The Vintage Chocolate Brand That's Somehow Been Around For Nearly 300 Years

Chocolate has a rich and complex history. The sweet treat we know and love today was at one point kept secret for a century. Since the recipe was unleashed, chocolate has fascinated foodies with new, rare types of chocolate — and a multitude of brands and products — popping up throughout the years. Most people probably think that major chocolate companies are a more modern invention, but one of the oldest chocolate brands is almost 300 years old.

Established in 1764, Baker's Chocolate was the brainchild of an unemployed chocolatier and a general store owner. Together, the two would become the first American chocolate manufacturers. Although the original purpose of the company was to make drinking chocolate, Baker's Chocolate eventually became most commonly used as baking chocolate, which has its own unique uses compared with regular chocolate. Today, the company is still going strong. Many Baker's Chocolate products can be found on grocery store shelves; in fact, the company is lauded for its rich flavor and wide selection. It helped set the stage for some of the other chocolate brands that would grow over the centuries.

Originally started under the name Hannon's Best Chocolate, Baker's Chocolate is widely regarded as the oldest chocolate brand in the world. The company was passed down as a family business for decades, staying within the Baker family for almost a century. As Baker's Chocolate continued to thrive, it was followed up by the births of other chocolate companies, starting with Xocolata Jolonch in 1770. Founded in a region of Spain known as Agramunt, this company is also still currently operating.

The next major chocolate company that is still operating, Cailler Chocolate, popped up in Switzerland in 1819. After Cailler Chocolate opened, there was a boom of chocolate companies appearing all over the world. The second chocolate manufacturer in America, Whitman's, opened in 1842. Switzerland-based Lindt and Sprungli opened shortly after in 1845. These were quickly followed by J.S. Fry and Sons in 1847, Ghiradelli in 1852, Elmer Chocolate in 1855, and Neuhaus in 1857. Chocolate companies continued to crop up towards the end of the 1800's, including Nestle in 1866 and Hershey's in 1894. Some more contemporary favorites were birthed in the early 1900's, suh as Cadbury in 1905 and Toblerone in 1908.