List of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers

This is a list of companies which produce chocolate, not chocolates. That is, they process cocoa beans into a product in-house, rather than merely melting chocolate from another manufacturer.

Some are large companies that own the entire process for economic reasons; others aim to control the whole process to improve quality, working conditions, or environmental impact.[1]

Company Location Year Founded Products Notes
Ah Cacao Real Chocolate Mexico 2003 Single origin chocolate bars, other chocolate products. Artisan producer of dark chocolate and related products made of Mexican cacao. Supports wildlife conservation.
Amano Artisan Chocolate USA
(Orem, UT)
2006 Single origin chocolate (bars, couverture), cocoa nibs. Founding member of the Craft Chocolate Makers of America. The Madagascar bar and the Dos Rios Palet d'or have received gold medals from the London Academy of Chocolate.[2]
Amedei Italy 1990 Amedei is a luxury chocolate manufacturing company located in Pontedera in the Tuscany region of Italy.
Amul India 1946
Askinosie Chocolate USA
(Springfield, MO)
2007 Single origin chocolate bars (dark, dark milk, white), single origin natural cocoa powder, roasted cocoa nibs. Utilizes direct trade, paying farmers above fair trade prices for cocoa beans and sharing profit with them. One of the only small-batch chocolate makers in the USA to press their own cocoa butter.
Barry Callebaut Switzerland 1996 Acticoa, Alprose, Sarotti, Jacques Large producer of couverture, used in many chocolate products.
Blommer Chocolate Company USA
(Chicago, Illinois)
1939 Chocolate, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, panned products, chocolate coatings, chocolate ingredients for the confectionery, pastry, and dairy industries. Blommer is the largest cocoa processor and ingredient supplier in North America, processing over 45% of US cocoa imports. It is a founding member of the World Cocoa Foundation, which works to support sustainable cocoa production. The product line includes organic and fair-trade products. In addition to the Chicago factory, Blommer operates factories in East Greenville, PA; Union City, CA; Campbellford, Ontario; and Shanghai, China. They also own World's Finest Chocolate in Chicago.
Bonnat Chocolates France 1884 More than 40 single origins bars. Bonnat Chocolatier is the oldest artisan producer of chocolate in the world, producing around 100 tons per year. Bonnat was the first chocolate maker to create single-origin and single-estate chocolate bars. Bonnat began exporting chocolate to the French colonies in 1919.[3]
Castronovo Chocolate USA
(Stuart, FL)
2012 Chocolate bars using single-origin cacao from Latin America, roasted cocoa nibs and truffles. Multiple awards from the International Chocolate Awards and the Academy of Chocolate.[4] Densie Castronovo discovered that harvesting cacao was actually beneficial to the rainforest, through academic work researching of rainforest tree canopies. Castronovo only uses heirloom beans from Latin America.[5]
Chocolaterie Robert Madagascar 1940 Fine and organic cacao grown and made into chocolate in Madagascar. Couverture, Baking Chocolate, Chocolate Bars, Cacao Butter, Cacao Nibs. Won gold at the world finals of the International Chocolate Awards for its Chocolate Madagascar Fine Milk Chocolate 50% Cocoa Bar.[6] Also, Academy of Chocolate global winners.
Cocoa Processing Company Ghana 1981 Golden Tree chocolate bars, chocolate beverages. Semi-finished products are sold under the Portem brand name to foreign markets. The Confectionery Factory manufactures chocolate confectionery namely, chocolate bars, chocolate spread, drinking chocolate and chocolate dragees. The confectionery products are marketed under the brand name GoldenTree.
El Rey Chocolates Venezuela 1929 El Rey uses only Venezuelan cacao, fermented and sun dried, and processed using state-of-the-art technology.
Ethel M Chocolates USA
(Henderson, NV)
1980 Brittle chocolate-flavored candies, caramels, and fine liqueur-filled chocolates. Ethel M. Chocolates is owned by Mars Inc. The company is named after the mother of Forrest Mars, Sr.
