Considering the fact that an estimated 58 million pounds of chocolate are purchased in the seven days leading up Valentine’s Day each year; it only makes sense that February is Chocolate Lovers Month. Chocolate is the [fudge] icing on the [devil’s food] cake when it comes to already delicious foods; it just makes everything better. Strawberries, marshmallows, cookies, and cakes are tasty; but they’re decadent when covered in chocolate! What won’t Americans smother in chocolate? From chocolate-covered cherries to chocolate-dipped bacon, chocolate wine to chocolate-coated potato chips, Americans LOVE chocolate!
Fun Facts
1. Chocolate comes from a fruit tree; it’s made from a seed.
2. It takes 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate.
3. Each cacao tree produces approximately 2,500 beans.
4. A farmer must wait four to five years for a cacao tree to produce its first beans.
5. Spanish royalty gave cakes of cacao in their dowries.
6. White chocolate is not actually chocolate.
7. Hot chocolate was the first chocolate treat.
8. Cocoa and cacao are one and the same.
9. Although native to the Amazon Basin, most cacao is now grown in Africa.
10. Chocolate melts at precisely 93° F.
Choclidays
There are the obvious holidays that are dripping in chocolate like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, but did you know there are more than 40 days designated to chocolate? Americans celebrate Chocolate Covered Cherry Day, Chocolate Cake Day, Chocolate Caramel Day, National Truffles Day, National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and National Cocoa Day-just to name a few!
Health Benefits
Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients that can positively affect your health. Made from the seed of the cocoa tree, it’s one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet. There is considerable evidence that cocoa can provide powerful health benefits, being especially protective against heart disease.
1. Quality dark chocolate is rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and a few other minerals.
2. Cocoa and dark chocolate have more powerful antioxidants than most other foods.
3. The bioactive compounds in cocoa may improve blood flow in the arteries and cause a small but statistically significant decrease in blood pressure.
4. Dark chocolate improves several important risk factors for disease. It lowers the susceptibility of LDL to oxidative damage while increasing HDL and improving insulin sensitivity.
5. Observational studies show a drastic reduction in heart disease risk among those who consume the most chocolate.
6. Studies show that the flavanols from cocoa can improve blood flow to the skin and protect it from sun damage.
7. Cocoa or dark chocolate may improve brain function by increasing blood flow. It also contains stimulants like caffeine and theobromine.
Promo Perfect?
Because you just can’t go wrong with chocolate, it’s always the perfect time to give chocolate. No one has ever received chocolates and thought it was a strange time of year to receive chocolates. And people tend to share chocolates! The more they share, the more impressions for your brand! And don’t you want your brand to be on that little piece of chocolate that comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress?
Get Your Brand On:
Promo packs of Chocolate Chip Cookies,
Chocolate Covered Pretzels,
Hot Chocolate,
Custom Chocolate Cookies,
Personalized Wrapped Chocolates,
Customized Shaped Chocolates,
Logoed Truffles,
Chocolate bars with personalized wrappers,
Promotional Mug stuffers,
Logoed Tins of Chocolate
Cocoa Trends
What’s trending in chocolate besides chocolate-covered EVERYTHING? Craft Chocolate! The phrase is usually used synonymously with “bean to bar,” which is defined as chocolate made with whole beans from scratch by one company.
All chocolate starts as whole beans. But most of the chocolates on store shelves are made from beans roasted in batches and combined with sugar, vanillin (fake vanilla) and a host of other additives to make a consistent product.
With craft chocolate, the focus is less on consistency and more about artfulness and deliciousness. Artisans work closely with cocoa farmers to source the highest-quality beans, which they carefully roast, grind and smooth into chocolate. They use few ingredients besides cocoa beans and sugar.
Feeling Good
Does chocolate make you happy? A study in 1996 showed that chocolate caused the release of endorphins in the brains of American women, making them feel happy.
Chocolate does contain a number of compounds associated with mood-lifting chemicals in the brain. Unfortunately, only small quantities of these compounds are found in chocolate, and now some scientists say that they are probably almost entirely digested before they reach the brain. It may instead be the satisfying experience of eating chocolate that releases endorphins and ‘happy feelings’ more than the content of the chocolate itself. Is this why men tend to give women so much chocolate? Happy wife=happy life? Maybe!
