Fun Facts About Chocolate
Mountain-Sized™ Chocolates
In the early 1980s, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was founded in Durango, Colorado, with a passion for crafting exceptional chocolate in a charming mountain town. With no prior experience in candy making, the goal was simply to create the most delicious treats possible.
The first batches of chocolates began with gooey caramel, crunchy nuts, rich buttercreams, and creamy peanut butter centers. However, their final size after being fully coated in chocolate wasn’t initially considered. Rather than resizing them, they were priced by weight—and just like that, the signature Mountain-Sized™ chocolates were born.
Today, chocolate-making techniques have been refined to perfection, but oversized, sharable chocolates remain at the heart of what makes Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory unique. While many brands shrink their products, our famous Bears and Buckets weigh nearly a quarter-pound per piece!
Cacao beans were used as currency in ancient Mesoamerican cultures (like the Mayans and Aztecs), even becoming a recognized standard unit of currency. According to historians, the Aztecs could trade a rabbit for about 10 cacao beans.
(The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe)
Did you know that chocolate absorbs surrounding scents? This is largely because chocolate (especially dark chocolate) is highly porous. This is why it’s important to keep your chocolates tightly sealed.
(The Science of Chocolate by Stephen T Beckett)
Chocolate is a mood booster! Due to compounds like theobromine and phenylethylamine, which can trigger the brain’s pleasure center and create feelings of happiness.
(The Science of Chocolate by Stephen T Beckett)
Chocolate contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs and cats. The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the more dangerous it is for dogs and cats. Even a small amount can cause serious harm to pets, so it’s important to keep chocolate out of their reach.
(Cornell Richard P Riney Canine Health Center vet.cornell.edu)
Meet Truffles the Bear
A chocolate company with a bear as a mascot might seem a little strange, but bears are a part of life in the Rocky Mountains. We learned early on that safety regarding bears is incredibly important, especially when it comes to chocolate! (Bears often seek out beehives in the wild for the quick energy from honey, but also for the complete nutrition of the entire hive itself). In fact, omnivorous bear species have sweet receptor taste buds, and therefore actively seek out sweet foods like berries and honey. This is why we take painstaking precautions at the factory to stay “bear aware” to keep everyone (including the bears) safe!
We may have some fun “tall tales” about Truffles and his love of chocolate, but we keep Truffles on as a mascot to serve as a constant reminder to be good stewards of the environment, and to honor the early days of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
Chocolate has been consumed by humans for over 5,000 years. Early forms of chocolate were consumed as a bitter, frothy beverage, often mixed with spices like chili.
White chocolate does not contain cocoa solids, only utilizing the cocoa butter, resulting in its characteristic ivory color and subtle flavor, which is why it’s technically not considered “true” chocolate.
Cacao trees can live for over 200 years, but they only produce usable cacao beans for about 25 years. A single cacao tree produces around 2,500 beans in its lifetime.
The cacao tree was first domesticated in present-day southeast Ecuador. Early evidence of chocolate consumption dates to 600 BC. It was often associated with the heart and believed to be psychedelic.
Gourmet Chocolate Gifts Crafted for Moments That Matter
According to the US Chamber of Commerce, Valentine’s Day is the largest chocolate-selling holiday in the United States, with consumers purchasing approximately 58 million pounds of chocolate during the week of Valentine’s Day. Additionally, Valentine’s Day season represents approximately $4 billion in confectionery sales each year.
At Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, it’s our signature season for crafting premium Valentine’s Day chocolates that make every gift unforgettable. Be sure to shop our seasonal Valentine's Day selections every year - a sure way to win your sweetheart over!
Cacao beans must be fermented for several days to develop the distinctive chocolate flavor. After harvesting, beans are removed from their pods and placed in heaps, bins, or laid out on grates to undergo fermentation.
In 1847, J.S. Fry & Sons introduced the first chocolate bar by blending cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and sugar into a moldable paste. This innovation transformed chocolate from a primarily liquid beverage into a solid confectionery, enhancing its convenience and appeal to consumers.
(History of chocolate - Wikipedia)
Chocolate was first imported to colonial America as a luxury beverage enjoyed only by the elite. It was a rare treat among the upper classes and became a status symbol in refined social circles.
(Chocolate | Definition, History, Types, Production, & Facts | Britannica)
Cacao vs. Cocoa – “Cacao" generally refers to the raw, unprocessed beans, while “cocoa" refers to the processed powder or mass. To produce cocoa, the beans undergo roasting at high temperatures which alters their molecular structure, resulting in a slightly sweeter flavor and reduced nutrient content compared to raw cacao.
(Cacao vs Cocoa: What's the Difference? Healthline)
