citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . august 2010 learn how and when to remove this template message the ghirardelli chocolate company type subsidiary founded san francisco united states of america 1852 founder domenico domingo ghirardelli headquarters san leandro california united states of america products chocolate products parent lindt & spr ngli website www.ghirardelli.com the ghirardelli chocolate company is a united states division of swiss confectioner lindt & spr ngli . the company was founded by and is named after italian chocolatier domenico ghirardelli who after working in south america moved to california . the ghirardelli chocolate company was incorporated in 1852 and is the third oldest chocolate company in the united states after baker s chocolate and whitman s. contents 1 history 1.1 origins 1.2 the move to california 1.3 early history in san francisco 1.4 previous century 1900 present 2 production 3 products 4 see also 5 references 6 external links history edit 1864 advertisement from the california miner s almanac origins edit 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 candymaker as a child . by the time he was 20 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 nephew moved to mexico with 600 pounds of ghirardelli s chocolate . ghirardelli remained and continued to operate his store in peru . 1 the move to california edit in 1849 ghirardelli received news of the gold strike at sutter s mill and sailed to california . after doing some prospecting ghirardelli opened a general store in stockton california offering supplies and confections to fellow miners . ghirardelli s tent based store was one of the first shops set up in the area . 1 several months later ghirardelli opened a second store on the corner of broadway and battery in san francisco which became in 1850 his first establishment in that city . 1 2 early history in san francisco edit 1871 ghirardelli advertisement a can of chocolate from the 20th century a fire on may 3 1851 3 destroyed ghirardelli s san francisco business and a few days later his stockton store 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 ghiardelli & 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 were still living in peru . he changed the company s name to d. ghirardelli & co. and in 1852 imported 200 pounds of cocoa beans . 1 the company was incorporated in 1852 and has been in continuous operation since . 4 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 . during this time the company sold liquor but dropped their line of alcoholic products sometime after 1871 . 5 by 1866 the company was importing 1000 pounds of cocoa seeds a year . 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 seeds . 1 in 1892 ghirardelli retired as head of the company and was replaced by his three sons . two years later on 17 january 1894 ghirardelli died at the age of 77 in rapallo italy . 1 previous century 1900 present edit ghirardelli square in san francisco by 1900 ghirardelli s company was selling only chocolate and mustard having sold its coffee and spices businesses . further expansion over the years into different buildings allowed 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 . 1 ghirardelli chocolate shop san francisco 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 spr ngli from switzerland acquired ghirardelli chocolate company in 1998 as a wholly owned subsidiary of its holding company . 1 production edit ghirardelli is one of the few chocolate companies in the united states to control every aspect of its chocolate manufacturing process 4 rejecting up to 40 % of the cocoa seeds shipped in order to select what the company calls the highest quality seeds . the company then roasts the cocoa seeds in house by removing the outer shell on the seed and roasting the inside of the seed or the nibs . 6 the chocolate is then ground and refined until the flakes are 19 micrometers in size . products edit 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 a selection of ghirardelli chocolates in the ghirardelli chocolate company shop at ghirardelli square in san francisco california milk chocolate milk chocolate with caramel filling milk chocolate with caramelized almonds milk chocolate with salt and almonds 32 % cacao milk chocolate creamy devotion 60 % cacao dark chocolate evening dream 60 % cacao dark chocolate with caramel filling 60 % cacao dark chocolate with espresso 72 % cacao twilight delight 80 % cacao dark chocolate 86 % cacao midnight reverie 100 % cacao premium baking bar dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds dark chocolate with caramel filling dark chocolate with mint filling dark chocolate with raspberry filling dark chocolate with strawberry filling white chocolate with vanilla bean cinnamon crunch layered white and milk chocolate with cinnamon sugar peppermint bark layered white and milk chocolate with candy cane pieces holiday exclusive peppermint bark with dark chocolate same as above except dark chocolate replaces milk chocolate holiday exclusive cinnamon spiced almond holiday exclusive egg nog holiday exclusive pecan pie holiday exclusive 7 milk chocolate with pumpkin spice caramel filling holiday exclusive sublime white cookies jubilee rich layers of chocolate with crunchy cookie bits . 8 cabernet matinee dark chocolate infused with a hint of natural blackberry and grape flavor ghirardelli also sells food service items like chocolate beverages and flavored sauces to other retailers . 2 see also edit san francisco bay area portal companies portal food portal domingo ghirardelli references edit a b c d e f g h the ghirardelli story a rich heritage . ghirardelli chocolate . retrieved 2008 09 09 . a b foodservice . ghirardelli chocolate . retrieved 2008 09 09 . capturing california . a b about ghirardelli . ghirardelli chocolate . retrieved 2008 09 09 . langley henry g. the san francisco directory d. hicks & co. 1871 . advertisement pp. 19 . the ghirardelli difference . ghirardelli chocolate . retrieved 2008 09 09 . confection & beverages . ghirardelli chocolate . retrieved 2008 09 09 . ghirardelli chocolate gifts baskets bars and more . external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to ghirardelli chocolate . ghirardelli website lindt website images of the ghirardelli factory ca. 1919 the bancroft library v t e san francisco attractions landmarks 49 mile drive alcatraz bay bridge cable cars the castro chinatown city hall cliff house coit tower f market streetcar fairmont hotel federal reserve bank ferry building fisherman s wharf fort mason fort point ghirardelli square golden gate bridge grace cathedral haight ashbury jack kerouac alley lombard street mark hopkins hotel market street mission dolores nob hill north beach old u.s. mint painted ladies palace of fine arts pier 39 public library sutro baths transamerica pyramid treasure island union square museums and art asian art museum aquarium of the bay cable car museum california academy of sciences palace of the legion of honor cartoon art museum chinese historical society museum conservatory of flowers contemporary jewish museum the walt disney family museum de young museum exploratorium haas lilienthal house mus e m canique museo italoamericano museum of performance & design museum of the african diaspora precita eyes randall museum ripley s believe it or not san francisco museum of modern art san francisco maritime railway museum uss pampanito wattis institute for contemporary arts zeum parks and recreation alamo square candlestick point corona heights crissy field dolores park glen canyon golden gate national recreation area golden gate park lafayette park lake merced marina green mclaren park mount davidson ocean beach the presidio san francisco bay trail san francisco zoo stern grove twin peaks yerba buena gardens views coit tower twin peaks seal rocks ocean beach baker beach golden gate bridge fort funston hamon observation tower at the de young museum strawberry hill crissy field pacific heights alamo square painted ladies top of the mark alcatraz treasure island lombard street powell hyde cable car ferry building bernal hill 49 mile scenic drive hawk hill fort baker entertainment american conservatory theater bill graham civic auditorium cow palace the fillmore war memorial and performing arts center yerba buena center for the arts sports san francisco giants at & t park candlestick park kezar stadium food and drink anchor steam boudin bakery buena vista cafe dungeness crab ghirardelli tadich grill tonga room & hurricane bar top of the mark shopping metreon stonestown galleria union square westfield san francisco centre national register of historic places listings in san francisco retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title ghirardelli chocolate company & oldid 743703752 categories companies based in san leandro californiaconfectionery companies of the united statesbrand name chocolatefood and drink in the san francisco bay areachocolate companies1852 establishments in californiahistory of san franciscohidden categories articles needing additional references from august 2010all articles needing additional referencescommons category with local link same as on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged 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