You can blame Richard Cadbury, whose family business was chocolate manufacturing, for linking Valentine's Day and the candy together. He developed "eating chocolates" and put them in boxes to sell. This led to specially designed containers in 1861 that depicted love, dotted with Cupids and flowers and shaped like hearts. People ate the confectionary and then kept the boxes. Although Cadbury "didn't actually patent the heart-shaped box, it's widely believed that he was the first to produce one," according to History.
Milton Hershey also helped create the V'day-chocolate link. The man who would launch an entire line of delectable goodies got his start as a caramel maker — and then changed his destiny after seeing an 1893 chocolate exhibit in Chicago. "When Milton felt a growing demand for chocolate, he restructured his entire operation to mass produce a new formula of chocolate for all to enjoy," per the Hershey company site. "Soon what was once a luxury for the wealthy became a delicious and affordable treat for the common man"
Of course, there's also Russell Stover. His company started in 1923 with his wife, Clara, and himself, creating the treats in their Denver home. Within a year, they expanded to a five-store operation in several states. The business became so big it even bought out a competitor, Whitman's.
Because of these early innovators, there are numerous chocolate-covered, caramel-filled selections to choose from for Valentine's Day.
