In 1764, John Hannon (alternatively spelled "Hannan" in some sources) and the American physician Dr. James Baker started importing cocoa beans and producing chocolate in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

[2] The original brand name was "Hannon’s Best Chocolate", which was "manufactured for almost fifteen years" and was sold with a money-back guarantee if the consumer was unsatisfied with the product.

Subsequent reprints in other newspapers by the company's owner General Foods named it "German chocolate cake".

The trademark logo of La Belle Chocolatière was adopted in 1883 by the fourth-generation familial owner, Henry L. Pierce, step-nephew of Walter Baker.

[1] The company also advertised using signage and cards in grocery stores, in novels, in street cars and using billboards.