The woman on the ScharffenBerger tour said there were only 12 makers of
chocolate in the US, SharffenBerger being one. There are two others in
California, Ghiradelli and Guittard. I found through web searches that
there is Merckens, Van Leer, Hersheys, Peter's (a division of Nestle),
and maybe Lake Champlain? Are ther four more? If so can anyone tell me
who they are?

k

Karstens Rage wrote:
> The woman on the ScharffenBerger tour said there were only 12 makers
> of chocolate in the US, SharffenBerger being one. There are two
> others in California, Ghiradelli and Guittard. I found through web
> searches that there is Merckens, Van Leer, Hersheys, Peter's (a
> division of Nestle), and maybe Lake Champlain? Are ther four more? If
> so can anyone tell me who they are?
>
> k

AFAIK Lake Champlain doesn't make chocolate, they make chocolates. I could
be wrong, of course. Does XOXO make their own chocolate? They sell bars,
anyway.

On 3/12/2005 11:17 PM, Janet Puistonen wrote:
> Karstens Rage wrote:
>> The woman on the ScharffenBerger tour said there were only 12 makers
>> of chocolate in the US, SharffenBerger being one. There are two
>> others in California, Ghiradelli and Guittard. I found through web
>> searches that there is Merckens, Van Leer, Hersheys, Peter's (a
>> division of Nestle), and maybe Lake Champlain? Are ther four more? If
>> so can anyone tell me who they are?
>>
>> k
>
> AFAIK Lake Champlain doesn't make chocolate, they make chocolates. I could
> be wrong, of course. Does XOXO make their own chocolate? They sell bars,
> anyway.


Right - Lake Champlain Chocolates doesn't process chocolate, but buys it
from Barry Callebaut, which has a processing facility in Vermont (and
other states) so you can add that to the list. Lindt has a processing
facility in New Hampshire, and I think one elsewhere in the US.

Karstens Rage wrote:
> The woman on the ScharffenBerger tour said there were only 12 makers of
> chocolate in the US, SharffenBerger being one. There are two others in
> California, Ghiradelli and Guittard. I found through web searches that
> there is Merckens, Van Leer, Hersheys, Peter's (a division of Nestle),
> and maybe Lake Champlain? Are ther four more? If so can anyone tell me
> who they are?
>
> k
And Jaque Torres just started making his own chocolates in his NYC
factory, I do believe.

P

at Sat, 12 Mar 2005 21:36:54 GMT in >,
(Karstens Rage) wrote :

>The woman on the ScharffenBerger tour said there were only 12 makers of
>chocolate in the US, SharffenBerger being one. There are two others in
>California, Ghiradelli and Guittard. I found through web searches that
>there is Merckens, Van Leer, Hersheys, Peter's (a division of Nestle),
>and maybe Lake Champlain? Are ther four more? If so can anyone tell me
>who they are?
>
>k

M&M/Mars (I'm suprised you didn't find/think of this one)
World's Finest (remember them from school fundraisers?)
Blommer
Wilbur Chocolate

And there's also : The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, which I suspect
Scharffen Berger might not have known about.

Lake Champlain sources their chocolate from Callebaut. So they're not
domestic.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Ok so that makes 12 if I have this straight:

1. Scharffenberger
2. Ghiradelli
3. Guittard
4. Merckens
5. Van Leer
6. Hershey's
7. Peters
8. Mars
9. World's Finest
10. Blommer
11. Wilbur Chocolate
12. The Original Hawaiin Chocolate Factory

k

Alex Rast wrote:
> at Sat, 12 Mar 2005 21:36:54 GMT in >,
> (Karstens Rage) wrote :
>
>
>>The woman on the ScharffenBerger tour said there were only 12 makers of
>>chocolate in the US, SharffenBerger being one. There are two others in
>>California, Ghiradelli and Guittard. I found through web searches that
>>there is Merckens, Van Leer, Hersheys, Peter's (a division of Nestle),
>>and maybe Lake Champlain? Are ther four more? If so can anyone tell me
>>who they are?
>>
>>k
>
>
> M&M/Mars (I'm suprised you didn't find/think of this one)
> World's Finest (remember them from school fundraisers?)
> Blommer
> Wilbur Chocolate
>
> And there's also : The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, which I suspect
> Scharffen Berger might not have known about.
>
> Lake Champlain sources their chocolate from Callebaut. So they're not
> domestic.
>

Extending the question...are there any U.S. _growers_ of cocoa beans
other than the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory? My understanding
is that the cacao tree can only grow within 20 degrees north or south
of the equator, and the only U.S. soil that meets this requirement is
Hawaii. Does that sound right?

