Bay Area Chocolate Artisans are Thriving!
February 10th, 2009 by jayWhen we heard that chocolate conglomerate Hershey’s was moving Scharffen Berger out of their hometown of Berkeley, CA and closing down Joseph Schmidt, we wondered if this was a signal of the decline in chocolate making in the Bay Area.
Not at all, apparently.
California’s Bay Area has been making chocolate for 160 years, since Ghirardelli was founded in 1849 as the second-oldest chocolate company in the U.S.* And we think that the Bay Area tradition is stronger than ever. Here’s an incomplete list of local chocolate makers, confectioners and other devotees to this “food of the gods“. It’s sorted roughly by year of founding (click to see larger image):
NOTE: logos aren’t linked to their sites… use Google!
February 10th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Hershey’s is really ripping the soul out of the chocolate community here. Didn’t they promise NOT to move SB? I hope none of these other chocolatiers sell out.
February 10th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
business is business. hershey’s has every right to make the best decisions for their investors. we’re in an unprecedented economy and this seems like a good cost cutting measure for the company. i’m sure their investors will thank them
(munching on a $1 hershey bar)
February 10th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
hey Foodoro, you can find some great chocolatiers in Texas, too! check out this article:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/holidays/valentines/stories/DN-choco_0208tra.ART.State.Edition1.11b152a.html
February 10th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
I may be wrong but I think Neo Coacoa was founded more recently…
February 10th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Neococoa is now fixed. Couldn’t find exact founding year, so we’re assuming it was recent.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
What about See’s? Yummmmmm…….
February 10th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Jen, we actually considered See’s because they are so ubiquitous. However, I think they started in Southern California. Interesting trivia: they’re owned by Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s company.
February 13th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Hooray. More chocolate choices = more chances to enjoy having taste buds.
As far as Hershey’s being soulless, I’ve got to side with Tuan… I’ve happily shopped at Walmart (for basic stuff) and I don’t hate on them for being big and running economically.
I’m cheap with (moderately) expensive taste and would gladly save 10 cents on a roll of paper towels in order to save for a splurge item like the Tcho chocolates.