The story of chocolate spans and stretches back over 3,000 years, originating in Mesoamerica where ancient civilizations like the Olmecs, Maya, and Aztec revered the cacao bean as a sacred and valuable commodity and prepared a beverage from cacao beans to be used in rituals. Initially consumed as a bitter, spiced beverage, chocolate evolved from a drink of the elite to a widely enjoyed treat with the introduction of sugar and milk, and the development of chocolate bars and confections.

Europeans later adopted and refined chocolate, leading to its widespread popularity and industrial production. Spanish conquistadors encountered chocolate in the Aztec empire and brought it back to Europe, where it was initially enjoyed as a drink by the wealthy and elite. The Spaniards added sugar to the bitter drink, making it more palatable to European tastes.