-Bruce

Here are a few more that may qualify:

Dagoba (Oregon)
Michael Recchiuti (San Francisco)
De Bas (Fresno, CA)
Jamieson's (Kentucky, but made in Ghana)
Cowgirl Chocolates (Moscow, ID)
Fran's Chocolates (Seattle)
Endangered Species Chocolate Co. (Oregon)

Of these, I believe a few like Dagoba and Recchiuti are almost certainly
bean-to-bar chocolatiers (which is, I believe, what you truly mean by
"American Chocolatiers"?).

If anyone knows the original chocolate source for any of the above that
aren't bean-to-bar, I'd be interested in that info.

In my opinion, if American chocolate were judged worldwide by one brand,
Guittard should be that one. They produce some of the finest chocolate in
all the world.

Geoff

"Karstens Rage" > wrote in message
...
> Ok so that makes 12 if I have this straight:
>
> 1. Scharffenberger
> 2. Ghiradelli
> 3. Guittard
> 4. Merckens
> 5. Van Leer
> 6. Hershey's
> 7. Peters
> 8. Mars
> 9. World's Finest
> 10. Blommer
> 11. Wilbur Chocolate
> 12. The Original Hawaiin Chocolate Factory
>
> k
>
> Alex Rast wrote:
>> at Sat, 12 Mar 2005 21:36:54 GMT in >,
>> (Karstens Rage) wrote :
>>
>>
>>>The woman on the ScharffenBerger tour said there were only 12 makers of
>>>chocolate in the US, SharffenBerger being one. There are two others in
>>>California, Ghiradelli and Guittard. I found through web searches that
>>>there is Merckens, Van Leer, Hersheys, Peter's (a division of Nestle),
>>>and maybe Lake Champlain? Are ther four more? If so can anyone tell me
>>>who they are?
>>>
>>>k
>>
>>
>> M&M/Mars (I'm suprised you didn't find/think of this one)
>> World's Finest (remember them from school fundraisers?)
>> Blommer
>> Wilbur Chocolate
>>
>> And there's also : The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, which I
>> suspect Scharffen Berger might not have known about.
>>
>> Lake Champlain sources their chocolate from Callebaut. So they're not
>> domestic.
>>

Here's some interesting info:

Wilbur and Peter's merged in '02 - Peter's became Nestle's Chocolate
Company in 1951.

Cargill owns Wilbur - which makes no dark chocolate.

Jacques Torres is a bean-to-bar chocolatier in New York, but sells
mostly chocolates and apparently does not target the dark-chocolate
crowd.

World's Finest is in Chicago and is bean-to-bar. Because their market
is in fundraising, they sell no dark chocolate either.

Blommer is bean-to-bar, based in Chicago and having 3 factories across
the U.S. I think they sell only couverture to candymakers, so you can't
buy their chocolate too easily.

Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory is in Kona and they do grow their
own cacao trees - so I believe they are indeed the only commercial U.S.
cacao tree grower. I am curious what their chocolate is like; if it is
anything like the Hawaiian Host chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, forget
it. I learned when living in Ghana that the chocolate sold in tropical
locations is made so it won't melt in the heat...which means it won't
melt in your mouth either. Jamieson's is an example - though a decent
chocolate, theirs doesn't melt as easily (and is made in Ghana).

Merckens and Van Leer are bean-to-bar but are also in the couverture
business, not retail.

Geoff

In article >,
Karstens Rage > wrote:

> Ok so that makes 12 if I have this straight:
>
> 1. Scharffenberger
> 2. Ghiradelli
> 3. Guittard
> 4. Merckens
> 5. Van Leer
> 6. Hershey's
> 7. Peters
> 8. Mars
> 9. World's Finest
> 10. Blommer
> 11. Wilbur Chocolate
> 12. The Original Hawaiin Chocolate Factory

How about Jacques Torres? He manufactures his own now:

<http://www.jacquestorres.com/hotpress.html>

--
to respond (OT only), change "spamless.invalid" to "optonline.net"

<http://www.thecoffeefaq.com/>

at Wed, 16 Mar 2005 01:43:47 GMT in >,
(Geoffrey Bard) wrote :

>Here are a few more that may qualify:
>
>Dagoba (Oregon)

Chocolate custom-made for them in Europe

>Michael Recchiuti (San Francisco)

Sources chocolate from various suppliers

>De Bas (Fresno, CA)

Buys from Callebaut

>Jamieson's (Kentucky, but made in Ghana)

Sold to Nestle

>Cowgirl Chocolates (Moscow, ID)

I have not heard of them. But probably they are like Fran's, below.

