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The earliest known civilization to process and consume chocolate. They were the predecessors of the Maya and Aztecs, who believed that cacao seeds were the gift of the god of wisdom, Quetzalcoatl. -
They start cultivating cacao and invented a drink made from ground cacao seeds mixed with water, chili peppers, and other ingredients.
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Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europeans to come across cacao beans on his fourth voyage to the New World. He brought the beans back to Spain, but they were initially overlooked.
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Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés brings chocolate to Spain. -
Chocolate becomes a fashionable drink throughout Europe among the wealthy and royal. It was believed to have nutritious and medical effects. -
Dutch chemist Coenraad Johannes van Houten invents the cocoa press, which helped to extract the fat from cacao liquor, making chocolate both cheaper to produce and more consistent in quality. -
J.S. Fry Sons, a British chocolate company, creates the first solid chocolate by remelting cocoa butter into bar molds. -
Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolatier, figures out how to add milk to chocolate to create milk chocolate after several experiments.
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The development of chocolate manufacturing techniques in the early 20th century allowed chocolate to become mass-produced and more accessible to the general public.