queen to with Turkish delight so
that the queen could get valuable information out of him. J.S Fry and Sons
is also well known for its chocolate cream, which is fondant wrapped in
dark chocolate. This is available in plain, peppermint, or orange fondant.
The Divine Chocolate Company
The Divine Chocolate Company is an European chocolate company
that was first established in 1988 as a partnership with the Kuapa Kokoo
cacao grower. This is who gives them the cacao to help them make their
chocolate. Divine Chocolate manufactures dark, milk, white, orange milk,
coffee milk, and hazelnut milk chocolate bars. They also make chocolate
drinks, coins, muffins, brownies, cookies, after dinner mints, and dark
chocolate covered apricots and mangos. Before January of 2007 The
Divine Chocolate Company was called The Day Chocolate Company.
Hotel Chocolat
In 1988, Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris began there career in
chocolate selling mints. Later on they became known as “Geneva
Chocolates” and then they changed the name again to “Choc Express”. In
2003, they changed there name one last time to “Hotel Chocolat” and
opened there first retail store in the city of Watford. Some of there most
popular products sold in many places worldwide are Giant Slabs, Selectors,
Liquid Chocolat, and The Purist. Giant Slabs are chocolate candy bars or
slabs that weigh half of a kilogram a piece and cost approximately $22.
They come in seasonal flavors as well as “Rocky Road”, “Fruit & Nut”, and
“Cookie Choc Chip”. Selectors are chocolate candies in a variety of around
150 different flavors that are arranged by flavor and cost around $3 for two
or three candies. Liquid Chocolat is hot chocolate with more cacao and less
sugar. The flavors range from Caramel to Aztec Chili. Aztec Chili is 72%
dark chocolate with a spicy twist. A regular sized tin of Liquid Chocolat cost
around $10. The Purist is a chocolate candy that is made up of many
different varieties of chocolate mixed together.
Other Chocolate Manufacturers Around The World
Nestle Chocolate Company
The Nestle Chocolate Company is located in Vevey, Switzerland and
is one of the world’s top health foods as well as chocolate companies in the
world. In September of 1866, Henri Nestle developed a milk-based baby
food and Daniel Peter began working for the next seven years on a
chocolate confectionery process. Eleven years later Henri Nestle retired
and Anglo-Swiss added condensed milk to the food. They soon figured out
how to make chocolate and began producing chocolate as well. Some of
there products are Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Nestle Crunch, KitKat, Rolo’s,
and Smarties.
Stollwerk Chocolate Company
Stollwerk is a German Chocolate Manufacturer that was founded in 1839
by a baker named Franz Stollwerk when he first started business in
Cologne, Germanny. His five sons soon began to expand his company and
his youngest son, Ludwig Stollwerk was very proficient with technology.