>Fran's Chocolates (Seattle)

Buys from Callebaut and El Rey

>Endangered Species Chocolate Co. (Oregon)

Custom made for them in Europe (Callebaut I think)

>
>Of these, I believe a few like Dagoba and Recchiuti are almost certainly
>bean-to-bar chocolatiers (which is, I believe, what you truly mean by
>"American Chocolatiers"?).

Well, the Scharffen Berger blurb has to do with how many American
chocolatiers actually have chocolate production facilities in the USA. It's
worth noting that the situation isn't much different in Europe. Most
chocolatiers buy from industrial sources.

>>If anyone knows the original chocolate source for any of the above that
>aren't bean-to-bar, I'd be interested in that info.
>
>In my opinion, if American chocolate were judged worldwide by one brand,
>Guittard should be that one. They produce some of the finest chocolate
>in all the world.

IMHO way better than Scharffen Berger. I think it's perhaps more fair to
say Guittard represents the very best of the American brands, in the same
way that, at least IMHO, Cluizel represents the best of the French and
Domori the best of the Italians. Meanwhile a more representatively
"typical" U.S. brand should be IMHO Ghirardelli, while Callebaut would be
"typical" of European brands. Both are IMHO about the same, quality-wise.
Really I think, however, it's pretty misleading to think of any one
manufacturer as typical of a nation. Each brand has its own style.



--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

What about Christopher Norman?

True, but I was more speaking to a hypothetical question from the world,
"Who makes the best American chocolate?".

That would obviously be Guittard. Scharffen Berger is quite good though.

Geoff

"Alex Rast" > wrote in message
...
(snip)
>>In my opinion, if American chocolate were judged worldwide by one brand,
>>Guittard should be that one. They produce some of the finest chocolate
>>in all the world.
>
> IMHO way better than Scharffen Berger. I think it's perhaps more fair to
> say Guittard represents the very best of the American brands, in the same
> way that, at least IMHO, Cluizel represents the best of the French and
> Domori the best of the Italians. Meanwhile a more representatively
> "typical" U.S. brand should be IMHO Ghirardelli, while Callebaut would be
> "typical" of European brands. Both are IMHO about the same, quality-wise.
> Really I think, however, it's pretty misleading to think of any one
> manufacturer as typical of a nation. Each brand has its own style.

at Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:23:11 GMT in >,
(Geoffrey Bard) wrote :

>You're right, of course, in the strict sense....
>
>Indeed Wilbur makes the "Bradywine Bittersweet" which they themselves
>describe as "semisweet". This would technically qualify as a dark
>chocolate, not having milk. But in my mind I don't classify the
>semisweet (typically in the 50% range of cocoa solids) as an "eating"
>dark chocolate because semisweets are too sugary to stomach much of.

There are a couple of 50-60% chocolates worth trying, although in general
there's a *big* drop in quality going under the 60% line, even for really
top chocolate manufacturers like Valrhona and Guittard.

Callebaut's 54.5% dark is superb and the reference standard IMHO in that
range. It's got a distinct raspberry tone and a powerful chocolatey main
flavour.

Denman Island Simply Dark is not only excellent but also most unusual, with
an earthy, mushroom-like flavour (sounds wierd but works great)

Also among organics, Rapunzel Semisweet 55% is very good, almost the equal
of their excellent 70% bittersweet which sets the standard for organic
chocolate (only a very few rather esoteric organic chocolates are better)

El Rey Bucare is IMHO better than either Gran Saman or Apamate. It's more
balanced in flavour and gives a better feel for the relaxed tropical
fruitiness their bars have.

Cafe Tasse Noir 59%, at the very top of the range, is almost a great
chocolate. There's a definite chocolatey flavour throughout which, while
mild, is very pleasant.

