5 Fun Facts About Chocolate

In honor of World Chocolate Day, we put together just a few fun facts about chocolate!

Grab your favorite chocolate and enjoy!

1. Ever wonder why the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory doesn’t have the same name as the 1971 film? Well, the film version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, was financed by Quaker Oats to promote its new “Wonka Bar” candy. Therefore, promoting the name through the title of the movie.

2. Did you know chocolate contains caffeine? Don’t worry, though, milk chocolate is not going to keep you up at night. In fact, there is very little caffeine in chocolate. Most bars only have about 10 mg of caffeine in them; however, dark chocolates can contain just as much caffeine as a can of Coca-Cola!

3. Chocolate milk is actually great for a post-workout recovery drink. A study published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism compared results of drinking a recovery drink and chocolate milk after a series of bike sprints followed by an endurance ride the next day. It was noted that the chocolate milk was just as effective at relieving muscle soreness afterwards and prepping the athletes to perform the very next day. Besides, who wouldn’t pick chocolate milk over endurance drinks, anyways?

4. Milton Hershey, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, started his career in candy. His first company, The Lancaster Caramel Company, was founded at just 30 years old. In fact, he built an entire town, called Hershey, in Pennsylvania which bears his name to this day. The whole town is themed around chocolate and the history of its founder.

5. Ruth Wakefield, the original creator of the chocolate chip cookie, sold her famous cookie recipe to Nestle in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate. Can you imagine trading in your family’s famous cookie recipe for a lifetime supply of chocolate?