E. Wedel Warsaw, Poland
(Henderson, NV)
1851 High-quality chocolates, cakes, and snacks. Ptasie Mleczko (bird's milk) - chocolate covered marshmallow; Mieszanka Wedlowska - assorted chocolate covered candy; Torcik Wedlowski (Wedel tort) - a large, circular, chocolate covered wafer with hand-made decorations; Pawełek - chocolate bar with a flavored filling that contains a small amount of alcohol. E. Wedel is owned by Lotte Group
Favarger Switzerland 1826 Avelines, Nougalines Switzerland's oldest chocolate maker - gets its cocoa beans from the tiny West African islands of Sao Tome and Principe.[7]
Fazer Helsinki, Finland 1891 The Karl Fazer Nordic Gourmet chocolates that were launched in 2009 combine the unique Nordic berries—lingonberry, blueberry, raspberry and cloudberry—with cocoa grown at the Equator.
Freia Norway 1889 Made successful by Throne-Holst, who also founded Marabou Acquired in 1993 by Kraft Foods, which is now known as Mondelez.
Frey Switzerland 1887 #1 in popularity in Switzerland Acquired in 1950 by Migros
Garoto Brazil 1929 Acquired in 2002 by Nestlé.
Ghirardelli USA
(San Francisco, CA)
1852 Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco is named after this chocolate-making family. Since 1998, owned by Lindt & Sprüngli.
Guittard USA
(Burlingame, CA)
1850s Makes couverture chocolate using original formulas and traditional French methods. Supplies chocolate to See's Candies
Hachez Germany 1890 Truffles, chocolate candies, chocolate bars, and chocolate coins. The Bremer HACHEZ Chocolade GmbH & Co. was established by Joseph Emile Hachez, a chocolatier of Belgian origin, on July 1, 1890.
Haigh's Chocolates Adelaide, Australia 1915 Haigh’s is the oldest family-owned chocolate manufacturing retailer in Australia.
Hershey's USA
(Hershey, PA)
1894 Hershey's, Hershey's Kisses, KitKat, Bliss, Heath Bar, Reese's, Dagoba, Scharffen Berger and many others. Hershey ceased bean-to-bar manufacturing around 2007 or 2008. They produce only the Scharffen Berger from bean to bar.[8] See also List of products manufactured by The Hershey Company.
Hotel Chocolat UK 2003 A variety of chocolate bars and filled chocolates, collections of single origin and single plantation chocolate as well as a range of savoury cocoa products. Company began as an online only service, before moving into the retail market. Company also owns a cocoa plantation on St Lucian (The Rabot Estate). Hotel Chocolat has an "Engaged Ethics" program in St Lucia and Ghana, seeking to provide farmers with a fair price and necessary support.
J. S. Fry & Sons UK 1761 Merged with Cadbury in 1919.
Kalev Estonia 1806 Most or all products under the Kalev namebrand.
Kraft Heinz Company USA
(Northfield, IL, Pittsburgh, PA)
1869 Milka, Suchard, Toblerone, Côte d'Or, Marabou, Cadbury and many others Bought Cadburys in 2009.
Kraš Croatia 1911 Milk chocolates (Dorina), chocolate bars, (Dorina, Životinjsko carstvo, Bajadera), nougat desserts and more Founded 1911 as Union, incorporated in 1950, located in Zagreb, Croatia.
Laima (confectioner) Riga, Latvia 1870
Lindt & Sprüngli Switzerland 1845 Lindt, Lindor Lindt developed the conching process. Lindt & Sprüngli bought Ghirardelli Chocolates in 1998.
Mars, Incorporated USA
(McLean, Virginia)
1911 M&Ms, Snickers, Dove Chocolate, and others. Large chocolate manufacturer, with $30 billion USD revenue in 2008.
Mast Brothers USA
(Brooklyn, New York)
2007 Chocolate bars, chocolate beer, and chocolate confections. Small manufacturer with flagships in Brooklyn, London, and most recently Los Angeles.[9] A part of the Brooklyn craft movement and NYC’s first bean-to-bar producers.
Mayordomo Oaxaca, Mexico Table chocolate, Mole Producer of chocolate made from local cacao. Stores often will mix beans with other ingredients and grind it to customer specifications.
Michel Cluizel France 1948 Michel Cluizel has been a manufacturer of high-quality chocolate in the French town of Damville in Normandy since 1948. Michel Cluizel also has a store in Paris.
Mindo Chocolate Makers USA (Dexter, MI) and Ecuador (Mindo, Ecuador) 2009 chocolate bars, baking chocolate, cocoa powder, cocoa mass, raw whole beans, nibs Member of the Craft Chocolate Makers of America. A micro-batch bean to bar chocolate maker who ferments and roasts beans. Practices Direct Trade.
