Countdown to Christmas
2 - Chocolate
- Source of Happiness: Chocolate is more than a treat; it’s a universal language of comfort, celebration, and connection. Whether shared with loved ones or savored in solitude, each bite carries a little sweetness into our lives.
- Cocoa Production Helps Developing Countries: The production of cocoa plays a significant role in the economies of many developing and emerging countries, providing income, employment, and opportunities for community development. Approximately 90% of the world’s cocoa is grown by smallholder farmers in developing countries, often on farms less than 5 hectares in size. Pay attention to the origin: it has never been tastier to support fair trade!
- Ze Germans love chocolate: Germans are among the world's top chocolate consumers, with per capita consumption of 5.8 kilograms annually, which makes us #3 worldwide (the Swiss: 11.8 kg!). Germany is also the top chocolate exporter globally, with exports valued at $5.6 billion in 2022, accounting for 16.7% of the world's total chocolate exports.
Christmas Miracle
The journey across centuries and continents, from bitter cacao to sweet chocolate, reflects a mix of cultural adaptation, culinary experimentation, and technological progress.
Chocolate is one of the most popular foods and flavors in the world, yet it offers so much variety. There is dark chocolate, white chocolate, everything in between, and even ruby red chocolate. You can eat it, drink it, enjoy it hot or cold, sweet or savory.
Honestly, I cannot imagine a Christmas without chocolate: Chocolate deserves to take center stage during the holidays! It starts with the (actual) advent calendar, which traditionally delivers a little chocolate treat every day to make the wait for Christmas Day more bearable as a child (and still today!). It's chocolate-covered cookies and gingerbread, it's hot cocoa after a walk in the cold December days, and it's the chocolate Santa Claus you'll hopefully find in your boot on December 6th in Germany. A fine chocolate makes a sweet little gift to thank your mailman for delivering all those packages you ordered for the holidays, and everyone loves the thrill of picking out a praline (because you never know what you might get, as Forrest Gump taught us) and truly enjoying a rich and creamy chocolate taste during a stressful day and pausing for a moment.
What a delight!"
