The first known use of cocoa beans was 600 years ago. Cocoa beans were introduced to the world by the Aztecs who used them to prepare a hot, frothy beverage, which contained restorative and stimulant properties; this drink was strictly reserved for tribe nobility and religious ceremonies. About 100 years later, the Spanish conquistadors brought these magical beans back to Europe, and hot chocolate became a well established drink in wealthy homes. The solid chocolate that we have grown to know and love today was invented in the 1800s by Dutchman Van Houten. Soon, chocolate makers began to produce imaginative shapes out of chocolate. Just over 70 years ago, in a small town in the Swiss Alps, a humble chocolate maker embarked on a journey that soon made him one of the world's greatest chocolatiers, and establish his as one of the biggest names in the chocolate world. In 1932 Dolf Teuscher and his wife opened a small bakery and confectionary shop inToesstal, Switzerland. Soon after moving their shop to Zurich, Mr Teuscher had eyed two champagne buckets one evening and dreamt of an odd type of truffle called a Champagne Truffle. more... See more text