Mars, Incorporated launches American Heritage Chocolate

21/02/06 The Historic Division of Mars, Incorporated and the Colonial Chocolate Society announced the launch of American Heritage Chocolate, the first historically-inspired line of authentic products celebrating chocolate's important role in the lives of Americans during the Revolutionary era.

"An important part of the unique commitment Mars is making to cocoa science is understanding the true history of this unique food in human history. Working alongside researchers from the University of California, Davis, Colonial Williamsburg, Fort Ticonderoga and many other institutions, we have uncovered a wealth of information related to chocolate and its surprising prominence in the lives of Americans during the Revolutionary era," said Janis Smith-Gomez, Marketing Vice President at the Historic Division of Mars, Incorporated. "The history of chocolate in America is so interesting that we felt it was something we wanted to share and bring to life in the form of real products. How ironic that our newest innovation involves recreating an authentic chocolate recipe from the time of the Revolutionary War for today's consumer."

Mars initiated the formation of the Colonial Chocolate Society with the University of California, Davis, Fort Ticonderoga (in upstate New York) and Colonial Williamsburg (in Virginia) to pull together all the research and historical information on cocoa and chocolate during the decades leading up to and during the American Revolutionary War period. As the team grew and the surprisingly interesting findings emerged, Mars began testing selected authentic recipes and came up with a method to uniformly make these chocolates in larger quantities. Making the chocolate is dependent on handmade techniques, and results in the irregular appearance and slightly gritty texture typical of the ability at the time to grind the cocoa bean, spices and other ingredients. The taste experience is unlike any modern day chocolate -- rich in cocoa, spicy and slightly sweet.

Designed with the history enthusiast in mind, American Heritage Chocolate is available only at the museums and historic sites of Fort Ticonderoga, Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Monticello and The Smithsonian.

While the complete history of chocolate in Revolutionary America has yet to be written, we do know chocolate was an important staple to America's "founding fathers." Records at Mount Vernon indicate that chocolate was a favorite drink during George Washington's lifetime. His first recorded chocolate order was in 1758, for twenty pounds of the product from England; he continued to buy chocolate throughout his lifetime, with orders ranging from one pound to as much as fifty pounds. Chocolate for George Washington was consumed as a beverage, often at breakfast. It was prepared by grating a small amount of chocolate into boiling water and adding sugar as needed.

Thomas Jefferson predicted in 1785 that chocolate would prevail over coffee and tea in American preferences due to its superiority for health and nourishment. Benjamin Franklin, who sold locally manufactured chocolate in his Philadelphia print shop, secured six pounds of chocolate per officer marching with General Braddock's army in the French & Indian War.

Yet the benefits of cocoa and chocolate were not confined to the wealthy and notable. During the American Revolution, commissaries accounted for a steady supply of chocolate at such northern defenses as Fort Ticonderoga, where Captain Moses Greenleaf regularly "breakfasted on chocolate."

"It became unpatriotic to drink tea around the time of the Boston Tea Party, so chocolate became a popular alternative in the colonies," said Jim Gay, a member of the Historic Foodways department of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and whose area of research is chocolate in colonial America. "Since chocolate was much less expensive than in Britain, where imported cocoa was highly taxed, it quickly permeated all walks of life. For instance, chocolate was a military ration during the American Revolutionary War, was drunk as a medicine during the Lewis and Clark Expedition and on the western overland trails by California Gold Rush miners, and was a common food desired by soldiers and civilians alike during the period of the American Civil War."

Chocolate aficionados and history buffs alike can learn more about American Heritage Chocolate at http://www.americanheritagechocolate.com/, where additional colonial and modern-day recipes can be found.

Mars, Incorporated is committed to world-class scientific research, and created the Historic Division of Mars to explore and share an accurate historical account of cocoa and chocolate based on documented research.

Mars, Incorporated, one of the world's top processors of cocoa, is a privately held company that produces some of the world's leading confectionery, food, petcare, beverage, electronics products, and now health & nutrition products, and operates in more than 65 countries. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Mars, Incorporated employs more than 7,000 associates in the United States and 39,000 associates worldwide with 15 manufacturing facilities nationally and more than 100 manufacturing facilities globally. The company's global sales exceed $18 billion annually.

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