Guittard Chocolate Company is an American-based

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

maker which produces ''couverture'' chocolate, using original formulas and traditional French methods. The company was founded in 1868 and is headquartered in Burlingame, California. 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, France, in the 1850s during the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) 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 from the rest of the U ...

. He brought French chocolates with him, which he traded for supplies. After trying without success for three years to strike gold in the Sierra, 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 San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

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 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...

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 Burlingame, California, 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,

chocolate syrup Chocolate syrup, sometimes called chocolate sauce, is a sweet, chocolate-flavored condiment. It is often used as a topping or dessert sauce for various desserts, such as ice cream, or mixed with milk to make chocolate milk or blended with mil ...

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a form of solid chocolate containing Chocolate liquor, cocoa, sugar and milk. It is the most consumed types of chocolate, type of chocolate, and is used in a wide diversity of chocolate bar, bars, tablets and other confectione ...

balls and eggs, baking chips, as well as

mints A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach, given their association with natural byproducts ...

and mint wafers. 85% of Guittard's clients are food industry professionals, while 15% are pastry chefs. Customers include

See's Candies See's Candy Shops, Inc., Trade name, doing business as See's Candies, is an American manufacturer and distributor of candy, particularly chocolates. It was founded by Charles See, his wife Florence, and his mother Mary in Los Angeles, California ...

, Rocky Mountain Chocolate,

Kellogg's Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets con ...

Baskin-Robbins Baskin-Robbins, Inc. is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake specialty store, specialty shops owned by Inspire Brands. Baskin-Robbins was formed in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California.Williams Sonoma Williams Sonoma is an American retailer of cookware, appliances, and home furnishings. It is owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and was founded by Chuck Williams (author), Charles E. (Chuck) Williams in 1956. History In 1947, Chuck Williams settle ...

, and Nation's Giant Hamburgers The company also sells to chef Donald WresselDonald Wressell Bio June 2016
guittard.com 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

History

Products

See also

References