>>This is not to fault Wilbur, since as an American company they cater to
>the American taste for sugary chocolate (and expanding wastelines!).
>Not to say Europeans eat only dark chocolate, but I believe the market
>for it is larger there than the U.S. I believe most Americans either
>don't like 60%+ chocolate, or are scarcely aware it exists and tastes so
>good.
>

More likely it's the industrial market. I see that a great many people here
will take a high-percentage bar, given the choice, and to judge by how fast
they cycle on supermarket shelves it seems clear the darker chocolates
prevail over the semisweets. However, the industrial market has its own
needs and usually has recipes tied to specific formulations which often
call for low-percentage semisweet. Much of this is cost-cutting. A majority
of industrial users are after low cost and given that sugar is cheaper than
chocolate, in high volume, semisweet chocolate costs less than bittersweet.

Meanwhile, yes, there are a lot of people who don't realise the quality to
be had in high-end chocolate. This is true in Europe as much as in the USA.
However, one advantage the European has is shorter distances, so that if a
given store doesn't carry a chocolate in some consumer's hometown, the
distance to a store that *does* will be much less. For example, a
chocolate-lover trapped in rural Montana probably has few options but to
order online for chocolate. In Europe this kind of isolation is virtually
impossible. Even somebody in the remote highlands of Scotland or up in
Lapland aren't impossibly removed from supply sources, relative to the
level of isolation you can find yourself in in the USA. So in one sense
Europeans might be more aware of quality chocolate simply because the
opportunities for coming into contact with it are denser on the landscape -
and this is purely a function of geography and population, not demand as
such.

>
> wrote in message ...
>> Geoffrey Bard > wrote:
>>> Cargill owns Wilbur - which makes no dark chocolate.
>> Wilbur Brandywine Bittersweet is most certainly
>> a dark chocolate, and they have others in semi-sweet.
>>
>>
>> Bill Ranck
>> Blacksburg, Va.
>
>


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

at Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:23:11 GMT in >,
(Geoffrey Bard) wrote :

>You're right, of course, in the strict sense....
>
>Indeed Wilbur makes the "Bradywine Bittersweet" which they themselves
>describe as "semisweet". This would technically qualify as a dark
>chocolate, not having milk. But in my mind I don't classify the
>semisweet (typically in the 50% range of cocoa solids) as an "eating"
>dark chocolate because semisweets are too sugary to stomach much of.

There are a couple of 50-60% chocolates worth trying, although in general
there's a *big* drop in quality going under the 60% line, even for really
top chocolate manufacturers like Valrhona and Guittard.

Callebaut's 54.5% dark is superb and the reference standard IMHO in that
range. It's got a distinct raspberry tone and a powerful chocolatey main
flavour.

Denman Island Simply Dark is not only excellent but also most unusual, with
an earthy, mushroom-like flavour (sounds wierd but works great)

Also among organics, Rapunzel Semisweet 55% is very good, almost the equal
of their excellent 70% bittersweet which sets the standard for organic
chocolate (only a very few rather esoteric organic chocolates are better)

El Rey Bucare is IMHO better than either Gran Saman or Apamate. It's more
balanced in flavour and gives a better feel for the relaxed tropical
fruitiness their bars have.

Cafe Tasse Noir 59%, at the very top of the range, is almost a great
chocolate. There's a definite chocolatey flavour throughout which, while
mild, is very pleasant.

>>This is not to fault Wilbur, since as an American company they cater to
>the American taste for sugary chocolate (and expanding wastelines!).
>Not to say Europeans eat only dark chocolate, but I believe the market
>for it is larger there than the U.S. I believe most Americans either
>don't like 60%+ chocolate, or are scarcely aware it exists and tastes so
>good.
>

More likely it's the industrial market. I see that a great many people here
will take a high-percentage bar, given the choice, and to judge by how fast
they cycle on supermarket shelves it seems clear the darker chocolates
prevail over the semisweets. However, the industrial market has its own
needs and usually has recipes tied to specific formulations which often
call for low-percentage semisweet. Much of this is cost-cutting. A majority
of industrial users are after low cost and given that sugar is cheaper than
chocolate, in high volume, semisweet chocolate costs less than bittersweet.

Meanwhile, yes, there are a lot of people who don't realise the quality to
be had in high-end chocolate. This is true in Europe as much as in the USA.
However, one advantage the European has is shorter distances, so that if a
given store doesn't carry a chocolate in some consumer's hometown, the
distance to a store that *does* will be much less. For example, a
chocolate-lover trapped in rural Montana probably has few options but to
order online for chocolate. In Europe this kind of isolation is virtually
impossible. Even somebody in the remote highlands of Scotland or up in
Lapland aren't impossibly removed from supply sources, relative to the
level of isolation you can find yourself in in the USA. So in one sense
Europeans might be more aware of quality chocolate simply because the
opportunities for coming into contact with it are denser on the landscape -
and this is purely a function of geography and population, not demand as
such.

