July 7th is World Chocolate Day 2022, and a chance to celebrate a tasty treat that is many people’s favourite sweet!
This celebration was first marked in 2009 and looks at the origin of chocolate, the history of chocolate ever since, and its role as a go-to snack in modern culture.
Most importantly of all, it’s a chance to hold your own celebrations with some bulk buy boxes of chocolates on the big day itself.
What is World Chocolate Day?
World Chocolate Day takes place on July 7th and is a tribute to the cocoa-based snack in all its forms.
It’s different from other chocolate celebrations – the US has no fewer than three other dates including National Chocolate Day on both October 28th and December 28th, and International Chocolate Day on September 13th!
Why is World Chocolate Day celebrated on 7 July?
There’s no universal agreement on this, but it’s thought that chocolate was introduced into Europe on July 7th, 1550. Thou there’s evidence that Christopher Columbus brought cacao beans from the Americas to Spain before this date, July 7th has become the de facto birthday of chocolate in Europe!
What was early chocolate like?
Cacao cultivation in Central and South America dates back to around 1250 BCE, when it would have been prepared as a thick drink flavoured with chilli and vanilla. This is what was originally brought back to Europe – solid chocolate bars did not appear for centuries.
Chocolate in the UK
The first ‘chocolate house’ opened in London in 1657, serving drinking chocolate as a panacea for tuberculosis. Liquid chocolate was flavoured with pepper, coffee or even wine, and drunk as a medicine.
In 1847, chocolate was transformed forever when Fry & Son developed the process by which solid chocolate is made. Those early techniques of great British confectioners are still used in chocolate production to this day.
Chocolate now
Modern-day chocolate ranges from plain bars (e.g. Bourneville or Dairy Milk) to sumptuous soft-centres and all kinds of other, more complicated chocolatey snacks.
It’s great that wholesale chocolate suppliers still stock Fry’s chocolate, now manufactured by Cadbury’s, continuing the heritage of the first solid chocolate invented in the 1800s.
Types of chocolate
Bulk boxes of chocolate offer a way to stock up on all the different types of chocolate at reasonable wholesale prices.
Here are some of the different ways to decide which type of chocolate you want to buy:
Colour
Most people have a favourite colour or shade of chocolate, including plain or dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.
The shade is determined by the milk and cocoa content – white chocolate may be made with cocoa butter but no cocoa solids at all, whereas Cadbury’s Dairy Milk famously contains “a glass and a half” of milk in every bar.
Dark chocolate with 70% to 80% cocoa solids is often among the lowest sugar chocolate on the market, and is still sometimes recommended in small quantities for medicinal purposes.
Fillings
Bar chocolate is not the only option of course – there are all manner of different shapes, flavours and fillings!
Belgian chocolate thins are a deliciously indulgent option, available in a variety of flavours, including contemporary choices like salted caramel and popcorn flavour.
Filled chocolate bars can contain caramel, fruity fillings, or just the classic fondant in a Fry’s Chocolate Cream.
Dietary Needs
Wholesale chocolate caters for a number of common dietary requirements, often without a noticeable difference in taste or texture.
At Kandy King our bulk boxes of chocolates include gluten-free chocolate, vegetarian chocolate and sugar-free chocolate.
We welcome enquiries about other dietary needs – you can check ingredients lists on our website, or just contact us if you’re looking for something specific.
How will you be celebrating World Chocolate Day 2022?