Chocolate Factory Technological Revolution

 

Picture Source: Paul Zipperer, The Manufacture of Chocolate , 2nd edition, 1902; p. 186.

      During the industrial revolution new inventions were created that led to the first chocolate bars to be produced. The popularity of chocolate bars led to many companies starting the chocolate industry. Mass production of chocolate allowed for more people to have access to cacao that was once limited in access for the elites and those that could afford the luxury item. It was inventions such as the butter press, winnower, roll refiner, and more that allowed for cacao to be mass produced into chocolate. These inventions didn’t change any of the processes of making cacao into chocolate that have been around for many years, it just made it easier and much faster. These inventions increased chocolate production so much that a worker could now make 500 kilograms of chocolate, in 1890’s, in comparison to before which was only 10 kilograms, in the early 1800’s. The difference in the amount of production from the early 1800’s to the late 1800’s just really shows how much these new inventions speed up the process of making chocolate. 

The butter press, invented by a Dutchman named Casparus van Houten in 1828, allowed for cacao butter to be removed from cacao to create a powder that was also altered through the alkalization process that made cocoa less bitter.  This process became known as dutching, invented by van Houten son, Coenraad. It was around this time that the first chocolate bar was made by Joseph Fry, a chocolate maker in the United Kingdom. Fry used the cacao butter produced by the butter press to make a new chocolate, a blend of sugar and cocoa powder that was mixed with cacao butter which gave a smoother texture that could also be molded. This new way of making chocolate allowed for the Fry company to become the biggest chocolate maker in the United Kingdom and the main supplier to the royal navy.

Another version of chocolate that changed the game was the invention of milk chocolate. Milk chocolate was created by Daniel Peter, another chocolate producer, using dehydrated condensed milk, that was created by Henri Nestle, and mixing it with cacao solids. It was the mixturing of these ingredients that created the success in making milk chocolate after many trials and errors.  Not only was the mixing successful, this chocolate had a longer shelf life due to using dried milk and not regular milk which would have likely caused the chocolate to spoil too soon. 

Another machine that changed the chocolate industry was the machine process of conching, which continuously rolled chocolate for hours to give it smoothness. This invention was created by Rudolph Lindt, a Swiss chocolatier. Conching completely changed the chocolate industry because it was this machine that gave chocolate factories the capability to mass produce chocolate at an even faster rate. This process also allowed for more cacao butter to be added, making the chocolate even smoother to the point it didn’t have a grain texture anymore. 

Inventions during the industrial revolution led to the process of turning cacao into chocolate faster and cheaper. Which led to the creations of companies we know today such as Ghirardelli, Hershey, and Bakers. Ghirardelli was founded in 1852 in San Francisco by Domenico Girardelli, an immigrant from Italy, who was an apprentice at a fancy confectionery shop while he lived in Italy. Hershey was founded in 1894 after founder, Milton Hershey, went to an exhibit and was so fascinated by the chocolate machinery that he decided to buy a set and start his own company. Hershey wanted to create his own version of milk chocolate and began to experiment to find his own recipe. 

Bakers, the oldest of the three companies, was founded in 1764 by John Hannon and James Bakers. They originally had the goal of making chocolate that was so satisfying to their consumers, offering a cash back guarantee. This changed when James Bakers became the sole owner of the business and turned to making chocolate drinks. As competition increased, Bakers turned to advertisement techniques to stay in business, such as having displays at fairs to give out samples. 

If it weren’t for new inventions that sped up the process of making chocolate, chocolate would probably still be an item that only those with money could afford. We wouldn’t have the companies that everyone knows and loves today. It’s thanks to these different inventions that we get to experience chocolate today that is affordable and easily accessible. We know the impact new inventions had on the industry of chocolate but how did inventions impact the production of cacao?


Bibliography:

Lecture 5

Brenner, Joel Glenn. The Emperors of Chocolate. Broadway Press, 1999.

Lawrence, Sidney. “The Ghirardelli Story.” California History 81, no. 2 (2002): 90–115. https://doi.org/10.2307/25177676.

Snyder, Rodney, Bradley Foliart Olsen, and Laura Pallas Brindle. “From Stone Metates to Steel Mills: The Evolution of Chocolate Manufacturing.” In Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage, edited by Howard-Yana Shapiro and Louis E. Grivetti, 611-623. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.



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