By Franzi
July 7th – Chocolate Day
Many chocolate connoisseurs may already know that July 7th is Chocolate Day. In general, of course, it's great to have a fixed day on which we can celebrate chocolate (even more than we already do ;) ). This day was allegedly created by French chocolatiers in the 1990s and July 7th has been the official Chocolate Day in the USA since 2003. But why was a date chosen when the probability is so incredibly high that the chocolate will melt on the way into our mouths in hot summer temperatures?
This is related to an event almost 500 years ago. Because July 7, 1550 is generally considered to be the beginning of the triumph of the creamy delicacy through Europe. On this day, Dominican monks are said to have presented their new Mayan chocolate drink, which they had brought back from a trip to South America, at the Spanish court. According to legend, chocolate only became popular with the entire Spanish nobility – and a little later with other European royal families. As a result, July 7th, 1550, started the chocolate hype that continues to this day throughout the western world.
In fact, cocoa found its way to Europe before that date and was almost certainly known to many Spanish nobles by 1550. If you want to read more about the real story, be sure to check out our article on the history of chocolate !
Other Important Chocolate Days
So what the day of chocolate is all about is clear. But there are also a few other days that are firmly associated with the melt-in-the-mouth delicacy.For one, there is International Chocolate Day . This was introduced by the US National Confectioners Association and falls on September 13th every year. This day was chosen in honor of the American chocolate hero Milton S. Hershey, whose birthday was September 13, 1857. At the beginning of the 20th century, Hershey founded the chocolate company of the same name, which is still one of the world's largest chocolate manufacturers.
In addition to September 13th and July 7th, there are two other National Chocolate Days in the USA, which are celebrated on October 28th and December 28th. Popular chocolate combinations are also honored there with their own holiday, examples are National Milk Chocolate Day and National White Chocolate Day . Real chocolate party animals it seems!
Regardless of the dates mentioned, there are also deviants who honor chocolate on completely different days. For example, in Ghana, the second largest cocoa producer in the world, it is February 14 and in Latvia it is July 11.
Why chocolate deserves a holiday of its own
The theory surrounding the Chocolate Holidays has now been clarified, but why celebrate chocolate at all?
Of course, we chocolate experts can think of hundreds of reasons. But here we want to limit ourselves to the most important ones.
The brown treat is definitely one of the most popular treats among Germans. In 2019 alone, the average per capita consumption of chocolate was 9.2 kilograms. That means every German eats almost two 100 gram chocolate bars per week. A food this popular definitely deserves a holiday of its own, right?
Unfortunately, when it comes to chocolate, quantity and a low price are more important to most people than good quality and fair chocolate trading. The cocoa for most of the chocolate sold in supermarkets comes from monocultures, with questionable growing and working conditions. Of course, this also has a negative impact on the local environment and the local economy. Another negative point is that the quality of the cocoa beans is not the best.
Chocolate Day is therefore also an excellent opportunity to take a closer look at the favorite sweet of many Germans and to invest a bit of research. In order to meet our enlightenment claim, here are a few recommendations:
You can find out how cocoa is grown in this article . Do you want to know what to look out for when buying really fine chocolate? This way ! On the subject of fair trade chocolate, click here . And there are tips for "proper" chocolate enjoyment here ... you can get even more tips for real enjoyment at one of our chocolatey company celebrations or team events :-)
Conclusion: The Day of Chocolate as food for thought
It's no secret that we love chocolate, and that chocolate alone deserves its own holiday, too. Nevertheless, it is important – of course not only with chocolate – to look at the big picture and, from our privileged position, also to include the situation of the people in the countries of origin of the cocoa. Chocolate Day can therefore be used fantastically to rethink chocolate consumption and perhaps to discover the exciting world of fine and fair-trade chocolate.A good option for this is our chocolate subscription . Because with this you will receive a packet full of fine, sustainable and fair chocolate sent directly to your home for three months every month. 🍫🥳
