Official Kids Mag is specifically written for kids ages 5 to 12. It contains activities and stories ranging from kid heroes, cooking, gardening, STEAM, education, fun facts and much more every month.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1343116
By Rhonda Baber-Crone Official Kids Mag This may come as a surprise to some, but Hershey, the 5th largest chocolate company in the world, did not invent chocolate! Back in 1893 in Pennsylvania, Milton S. Hershey did, in fact, found the Hershey Chocolate Company, and that was definitely a long time ago. But, the origin of chocolate as something we eat (and drink) dates much further back – as far as 450 BCE! The cacao bean is native to the area of North America known as "MesoAmerica," which comprises Central Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Northern Costa Rica. It was believed that the bean was a gift from the God of Wisdom, Quetzalcoatl. The Mexica people made from the cacao seeds fermented chocolate beverages, which today are known as "chilate," a delicacy made regularly by locals in the south of Mexico. The word "chocolate" comes from the Nahuati (Mexico and El Salvador) word "xocolatl,"which entered the English language from the Spanish language. The news of the delicious cacao bean soon travelled to Europe and beyond, and when sugar was added in the 16th Century, it became even more widely popular. In the 20th Century, chocolate was one of the items in soldiers' rations during war. Now, there are countless chocolate and candy companies around the world. But as for "bean-to bar" companies, like Kyya Chocolate in Bentonville, Arkansas, there are just 273. On a trip to Uganda in 2012, Kyya owner Rick Boosey and his wife, Cindy were helping build a chicken farm for a non-profit organization. It was there that they witnessed sights at an orphanage they "couldn't unsee." He said they immediately felt like they wanted to help the community somehow, so they considered what natural resources there were in Uganda. There were four: coffee beans, cotton, tea and cacao. They chose to purchase cacao from the farmers and go back home to Arkansas to make and sell chocolate. How did this help the Ugandan community? Simply put, it helped cut out the middle man, kyya: chocolate comes from a bean, y'know! 38 • march 2021 • www.officialkidsmag.com