The 1970s saw a rise in premium foods, and all those foodies were happily enhancing their sweet tooth with expensive European sweets. Take designer chocolate, specifically Godiva made in Belgium, which opened up a whole new world, dominating the market with its gold boxes, sinful truffles, and high prices. We gladly put aside old favorites, like Hershey and Mars, and went in search of a richer, more elegant, and better-packaged chocolate. For the first time, many Americans no longer associated the word “truffles” with a mushroom that pigs dug up in France. They were chocolate candies that produced almost a spiritual experience with an incredible bite. Even the brittle peanut got more elegant, as the pricier nuts replaced the humble peanut, chocolate replaced the “brittle” and the high-quality almond or cashew crust took center stage.
So was the food culture, as Americans opted for a more sophisticated lifestyle, more expensive restaurants, and fine dining experiences. Having a bad day? Treat yourself. Feeling depressed? Nothing satisfies like chocolate. Looking for a hostess gift? That golden box of truffles will impress. Importers jumped into this trend and more and more premium candies flooded stores, while some even opened boutiques with their decadent food. Young professionals were no longer satisfied with the Butterfingers, Hershey bars, or Snickers of their childhood. They wanted more and they got it. If you still prefer chocolate bars, Cadbury pleased you with larger sizes filled with nuts, raisins, or caramel. Ghiradelli presented a bag of milk wrapped in foil or squares of dark chocolate, filled with raspberry, caramel or mint.
So who are these fancy companies catering to our chi-chi popsicles? European chocolatiers like Lindfors, Perugina, Ghiradelli, Toblerone, Ferrero Rocher, Neuhaus, Lindt and of course the great lady of them all, Godiva. Not to be outdone, American chocolate makers rushed to compete, upgraded their packaging, expanded their repertoire, and charged higher prices to meet new demand. And just as Americans were looking for better coffee rather than standard grocery brands, they also bought better baking treats. Even the tried and true Toll House bites met their first competitors in Ghiradelli and expensive regional brands. Smartly marketed, they promised to produce a better tasting chocolate chip cookie, and some bakers took notice.
So have we regressed and renewed our loyalty to more modest and much less expensive brands? Not soon. In 2007, two brothers by the name of Mast dared to charge ten dollars for a “better” chocolate bar, and like flame moths, they were devoured by chocolate fans. Online, you can buy their “collections” of different chocolate bars, nicely packaged. Six bars cost $ 45, but some are made with goat or sheep’s milk, which justifies the cost, according to them. A single bar will cost you between eight and ten dollars. (Eat very slowly).
And we haven’t even started with organic or jungle chocolates. Too overwhelming to even think about it.