In 2005, to protest against conditions in the cocoa industry, a Dutch reporter ate 17 chocolate bars then asked to be arrested and tried for child slavery. The judge wouldn’t convict him, and the reporter went on to found Tony’s Chocolonely company.
It really happened! No, Willa Wonka isn’t inviting five lucky kids to tour his chocolate factory in hopes of finding someone to take over his empire, BUT if it’s chocolate you desire, then it’s chocolate you shall receive.
In September 2020, world-famous Swiss chocolatier and confectionery company Lindt opened a new chocolate museum: The Lindt Home of Chocolate, located in in Zurich, Switzerland.
There is plenty to discover in the Lindt Home of Chocolate, including the world’s largest chocolate fountain.
According to the Lindt Home of Chocolate website, this fountain measures over nine meters tall, and drizzles 1,500 liters of chocolate from the golden whisk into the signature Lindor truffle and back again.
Guests are welcome to take their picture with the fountain, so long as you don’t pull an Augustus Gloop!
You can learn all about the origins of chocolate and how Switzerland became the ultimate chocolate capital, through the museum’s guided tours.
You can choose a self-guided audio tour or join a group tour. Either way, you’ll get to see a real chocolate production line in the pilot plant, which allows you to follow a product every step of the way as it is produced.
And yes, before you ask, OF COURSE you’ll be given a chance to sample some delicious chocolate!
The museum boasts an inviting cafe, as well as the biggest Lindt chocolate shop in the world.
In the chocolate shop, you can watch a real Lindt Master Chocolatier as they work.
Savor the chocolate masterpieces they create fresh daily, or even have a Lindt Master Chocolatier create an original bar, customized to your taste preferences.
If the COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting your ability to travel and you know you won’t be able to pop on over to Switzerland anytime soon, check out this video in which the Lindt Maître Chocolatier gives professional Swiss tennis player Roger Federer a personal tour. It’s almost like being there yourself!
I want to see that chocolate fountain, but I don’t know if I can promise to keep my hands inside the ride. I wonder how they prevent kids from reaching in? I doubt oompa-loompas are involved, but who knows!
Which part of the Lindt Home of Chocolate museum do you want to experience the most?
A chocolate river existed in 1971. The famous chocolate river from the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory film was made with 15,000 gallons of water mixed with chocolate and cream. The river spoiled fairly quickly due to the cream and the cast said it stank.
The Queen of England is the only person to have ever eaten British Chocolate. In 1932 a factory in York tried growing cacao plants in the inhospitable British weather, but harvested only enough for one small bar, which they presented to Elizabeth II.
Hershey’s designed a customized chocolate bar for the troops during WW2 called “D ration bar”. It was so thick that soldiers had to shave slices off with a knife before chewing on it. By the end of the war, more than 3 billion ration bars had been produced. Also, M&Ms were originally made with Hershey’s […]
I have a feeling that this news is going to excite a whole lot of people out there. Combine two great things – chocolate and travel – and what do you get? The Eurochocolate Cruise.
The cruise is a collaboration between Costa Cruises and the annual Eurochocolate Festival, and it will set sail in April 2020 from Civitavecchia, Italy. The cruise will take guests through the Mediterranean for eight days.
Chocolate-themed cruise to set sail in 2020 It's every chocoholic’s dream come true. Travel https://ift.tt/2WfRW0P
If you’re lucky enough to book a spot on this excursion, you’ll be treated to eight days of chocolate tastings, chocolate workshops, a visit to the Chocolate Museum in Barcelona. Oh, and the boat itself is stocked with chocolate fountains, chocolate sculptures – even chocolate experts to answer all your chocolate questions.
The ship will also stop in Genoa, Palma de Mallorca, Malta, and Catania. Carlo Schiavon, Costa Cruises’ Italy country manager, said,
“We try to offer unique experiences to our guests […] and this is possible also thanks to prestigious partnerships like the one with Eurochocolate. [It] will allow us to have for the first time aboard a cruise ship the vibe, the fun and the tastes of the greatest international festival dedicated to chocolate.”
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The annual Eurochocolate festival takes place in Perugia, Italy, attracting around 900,000 visitors each year. Next year’s festival is set to kick off on October 16 and run until October 25.
I really need to get in on this whole “chocolate tourism” thing…what have I been doing with my life?
When two amazing things are combined, it’s cause for celebration, right?
Damn right!
What Old Style is to Chicago and Lone Star is to Texas, that’s what Yuengling is to Pennsylvania. Good, cheap beer enjoyed by regular folks who don’t want to spend a fortune on booze.
So it makes perfect sense that two of the most well-known businesses in the Keystone State, Yuengling and Hershey’s, teamed up to create the Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter.
Jennifer Yuengling, Vice President of Operations at the company, said:
“As the sixth generation of the Yuengling family, we have a 190-year history of listening to our fans and looking for new ways to deliver quality and memorable drinking experiences. We saw a unique opportunity to partner with Hershey’s, a brand known worldwide for its iconic, delicious tasting chocolate, to deliver fans our first-ever beer collaboration. We spent nearly a year developing our Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter and are excited for the world to indulge in the classic taste of Yuengling Dark Brewed Porter blended with the unmistakable taste of Hershey’s chocolate.”
You’ll be able to find the beer on draft in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, West Virginia, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, and Washington, DC.
You can also use the “Find Our Beer” tool on Yuengling’s website to find out where you can track down this special beer.
The brew is a limited-release product that is supposed to run from Halloween through Valentine’s Day, so you probably don’t want to sleep on this, folks.
On most days, I love my job because of all the fun things I get to write about. Every now and then, however, are those stories that must be told, despite how heartbreaking they are. This is one such story, and while it brings me no pleasure to report it, it’s definitely the kind of thing that everyone needs to be made aware of.
A woman named Kate Chacksfield is trying to warn other pet owners out there that the sweetener xylitol can be fatal to pets. She found out in the worst possible way – her beloved dog Ruby passed away after eating brownies that contained xylitol.
Chacksfield said that Ruby had gotten into brownies before and the chocolate did not make the dog sick. But when Ruby ate two brownies containing xylitol she was extremely sick within 36 hours. Chacksfield said she would have taken Ruby to the vet much sooner if she knew xylitol was harmful to dogs.
Xylitol is a sugar substitute that people use to try to lose weight. Chacksfield used it in her brownies because it has much fewer calories than sugar. She had no idea that xylitol can cause liver failure, seizures, and in some cases death for dogs that consume it.
After Chacksfield rushed Ruby to the vet, the poor dog’s condition quickly worsened. Eight days later, Ruby died. Chacksfield said, “I had no idea how serious eating natural sweeteners was for dogs, the photos of her on life support still make me cry.”
All you dog owners out there, take note. Keep xylitol and other harmful things away from your pets at all times. And if you notice something is wrong, take them to the vet immediately instead of waiting around a day or two to see if they improve.