Chocolate has a long, sweet history

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Teenage chocolate fans crafted these questions about the sweet treat after attending the Vernon Area Public Library District's National Chocolate Day festivities in October. "Why is Switzerland famous for chocolate, and what is chocolate made out of?"

Chocolate lovers are taking over. The sweet confection is becoming gold in the business markets - international sales are up 6 percent worldwide, accounting for $117 billion in sales, according to BizNews.com, with markets expanding for growers and manufacturers.

Stocks in corporations that sell chocolate candies continue to climb at a steady rate. Stores stock traditional chocolate bars, such as the No. 1 selling Snickers bar, named for a horse. Newer producers have cooked up organic, fair-trade sweet and bitter chocolates made by Green & Black, Theo and Equal Exchange.

Inside a tiny building shaped like an upside-down ice cream cone, candy makers at the Riverside Chocolate Factory in McHenry churn out scrumptious chocolates. Customers love the chocolate-dipped bacon strips and cashew bear claw clusters.

A company spokesman listed a combination of ingredients used to whip up the handmade treats: "Milk chocolate, sugar, whole milk, cocoa butter, chocolate liqueur, soy lecithin, vanilla and lots of love."

The store sells chocolate-covered cookies, fruits and chocolate candies with fillings in addition to ice cream, non-chocolate candies and personalized creations.

Julie Raio, manager of Anna Shea Chocolates and Chocolate Lounge in South Barrington, said chocolate sales are strongest from Halloween through Mother's Day. Each of the company's chocolate confections is handmade in a two-day process that includes hand painting, casting, filling and capping. The base chocolate is imported from the renowned Swiss chocolatier Felchlin.

Customer favorites are salted caramel Fleur de Sel and Heart of the Ocean dark chocolate bonbons. Shea also supplies edible small-scale Willis-Tower-shaped chocolate bars for the Metropolitan Club, a private dining club perched at the top of Chicago's iconic skyscraper.

"The Swiss were pioneers in chocolate, especially milk chocolate," Raio explained. "It has to do with the climate and atmosphere, just like coffee beans and grapes grown for fine wines."

Chocolate comes from seeds of the cacao plant grown in South America. Conquistadors brought it to Old World Spain across the Atlantic Ocean in the 1500s.

First relished as a rich, velvety drink, chocolate emigrated from Spain to France through the royal families and then spread to European aristocracy. Chocolate manufacturing first developed in Switzerland in the early 1800s, where the recipe combining chocolate and milk was first developed by Swiss manufacturer Daniel Peter.