Heart Shaped Chocolate Boxes: The Symbol of Valentine’s Day
February 10, 2021
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. Why? I can head to the store and buy ridiculous amounts of chocolate with no questions asked! There is no doubt that Valentine’s Day is a chocolate centric holiday, and heart-shaped boxes full of delicious truffles are widely associated with this day of love.
But when did this become a trend? Sit back, relax, and enjoy some chocolate while I tell you about the origins of this quintessential Valentine’s Day symbol.
Chocolates on Valentine’s Day (and in general) became a fad in the mid 19th century. The first chocolate bar was made by the British company J.S. Fry & Sons. Within a few years of this new tasty invention, Cadbury created the first box of chocolates. It didn’t take long before this became wildly popular.
According to the National Valentine Collector's Association, heart-shaped boxes predated chocolate boxes and were actually popularized about a century earlier. Once his boxes of chocolate were introduced, Richard Cadbury decided that the next natural progression would be to combine Europe’s love for chocolate with their love for boxes in the shape of hearts.
In 1861, Cadbury marketed the first Valentine’s Day box. It was filled with tasty chocolate treats and could later be saved as a keepsake. Not only did this soar in popularity in Europe, but North America as well. Hershey’s introduced its famous Hershey’s Kisses in 1907 and Russell Stover unveiled their own heart-shaped chocolate box in the 1920s.
Today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes are sold each year! According to the education resource SoftSchools, this is equivalent to 58 million pounds of chocolate!
Happy Valentine’s Day my fellow chocolate lovers! I hope you have a sweet one.
Give the Gift of Chocolate...
Your favorite chocolate lover wants to know more about chocolate! They'll learn all about chocolate tasting with milk chocolates, dark chocolates, and white chocolate. And they'll refine their taste buds with expert guidance.
- Hidden Chocolate Facts: 5 Fun Facts About Your Favorite Sweet Treat - May 25, 2021
- Why We Should Eat More Chocolate (According to a Neuroscientist!) - March 23, 2021
- Heart Shaped Chocolate Boxes: The Symbol of Valentine’s Day - February 10, 2021