Ghirardelli Chocolate Company facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | 1852 San Francisco, California, US |
| Founder | Domenico "Domingo" Ghirardelli |
| Headquarters | San Leandro, California, US |
| Products | Chocolate products |
| Parent | Lindt & Sprüngli |
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a famous American chocolate maker. It is often just called Ghirardelli. This company is fully owned by a larger chocolate company from Switzerland, called Lindt & Sprüngli.
The company was started by an Italian chocolate expert named Domenico Ghirardelli. He moved to California after working in South America. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company officially began in 1852. It is one of the oldest chocolate companies in the United States. Only Baker's Chocolate and Whitman's are older.
Contents
History of Ghirardelli
How it All Started
Domenico Ghirardelli was born in Italy in 1817. His father imported interesting foods. Domenico learned about making chocolate when he was a child. He worked as an apprentice for a local candymaker.
When he was 20, Ghirardelli sailed to Uruguay with his wife. There, he worked in a chocolate and coffee business. A year later, he moved to Lima, Peru. He opened his own candy store there. In 1847, a neighbor named James Lick moved to San Francisco, California. He brought with him 600 pounds of Ghirardelli's chocolate. Ghirardelli stayed in Peru and kept running his store.
Moving to California
In 1849, Ghirardelli heard exciting news. Gold had been found at Sutter's Mill in California! He decided to sail to California to try his luck. After looking for gold for a bit, Ghirardelli opened a general store. This store was in Stockton, California. He sold supplies and sweets to other miners. His tent-based store was one of the first shops in that area.
Between 1856 and 1859, Ghirardelli had another general store. This one was in Hornitos, California. During this time, he made his chocolate recipes even better. You can still see the remains of his old store in Hornitos today.
Building Up in San Francisco
Just a few months after opening his Stockton store, Ghirardelli opened a second store. This new store was in San Francisco. It was located on the corner of Broadway and Battery. This became his first business in San Francisco in 1850.
A big fire in San Francisco on May 3, 1851, destroyed Ghirardelli's business there. A few days later, his Stockton store also burned down. But Ghirardelli did not give up! In September of the same year, he used what he had left. He opened the Cairo Coffee House in San Francisco. This business did not do well.
In 1852, Ghirardelli opened a brand new store. It was called Ghirardelli & Girard. This store was on the corner of Washington and Kearny Streets in San Francisco. Soon, he was making enough money to bring his family from Peru. He changed the company's name to D. Ghirardelli & Co. In 1852, he imported 200 pounds of cocoa beans. The company officially became a business in 1852. It has been making chocolate ever since!
The next year, in 1853, the business moved again. It went to the corner of Jackson and Mason Streets. By 1855, they needed a bigger place to make chocolate. So, the factory moved to Greenwich and Powell Streets. The office stayed at the old location. For a while, the company also sold alcohol. But they stopped selling alcoholic products after 1871.
By 1866, the company was importing 1,000 pounds of cocoa seeds each year. At that time, Ghirardelli sold not only chocolate. They also sold coffee and spices. They sold these products to the United States, China, Japan, and Mexico. By 1885, the company was importing 450,000 pounds of cocoa seeds!
In 1892, Ghirardelli retired from leading the company. His three sons took over the business. Two years later, on January 17, 1894, Domenico Ghirardelli passed away. He was 77 years old and died in his hometown in Italy.
Ghirardelli from 1900 to Today
By 1900, Ghirardelli's company focused only on chocolate and mustard. They had sold their coffee and spice businesses. Over the years, the company grew and moved into more buildings. This helped them reach new customers and earn more money. In 1965, San Francisco named Ghirardelli Square an official city landmark. Many of the original Ghirardelli buildings are there. Two years later, the chocolate production moved to San Leandro, California.
Since the 1960s, Ghirardelli has also focused on its restaurant side. They sell delicious ice cream sundaes. These sundaes come with their famous hot fudge chocolate sauce. In their early menus from the 1960s, they had five "Nob Hill Sundaes." These were named after famous places or people in San Francisco. Examples include Twin Peaks and the Golden Gate Banana Split. As of 2025, they offer 11 different sundaes. These include the World Famous Hot Fudge and the Chocolate Lovers.
In 1963, the Golden Grain Macaroni Company bought Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Golden Grain made Rice-A-Roni. Later, in 1986, Quaker Oats bought Golden Grain, which included Ghirardelli. In 1992, Quaker Oats sold the Ghirardelli Chocolate part of the business. A group of investors bought it. John J. Anton became the new president and CEO. In 1998, Lindt and Sprüngli from Switzerland bought Ghirardelli. It became a part of their company.
In 2015, some chocolate products were tested for certain natural elements. Ghirardelli, like many other chocolate companies, worked to make sure their products met all safety standards.
How Ghirardelli Makes Chocolate
Ghirardelli says it is one of the few chocolate companies in the United States that controls every step. They choose only the "highest quality" cocoa seeds. They even reject up to 40% of the seeds they receive.
The company roasts the cocoa seeds themselves. They remove the outer shell of the seed. Then, they roast the inside part, called the nibs. After roasting, the chocolate is ground and refined. It becomes very smooth, with tiny particles.
Ghirardelli Products
Ghirardelli makes many different flavors of chocolate. Their chocolate is sold in bar form. It also comes in small, square pieces.
Ghirardelli also sells items for food businesses. These include chocolate drinks and flavored sauces. Other stores and restaurants buy these products.
See also
In Spanish: Ghirardelli Chocolate Company para niños
- Guittard Chocolate Company
- Abuelita, a brand of Mexican hot chocolate
- Ibarra, another brand of Mexican hot chocolate
- List of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers
