Chocolate first came to Europe as a trophy from the New World. After the discovery of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, the European elites prepared chocolate as a beverage. This drink became the drink of princes and patriarchs.
In 1657, the first shop of its kind was selling chocolate retail to the people of London. Chocolate, still available as a beverage, soon gained the approval of the Paris Medical School.
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("the Friends") are generally united by a belief in each human's ability to experience the light within or see "that of God in everyone".
By the end of the 17th century, the Quakers were gaining a reputation as good traders. Of course, few other career paths were opening up to them. Quakers were being expelled from universities. And careers in the military, as dedicated nonviolent people, were certainly out of the question!
Over time, Quakers were tempted to trade chocolate with merchants. With its medicinal qualities approved by esteemed scientists, Quakers have embraced chocolate as a healthy alternative to alcohol.
The first Quaker to make a name for himself in the chocolate trade was an English doctor named Joseph Fry. Quaker Joseph's shop in Bristol sold herbal products. Later, he added chocolate to his products.
Joseph Storrs Fry
By 1795, the Fry family had gained almost 50 years of experience in the chocolate business. That same year, he became the first chocolate maker to apply factory methods in the production of Fry's Chocolate products, thanks to a Watts steamer.
In 1824, a 23-year-old Quaker, John Cadbury, was given a lot of money by his father who said to him, "Bump or get out!" said. Perhaps inspired by his father's clear-sightedness, Cadbury opened a shop selling tea, coffee, and cocoa. Cadbury's shop was also notable for having a flat glass window fitted (it was the first in Birmingham) and employing a Chinese clerk at the tea stall.
With the addition of the Rowntree name, the number of Quaker chocolates increased to three. Quaker Rowntrees opened their chocolate shop in the city of York.
In the 19th century, the Quakers changed the way we eat chocolate. By this time he would drink chocolate, or possibly an ingredient in other recipes.
In 1847, the descendants of Joseph Fry introduced British society to the first bar of chocolate. Melted cocoa butter was mixed with powdered cocoa and sugar. The resulting dough was compressed with a press in the form of a mold.
Other innovations were taking place in Cadbury's chocolate. For years, people have been separating cocoa butter from chocolate to make powdered cocoa. But no one was able to squeeze out all the cocoa butter. Therefore, additives (such as potato flour) were used to turn cocoa into powder. In 1866, Cadbury's was able to remove additives from their cocoa by discovering a more advanced method of removing natural cocoa butter. This innovation prompted Quaker Cadbury's to advertise:
“Absolutely Pure: Therefore, The Best.”
As another innovation, in 1868 Cadbury's started the trend of boxed chocolate candies.
Milk chocolate was invented in 1875. It was Nestle's honor. Soon after, Quaker companies developed their own milk chocolate formulas. Cadbury's dairy milk bar chocolate became the company's bestseller by 1913. For the next 75 years, England remained the king of chocolate bars.
Although the brand names all survive, Fry, Cadbury, and Rowntree are no longer under Quaker's control. Fry's and Cadbury's merged in 1919. In 1969, this company also merged with Schweppes Ltd. Rowntree was acquired by Nestle in 1988.
It is especially worth noting the exemplary attitude of Cadbury company toward its workers. The Quaker-owned chocolate company was the first to allow its workers to work 5 days a week. In addition, sports facilities, medical facilities, schools, and community gardens were built for workers. In 1893, the Cadbury brothers bought 120 acres (48.56 Hectares) of land next to their factory to help their workers get out of their slums. In this village, which they called Bournville, 144 cottages were built for the Cadbury workers and the public in general. By 1915, the death and infant mortality rates in this village were half those in Birmingham as a whole.
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How did Quakers conquer the British sweet shop?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8467833.stm