Baker's Chocolate Wasn't Actually Created for Baking—Here's How it Got its Name

The double meaning is pretty convenient, though.

When perusing the baking aisle at your local grocery store, you’ve likely seen the brand Baker’s Chocolate prominently displayed on different shelves. The company sells all the best mix-ins for baking—like German chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, white chocolate, and even coconut flakes.

You’ve probably never thought much about the brand’s name, other than the fact that it makes total sense: Baker’s Chocolate because it’s meant for baking. But, that’s actually not why it’s called Baker’s Chocolate at all—in fact, the company didn't even make baking chocolate when it was first established. We know, it’s one of the oldest chocolate companies in the U.S. and we’re just now realizing the name isn’t what we thought.

How Did Baker's Chocolate Get Its Name?

The Baker’s Chocolate company was originally founded in the 1760s under a different name, Hannon’s Best Chocolate. The company was created in Boston by John Hannon (hence the original name) and Dr. James Baker who began importing cocoa beans and making chocolate.

However, after Hannon mysteriously never returned from a trip to the West Indies, his wife sold the company to Baker in 1780. Baker changed the company’s name to The Baker Chocolate Company, and, despite multiple buyouts over the years, the name remains quite similar today.

Baker’s Chocolate began producing chocolate, but it wasn’t meant for baking. Originally, the company made drinking chocolate (or hot chocolate). It wasn’t until Baker’s grandson, Walter Baker, took over the company that they began producing baking chocolate.

So, in the end, Baker’s Chocolate is named after the man who created the company—and the fact that it produces baking chocolate is just a happy coincidence. In fact, that’s not the only coincidental name to come out of the chocolate company.

As previously mentioned, Baker’s Chocolate manufactures and sells German chocolate. And, it’s not just any German chocolate, it’s the original German chocolate that was used to make the first-ever German chocolate cake.

That’s right, German chocolate cake didn’t originate in Germany. It actually got its name from the chocolate it’s made from—Baker’s Chocolate’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. Even weirder, the chocolate itself doesn’t have anything to do with Germany, either. It’s named after the man who created it: Samuel German. It’s all a little trippy, right?

So sure, the name Baker’s Chocolate started as a way to honor its founder, but it’s a happy accident that lends a second meaning to the iconic brand. Today, Baker’s Chocolate is owned by Kraft Heinz, but its name and “The Chocolate Girl” logo continue to remind us of the rich history the company has endured.