>
> wrote in message ...
>> Geoffrey Bard > wrote:
>>> Cargill owns Wilbur - which makes no dark chocolate.
>> Wilbur Brandywine Bittersweet is most certainly
>> a dark chocolate, and they have others in semi-sweet.
>>
>>
>> Bill Ranck
>> Blacksburg, Va.
>
>


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

"Alex Rast" > wrote in message

> IMHO way better than Scharffen Berger. I think it's perhaps more fair to
> say Guittard represents the very best of the American brands, in the same
> way that, at least IMHO, Cluizel represents the best of the French and
> Domori the best of the Italians. Meanwhile a more representatively
> "typical" U.S. brand should be IMHO Ghirardelli, while Callebaut would be
> "typical" of European brands. Both are IMHO about the same, quality-wise.
> Really I think, however, it's pretty misleading to think of any one
> manufacturer as typical of a nation. Each brand has its own style.

Alex,

So you prefer Cluizel over Vahlrona, Bonnat, and Pralus. And Domori over
Amedei?

Mike

I believe they use Schokinag chocolate, so they aren't an American
bean-to-bar manufacturer.

"Janet Puistonen" > wrote in message
news:ckf_d.7628$qN3.1153@trndny01...
> What about Christopher Norman?

"Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory is in Kona and they do grow their
own cacao trees - so I believe they are indeed the only commercial U.S.

cacao tree grower. =A0I am curious what their chocolate is like;"

I just bought some. To my palate (which is not necessarily the most
sophisticated), it was very smooth and flavorful, with a good mouth
feel, not at all waxy or abrasive -- but not distinct enough to justify
the price I paid. Maybe professionals who buy large amounts could get
it cheaper. As someone who buys only about 50 lbs of chocolate per
year to produce chocolates and truffles, I can get prices in the $3 -
$10 per pound range, depending on brand. For me to by Orig Hawaiian
Vintage it would be over $20 per pound. Again, maybe if you're a bulk
buyer there are better rates, but for the "really little guy" like me -
not worth it. As an "eating chocolate" the 60% I tried was good, but
nothing spectacular and surprisingly not very distinctive. Because of
the underlying A'a and pahoehoe (types of lava rock), I guess I was
expecting something more distinctive. Most of the El Rey, Valrhona,
Scharffen Berger, Dagoba 'models' that I've tried have characteristic
and distinctive notes (even if I don't personally care for some of
those notes.)

If someone gave me some more Hawaiian Vintage, I wouldn't kick it out
of bed. And because I like the thought of supporting smaller
businesses, I might buy some more just for eating. But I just think I
can get as good or better flavor (for my personal tastes) for less
money.

Bruce

I tried a couple of the Hawaiian chocolate bars in my tasting about 5
years ago. The "Vintage Kona Estate" (64%) did pretty well, coming in
higher than Valrhona Caraibe and Callebaut 60%. Personally, I thought
it was pretty good.
It was a real pain getting it ordered, if I remember aright.

I tried a couple of the Hawaiian chocolate bars in my tasting about 5
years ago. The "Vintage Kona Estate" (64%) did pretty well, coming in
higher than Valrhona Caraibe and Callebaut 60%. Personally, I thought
it was pretty good.
It was a real pain getting it ordered, if I remember aright.

(NM-Bruce) wrote:
> Extending the question...are there any U.S. _growers_ of cocoa beans
> other than the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory? My understanding
> is that the cacao tree can only grow within 20 degrees north or south
> of the equator, and the only U.S. soil that meets this requirement is
> Hawaii. Does that sound right?

Hi Bruce,

To my knowledge, OHCF are the only (commercial) US growers of cocoa
beans. Well, them, and anybody else who's growing for them. I'm not
sure what the exact requirements are for cacao to grow, or whether it
could be grown indoors at other latitudes.

I've had OHCF's chocolate - it's carried by some natural foods and
gourmet type stores in Hawaii.

Interestingly, the state politicians in Hawaii lobbied successfully a
few years back to have Hawaiian-grown coffee served at White House
functions instead of imported coffee (seems logical) but I haven't
heard anything about doing the same for chocolate. I guess coffee is
just a more developed industry; OHCF is really pioneering cacao as part
of diversified agriculture in Hawaii.

-Dan

--
http://ChocoLocate.com/ - The Chocolate Lovers' Page, established 1994.