Guittard Chocolate history

The company's importance in the community was indicated by its listing in the 1878 San Francisco telephone directory, which ran to one full page.

Although he started from scratch with only a few bags of cocoa beans, by the time of his death in 1899, Guittard Chocolate was an established enterprise with an integral role in the growth of the business community of San Francisco.

In 1906, San Francisco was hit by the “Great Earthquake,” which to this day still ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes in recorded history.

In 1954, Guittard sold its property to the city so that Embarcadero Freeway could be built.

The construction of the Embarcadero Freeway prompted the company to move again in 1955.

The company has been family-owned for four generations and is the oldest independent chocolate company in the United States. (The Ghirardelli family sold their famous Bay Area chocolate company in 1960.) The company is one of only ten in the United States making chocolate from cacao beans.

Horace A. Guittard's son Jay had joined the company in 1965.

Gary Guittard began working full-time at the company in 1975.

He supervised wholesale operations and became head of the company after his father's death in December 1988.

In 1989, due to the untimely deaths of his father and brother, Gary began running the company with his family of employees, many of whom had been there for 20+ years and remain at his side to this day.

Gugino, Sam, “The Cream of Cocoa; Quality Chocolates Reward the Not-So-Sweet Tooth,” Wine Spectator Online, February 28, 1998.

These were officially launched to the trade in 2001 and retailed nationwide the following year.

Blatt, Jessica, “Single-Minded Chocolatier,” Food & Wine, November 2002.

Only ten companies in the United States were making chocolate from cacao beans by any method in 2003.

The company grew rapidly until 2005 until their were approached by Hershey.