Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

Infobox Company
name = The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

type = Privately Owned by Lindt & Sprüngli
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foundation = San Francisco, United States of America (1852)
founder = Domenico (Domingo) Ghirardelli
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location = San Leandro, California, United States of America
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products = Chocolate Products
services =
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owner = Lindt & Sprüngli
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The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a United States division of Swiss candy-maker Lindt & Sprüngli. The company was founded by and is named after Italian chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli, who, after working in South America, moved to California. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was incorporated in 1852, and is the second oldest chocolate company in the United States.cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb1446/is_200203/ai_n5921307|title=The Girardelli Story|last=Lawrence|first=Sidney|date=2002|publisher="California History"|accessdate=2008-09-10]

History

Origins

In 1817, Domenico Ghirardelli was born in Rapallo, Italy to an "exotic foods importer" and his wife. Domenico received his first education in the chocolate trade when he was apprenticed to a local candy maker as a child. By the time he was 20 year old, Ghirardelli sailed to Uruguay with his wife to work in a chocolate and coffee business. A year later Ghirardelli moved to Lima, Peru and opened a confectionery store. In 1847, nine years later, James Lick, Ghirardelli's neighbor, moved to San Francisco with 600 pounds of Ghirardelli's chocolate. Ghirardelli remained and continued to operate his store in Peru. cite web|url=http://www.ghirardelli.com/about/history.aspx|title=The Ghirardelli Story - A Rich Heritage|publisher=Ghirardelli Chocolate|accessdate=2008-09-09]

The move to California

In 1849, Ghirardelli received news of the gold strike at Sutter’s Mill and sailed to California. After prospecting, Ghirardelli opened a general store in Stockton, California, offering supplies and confections to fellow miners in town. Ghirardelli's tent-based store was one of the first shops set up 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 1852.cite web|url=http://www.ghirardelli.com/foodservice/|title=Foodservice|publisher=Ghirardelli Chocolate|accessdate=2008-09-09]

Early History in San Francisco

A fire on May 3, 1851 destroyed Ghiradelli's San Francisco business, and a few days later his Stockton store was also burned down. However, in September of the same year, Ghirardelli used his remaining assets to open the Cairo Coffee House in San Francisco. This business venture proved unsuccessful, and Ghirardelli opened a new store, named "Ghirardely & Girard" on the corner of Washington and Kearny streets in San Francisco. Soon afterward, Ghirardelli was making enough money to send for his family, who are still living in Peru. He changed the name to "Mrs. Ghirardelli & Co" and, in 1852, imported 200 pounds of cocoa beans. The company was incorporated in 1852 and has been in continuous operation since.cite web|url=http://www.ghirardelli.com/about/|title=About Ghirardelli|publisher=Ghirardelli Chocolate|accessdate=2008-09-09]

The next year, in 1853, the business relocated to the corner of Jackson and Mason streets. By 1855, a larger manufacturing facility was needed, and so the factory was moved to the corner of Greenwich and Powell streets, while the office remained at the previous location. By 1866, the company was importing one thousand pounds of cocoa beans a year. During this time the company sold liquor, but dropped their line of alcoholic products in 1864. By that time, the company not only sold chocolate, but also coffee and spices to the United States, China, Japan, and Mexico. In 1885, the company imported 450,000 pounds of cocoa beans.In 1892, Ghiradelli retired as head of the company, and was replaced by his three sons. Eight years later, Ghirardelli passed away at the age of 77 in Rapallo, Italy.

By 1900, the Ghirardelli company was selling only chocolate and mustard, having sold its coffee and spices businesses. Further expansion over the years into different buildings allows the company to expand into new markets and grow financially. In 1965, San Francisco declared Ghirardelli Square (where many of the Ghirardelli buildings were constructed) an official city landmark. Two years later, production facilities moved to San Leandro, California.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was bought by the Golden Grain Macaroni Company, maker of Rice-A-Roni, in 1963. Later, 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 from Switzerland acquired Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in 1998 as a wholly owned subsidiary of its holding company.

Production

Ghirardelli is one of the few chocolate companies in the (United States) to control every aspect of its chocolate manufacturing process, rejecting up to forty percent of chocolate beans shipped in order to select what the company calls the "highest-quality" chocolate beans. The company then roasts the chocolate beans "in-house" by removing the outer shell on the bean and roasting the inside of the bean, or the nibs.cite web|url=http://www.ghirardelli.com/about/ghirardelli_difference.aspx|title=The Ghirardelli Difference|publisher=Ghirardelli Chocolate|accessdate=2008-09-09] The chocolate is then ground and refined until the flakes are 19 microns in size. People say this chocolate "truly melts in your mouth" because of this refining process.

Products

Ghirardelli produces several flavors of chocolate. The chocolate is sold in bar version or is cut up into squares and individually packaged. Chocolate varieties include:

* milk chocolate
* milk chocolate with caramel filling
* milk chocolate with caramelized almonds
* milk chocolate with peanut butter
* 60% cacao dark chocolate
* 60% cacao dark chocolate with caramel filling
* 60% cacao dark chocolate with espresso beans
* 72% cacao Twilight Delight
* 80% cacoa dark chocolate
* 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)
* cinnamon spiced almond (holiday exclusive)
* eggnog (holiday exclusive) [cite web|url=http://www.ghirardelli.com/products/conf_bev.aspx|title=Confection & Beverages|publisher=Ghirardelli Chocolate|accessdate=2008-09-09]

Ghirardelli also sells foodservice items like chocolate beverages and flavored sauces to other retailers.

External links

* [http://www.ghirardelli.com/ Ghirardelli web site]
* [http://www.lindt.com/international/splash/ Lindt web site]

References