Baker's Chocolate (brand) - History

History

In 1764, John Hannon (or alternatively spelled "Hannan" in some sources) and the American physician Dr. James Baker started importing beans and producing chocolate in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

After Hannon's death, his widow sold the company to Dr. Baker in 1780, and the company was renamed to the Baker Chocolate Company. His first product was a cake of chocolate for making a sweetened chocolate drink. Distribution was mainly in the Northeastern United States until 1804, when Dr. Baker's son, Edmund Baker, inherited the family business and increased production with a state-of-the-art mill.

By 1849, under Walter Baker, the Baker's Chocolate brand had spread to California during the United States Gold Rush. Production was limited to one kind of chocolate until 1852, when employee Samuel German created a new brand of "Sweet Chocolate" that had a higher sugar content than previous baking chocolates. This chocolate was given his name and called "German's Sweet Chocolate". A later mistake in a Dallas, Texas newspaper would give way to German chocolate cake, a recipe based on the chocolate.

Production steadily increased through the century. The trademark logo of La Belle Chocolatiere was adopted in 1883 by the fourth-generation familial owner, William Henry Pierce, step-nephew of Walter Baker. Pierce began advertising Baker's Chocolate heavily in newspapers to increase profits. Promotional offers of tableware and logo pins helped attract customers. At his death in 1896, the Forbes Syndicate bought the company. They eventually sold the company to the Postum Cereal Company, later known as General Foods. In 1969, production of Baker's Chocolate moved from Dorchester, Massachusetts to Dover, Delaware. The company was passed onto Kraft Foods in 1989 when they acquired General Foods.