Earliest box of Valentine’s Day chocolates

Richard Cadbury (UK), the eldest son of John Cadbury, founder of the world famous company, created the first known heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day 1868. He was a pioneer in chocolate box design and often used his own paintings to make the lids of the boxes more appealing. Richard Cadbury and his brother George took over the family business in 1861, when Richard was only 25. Initially the business was on the brink of collapse but with Richard in charge of sales and marketing profits eventually improved.