Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. Theobroma is Greek for 'food of the gods'. The ancient Aztecs venerated the cacao tree and used its beans as a form of currency. They saw the tree as a source of strength and wealth and assigned their god Quetzalcoatl its guardian.

The Aztecs discovered that by crushing the beans into a paste and adding spices, they could make a refreshing and nourishing drink. This drink would have been very bitter, unlike our chocolate drinks today. Sixteenth century European explorers brought the drink back from their travels, added sweeter flavourings, and soon it was popular as an expensive luxury.

In the 1800s, solid chocolate became popular, with the invention of moulding processes. Mechanical grinders crushed cocoa beans to a fine powder that could be heated and poured into moulds, forming shapes as it cooled.

Dutchman Coenrad Van Houten perfected the extraction of cocoa butter from cocoa beans in 1825. The beans were crushed to a paste, which was then subjected to very high pressure, forming chocolate liquor and cocoa butter. The extracted butter was smoothed and treated to remove any odours.

In the 1880s, Rudolphe Lindt of Switzerland started adding extra cocoa butter during chocolate manufacture, to make it smoother and glossier.

By 1875, Daniel Peter, who was also Swiss, had taken this one stage further and perfected the manufacture of milk chocolate, creating something that was sweeter and smoother than dark chocolate.

Recent studies have shown that chocolate contains high levels of powerful antioxidants (procyanidins), associated with a decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. In fact, chocolate contains even more antioxidants then red wine.

In addition, chocolate elevates moods because it contains phenylethymine, the same chemical released in the brain when people fall in love. Chocolate is filled with natural mood-altering chemicals that generate a positive outlook and renewed energy.

The cocoa bean is also one of the best natural source of magnesium, a mineral involved in the production of serotonin, which enhances our sense of well-being.

The love of chocolate goes beyond the call of sweetness . Chocolate can induce craving in a way that other sugary products like toffee or marshmallow don't. Chocolate makes us feel good. Altogether, chocolate makes us feel good and it’s good for us.

When Maurice Kanbar set about creating a chocolate liqueur, he found the perfect chocolate in the Netherlands and Vemeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur was born.