GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE COMPANY

The 'Ghirardelli Chocolate Company' is a United States division of Swiss candy-maker Lindt & Sprüngli. The company was founded by Italian chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli.

Contents

From Italy to South America

The Move to California

Flavors

External links

References

From Italy to South America

In 1817, Domenico Ghirardelli was born in Rapallo, Italy (near Genoa) to an exotic foods importer and his young wife. At a young age, Domenico was introduced to the chocolate and confectionary trade when he apprenticed for a local candy maker. At the age of 20, Ghirardelli married his first wife, and set sail to Uruguay to partake in the South American chocolate trade. Here, he took a job in a "coffee and chocolate establishment."
A year later, attracted by opportunities in Lima, Ghirardelli sailed around Cape Horn to Peru. Fatefully, Ghirardelli opened a confectionery store next to a cabinet shop owned by an American, James Lick. Enticed by the stories of prosperity in North America, in 1847 Lick left for San Francisco, taking 600 pounds of neighbor Ghirardelli’s Chocolate with him. Meanwhile, Ghirardelli continued to operate his store in Peru, soon replacing his Italian first name with its Spanish equivalent, Domingo.

The Move to California

In 1849, following the death of his first wife and his remarriage to Carmen Alvarado, Ghirardelli learned of the gold strike at Sutter’s Mill and sailed unaccompanied to California. After prospecting in the Jamestown-Sonora area, Ghirardelli once again became a merchant, opening a general store in Stockton, California, offering supplies and confections to fellow miners. Located in a tent, it was one of the first shops in the area.
Several months later, Ghirardelli opened a second store on the corner of Broadway and Battery in San Francisco, which became his first establishment in the city.
In 1965, San Francisco declared Ghirardelli Square an official city landmark. Two years later, production facilities moved to San Leandro, California.
For years, a large independent chocolate company, Ghirardelli was bought by Golden Grain in 1963. Golden Grain moved chocolate-making operations to the huge San Leandro factory. In 1986, Quaker Oats bought Golden Grain, and thus Ghirardelli. In 1992, Quaker Oats sold the Ghirardelli Chocolate division to a private investment group. John J. Anton, from that group, became the president and CEO of the newly independent Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Lindt and Sprungli Chocolate acquired Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in 1998 as a wholly owned subsidiary of its holding company.
Ghirardelli chocolates are known for their unique gourmet style. Some chocolate is still made in Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco. Patrons of the cornerstone eatery enjoy the spectacle of huge masses of folding chocolate as it is prepared according to the elegant traditions of Ghirardelli chocolatiers.

Flavors

Ghirardelli chocolate square varieties include:

★ milk chocolate

★ milk chocolate with caramel filling

★ milk chocolate with caramelized almonds

★ 60% cacao dark chocolate

★ 60% cacao dark chocolate with caramel filling

★ dark chocolate with mint filling

★ dark chocolate with raspberry filling

★ white chocolate with vanilla bean

★ peppermint bark: layered white and milk chocolate with candy cane pieces (holiday exclusive)

External links

★ Ghirardelli web site

★ Lindt web site

References