San Francisco has a number of iconic images and sightseeing attractions that seem to quickly define it in visitors’ eyes and the city’s venerable Ghiradelli Square and the chocolates by the company started here in 1852, are as inextricably linked to San Francisco as Alcatraz and cable cars are a part of any visitors’ San Francisco tours. Another manufacturer of fine chocolates and the only new American chocolate company to make their own bars from the bean in the last fifty years is Scharffen Berger. The factory is opened to the public with free tours available throughout the day to watch them just that. Joseph Schmidt Truffles, which is now owned by Hershey’s, has its factory in the SoMa neighborhood and two store locations in the city.
Villajoyosa and Alicante Spain is also known as “Chocolate City”, and is known for its pralines and chocolate confections and within the town can be found a chocolate museum. Best known for it’s Valor brand of chocolate, the town built its industry from origins in the 1700s when it imported cocoa beans from Central and South America. Three favorites to be enjoyed around town are the chocolate and churros, iced chocolate drink, and chocolate mousse.
Tain L’Hermitage France is a small town outside of Lyon, where the popular chocolate company of Valrhona is located. The company was started in the early twentieth century by a pastry chef and the firm supports a college devoted to chocolate, educating caterers, chocolate makers and chefs and offers a three day course geared toward novices who wish to perfect their abilities to create desserts centered on chocolate.
While there isn’t a single city in Belgium which holds claim to the country’s fame regarding their chocolate expertise, the good news is that just about every town and village shares the honor. In fact, there are two thousand chocolate shops scattered around the small country, as well as 16 chocolate museums, and 12 chocolate factories. The country creates just under two hundred thousand tons of chocolate per year, and attracts more chocolate tourism than any other location in the world.
Switzerland is another small country which doesn’t have a single city which represents their chocolate industry, but rather, all of their towns and villages seem to uphold their tradition. Zurch does however offer a concentration of the country’s chocolate efforts, with Teuscher, Lindt, and Srungli producing their chocolates from factories there, while possibly their most famous brand, Toblerone is based in Bern. While the Swiss might take second in the production numbers behind Belgium, they take first place in holding the highest annual consumption of chocolate per person at almost twelve kilograms per year.
