National Choose Your Chocolate Day
September 16
About National Choose Your Chocolate Day
National Choose Your Chocolate Day takes place every year on 16 September, inviting chocolate lovers to seek out and savour their favourite variety, whether that is a creamy milk bar, a bittersweet dark square, a smooth white truffle or a nut-studded cluster. The day was created by the American chocolatier See’s Candies in 2020 and falls on the birthday of its founder, Mary See. It is a celebration of personal taste and the sheer variety the chocolate world has to offer.
How to Celebrate National Choose Your Chocolate Day
The whole point of the day is in the name: pick the chocolate you love and enjoy it without apology. Here are plenty of ways to take part.
- Choose your signature piece – Visit a chocolate shop or sweet counter and pick the single piece you would choose above all others, then take the time to actually taste it rather than rushing through.
- Build a tasting flight – Line up milk, dark and white chocolate side by side, plus a flavoured option, and compare how each one melts and lingers on the palate.
- Host a blind taste test – Gather friends or family, unwrap several chocolates and guess the cocoa percentage or the brand. It is a surprisingly competitive way to spend an afternoon.
- Support an independent chocolatier – Skip the supermarket aisle and buy from a small-batch maker or bean-to-bar producer to discover flavours you will not find anywhere else.
- Make your own – Melt good-quality chocolate, stir through nuts, dried fruit or sea salt, and set it in moulds to create bespoke pieces exactly to your taste.
- Pair it with a drink – Try matching dark chocolate with coffee, red wine or a robust stout, or milk chocolate with a cup of tea, and notice how the flavours change.
- Give chocolate as a gift – Choose a box for someone whose taste you know well, picking each piece to suit them rather than reaching for a standard selection.
- Share your choice online – Post a photo of the chocolate you picked and explain why it is your favourite, encouraging others to think about their own go-to treat.
What is National Choose Your Chocolate Day?
National Choose Your Chocolate Day is an unofficial food holiday dedicated to the diversity of chocolate and the freedom to enjoy the kind you like best. Rather than honouring one particular bar or recipe, it celebrates choice itself, recognising that everyone has a preference, from the loyal dark chocolate purist to the devoted fan of caramel-filled milk pieces. It is observed mainly in the United States but resonates with chocolate lovers everywhere.
When is National Choose Your Chocolate Day?
National Choose Your Chocolate Day is held annually on 16 September. In 2026 it falls on a Wednesday. The date is fixed and never changes, because it marks the birthday of Mary See, the founder of See’s Candies, who was born on 16 September 1854.
The History of National Choose Your Chocolate Day
The day owes its existence to See’s Candies, a chocolate company with deep roots in American confectionery. The business was founded in Los Angeles in 1921 by Mary See and her son Charles, who built it on Mary’s own recipes and a reputation for quality. The brand has used Mary’s image and signature on its packaging for more than a century, making her one of the most recognisable faces in the chocolate trade.
In 2020, as the company approached its centenary, See’s Candies announced National Choose Your Chocolate Day to mark the occasion. The date of 16 September was chosen deliberately because it is Mary See’s birthday, tying the celebration directly to the woman whose recipes started it all. The holiday was launched alongside new individually wrapped products, partly in response to the way people were sharing food at the time.
Since then the day has been picked up by food calendars and chocolate enthusiasts well beyond See’s own customer base. While it began as a brand celebration, it has grown into a broader excuse for anyone to seek out their favourite chocolate and appreciate just how much variety the category now offers, from mass-market bars to artisan bean-to-bar creations.
Fun Facts About Chocolate
- See’s Candies produces over 26 million pounds of sweets every year, a scale that reflects how popular boxed chocolates remain in the United States.
- Mary See was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1854, long before the company that bears her name was founded in California.
- Switzerland is among the world’s heaviest chocolate consumers, eating roughly 22 pounds per person each year.
- By comparison, the average person in the United States eats close to 10 pounds of chocolate annually.
- Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree, which were once so prized that the Maya and Aztecs used them as a form of currency.
- White chocolate technically contains no cocoa solids at all, which is why some purists argue over whether it counts as chocolate.
Why National Choose Your Chocolate Day Matters
Beyond the obvious pleasure of eating something delicious, the day is a gentle reminder that taste is personal and worth celebrating. It encourages people to slow down and genuinely enjoy a treat rather than eating on autopilot, and it shines attention on the craftspeople and small businesses who make chocolate by hand. For See’s Candies it also honours a founder whose recipes have outlasted a century of changing tastes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is National Choose Your Chocolate Day?
It is an annual food holiday celebrating the variety of chocolate and the freedom to enjoy whichever kind you like best. It was created by See’s Candies in 2020.
When is National Choose Your Chocolate Day in 2026?
It falls on Wednesday 16 September 2026, the same date every year.
Why is it held on 16 September?
The date marks the birthday of Mary See, who founded See’s Candies in 1921 and whose recipes the brand still uses today.
Spread the Word
Join the celebration and share the chocolate you picked on social media with #ChooseYourChocolateDay and #ChooseYourChocolateDay2026. Tag your friends and challenge them to name their own favourite piece. If you enjoy days devoted to sweet treats, you might also like National Chocolate Mousse Day, another date that puts cocoa centre stage.
Related Awareness Days
- National Chocolate Mousse Day – Celebrates one of the most beloved chocolate desserts and is a natural companion for any chocolate fan.
- National Coffee Day – Falls later the same month and pairs perfectly with a square of dark chocolate.
- Homemade Pie Day – Another food holiday for those who love making and sharing sweet treats from scratch.
Links
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