In honor of the month of love, we wanted to regale you with a bit of chocolate history. Ever wondered why it’s such a tradition to give and receive chocolate on Valentine’s Day? That wasn’t always such a natural connection in our minds. Society needed a little nudge in that direction. Before the mid-1800s, Valentine’s Day was more of a cards and flowers kind of holiday.
So picture this. It’s the early 1800s. We’re in England. John Cadbury (yes, of that Cadbury) was a leading trader of cocoa and drinking chocolate at the time. As a Quaker, he saw drinking and eating chocolate as a societal alternative to alcohol that could help ease alcohol-related poverty in England. His son Richard Cadbury, who took over the business along with his brother George, came up with the idea of “Fancy Boxes” for chocolates in 1861. The boxes were coveted by Victorians of the time for their artistry and their ability to be used for storing trinkets or sentimental items long after the chocolates inside had been eaten.
In 1868, the Cadbury's created a chocolate box in the shape of a heart after Richard realized the opportunity to market them as gifts for Valentine’s Day. They were often adorned with depictions of Cupid or roses, both popular symbols of love in the Victorian era. The classic Valentine’s heart shape we know today came to be in the early 14th century. Once the Cadbury's nestled chocolates into that symbol of love heart shape, there wasn’t a gift around that could beat it for Valentine’s Day – it was sweet both inside and outside. Other chocolate companies followed suit with their versions of the heart-shaped chocolate box, and chocolate on Valentine’s Day soon became a staple. Today, tens of millions of heart-shaped chocolate boxes are sold each year around Valentine’s Day.
Want to learn more about the history behind the sweets that we all know and love? Take our 5-star rated Candy Tour, where you’ll travel through time along candy’s journey from the ancient Egyptians to modern-day factory production. We love sharing our knowledge of candy with all ages, so tall or small, young or less young, it doesn’t matter - all that matters is that whoever chooses to enter MUST, without ANY doubt, be a CANDY MONSTER!
For more info and to book a tour, go to https://bulkcandystore.com/tours/. Use the promo code Mackid24 for an extra 15% off your ticket price.
Bulk Candy Store is located at 235 N Jog Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33413, (561) 540-1600.
