The Guittard Chocolate Company is an American-based

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

maker which produces ''couverture'' chocolate, using original formulas and traditional French methods. The company is headquartered in

Burlingame, California Burlingame () is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame and is known for its numerous eucalyp ...

. It is the oldest continuously family-owned chocolate company in the United States, having been family-owned for more than four generations.

History

Guittard Chocolate was founded by Etienne "Eddy" Guittard (1838–1899), who immigrated to the United States from

Tournus Tournus () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Tournus is located on the right bank of the Saône, 20 km. northeast of Mâcon on the Paris-Lyon railway. Pop ...

, France, in the 1850s during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. He brought French chocolates with him, which he traded for supplies. After trying without success for three years to strike gold in the

Sierra Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

, he returned to San Francisco, where shopkeepers with whom he had earlier traded his chocolate convinced him to become a chocolate maker. He then returned to Paris, saved money to buy the equipment he needed, before returning to San Francisco and opening his business at 405 Sansome Street on the San Francisco waterfront. Initially, he also sold items such as tea, coffee, and spices alongside his chocolate. Horace C. Guittard, Étienne's son, was in charge when the

1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...

destroyed the city. In the aftermath of the quake, a new plant was built on Commercial Street. The company expanded in 1921 and 1936 onto property on Main Street south of Market. In 1954, Guittard sold its property to the city so that Embarcadero Freeway could be built. The company relocated to a facility at the corner of Guittard and Rollins road in

, where it is still located today. Gary Guittard began working full-time at the company in 1975. He replaced Horace A. Guittard (his father) in 1989, becoming president and CEO. Bar of Guittard chocolate

Products

The company produces

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

, chocolate syrup,

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a solid chocolate confectionery containing cocoa, sugar and milk. Chocolate was originally sold and consumed as a beverage in pre-Columbian times, and upon its introduction to Western Europe. Major milk chocolate producers incl ...

balls and eggs, baking chips, as well as mints and mint wafers. 85% of Guittard's clients are food industry professionals, while 15% are pastry chefs. Customers include See's Candies,

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is an international franchiser, confectionery manufacturer and retail operator in the United States, with outlets in South Korea, Panama, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. The company is based in the ...

Kellogg's The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...

, Baskin-Robbins, Recchiuti Confections, Garrison Confections, and Williams Sonoma. The company also sells to chef Donald Wressel and has recently developed a variety of chocolate bars specifically designed for amateur bakers.

References

{{Authority control Chocolate companies based in California Companies based in Burlingame, California Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area American companies established in 1868 1868 establishments in California Food and drink companies established in 1868 Family-owned companies of the United States