Natra Spain 1950 No brands, only private label products and co-production for third parties Independent producer of chocolate and chocolate products, focusing on the private label business.
Nestlé Switzerland 1866 Nestlé, and many others.
Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company USA & Ghana 1991 Corporate headquarters in US, chocolate grown and processed in Ghana.
Pacari Chocolate Ecuador 2002 Produces raw whole beans, nibs, chocolate bars, baking chocolate, cocoa powder, cacao butter, and other chocolate covered products. First chocolate company to receive biodynamic certification. Cacao is produced using fair trade practices in Ecuador. Products are certified Kosher and Organic.
Patric Chocolate USA
(Columbia, MO)
2006 Craft chocolate maker of bean-to-bar products. The product line includes dark chocolate bars, milk chocolate bars, and chocolate bars with inclusions. Winners of the 2016 Good Food Awards in the chocolate category.[10]
Perugina Italy & USA 1907 Baci chocolate, Italian chocolate, pernigotti gianduiotti, glacia mints, sorrento hard candy, spicchi hard candy, perugina glacia mints, perugina sorrento, lazzaroni cookies. Now a division of Nestlé.
Royce' Japan 1983
Scharffen Berger USA
(Robinson, IL)
1996 Chocolate bars, varieties of dark chocolate. Purchased by Hershey in 2005; original Berkeley, CA factory closed in 2009.
Stollwerck Germany 1839 Sprengel, Sarotti, Gubor, Quintie KFT, Thüringer Schokoladenwerk GmbH Owned since 2002 by Barry Callebaut. They also operated a museum—adjacent to the factory—in Cologne Germany. It is now operated by Lindt.
Storck Germany 1903 A Berlin-based confectionery company in operation for more than 100 years.
Swisslion Group Serbia, Republic of Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1962 Bean to bar - dark/milk/white chocolate bars (‘Daria’, ‘Duo’), ‘Choco Banana’, chocolate spread (Eurocrem Takovo), chocolate biscuits (‘Ressana’, ‘Choco Biscuit’), chocolate wafers (‘Linea’) and more. A multinational manufacturer in Southeastern Europe, with factories in Serbia (Vršac & Gornji Milanovac), Republic of Macedonia (Resen & Skopje), Croatia (Sisak) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Trebinje). Founded in 1962, headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia.
Taza Chocolate USA
(Somerville, MA)
2006 Bean-to-bar organic, stone ground chocolate
TCHO Chocolate USA
(Berkeley, CA)
2005 Bean-to-bar chocolate factory. Has a program called TCHOSource where they partner with bean farmers to help them improve the quality of their crops and to process their beans more effectively. Bean-to-bar chocolate factory
Theo Chocolate USA
(Seattle, WA)
2006 High quality chocolate from world's best cacao beans Bean-to-bar chocolate factory. The first chocolate manufacturer in the US to be both 100 percent organic and fair-trade.[11]
Thorntons UK 1911 Different styles and types of chocolate produced Thorntons today is a £180 million turnover company with 360 shops and cafes and 230 franchises together with internet, mail order, and commercial services.
Traidcraft UK 1979 The company has two components: a public limited company called Traidcraft plc, which sells fairly traded products in the United Kingdom; and a development charity called Traidcraft Exchange that works with poor producers in Africa and Asia. They sold the first fair trade chocolate in UK.
Ülker Turkey 1944 Owners of Godiva Chocolatier.
Valrhona France 1922 Couverture used by many chocolatiers.
Vanparys Belgium 1889 Chocolate dragées, almond dragées, mini dragées, chocolate coated whole fruit, chocolate coated almonds and hazelnuts, coffee & chocolate, cake decorations, Easter products The company produces chocolate and sugar coated confections (i.e. almonds, nuts etc.), but is particularly known for its dragées (sugar-coated chocolate and almonds).
Venchi Italy 1878 Gourmet candy bars, novelty spreads, chocolate-coated caviar, extra-dark chocolate, and chocolate bars with nuts Venchi uses cocoa originating from plantations in Central/South America and Africa, distilled rum from the Caribbean, as well as natural vanilla.
Venezuelan Black UK 1998 Small producer of single estate 100% chocolate bars using Venezuelan cacao. The companies launch was televised as the series Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory was aired in the UK during 2008.
Verkade Netherlands 1886 Verkade's products are available through resellers.
Villars-Maitre-Chocolatier Switzerland 1901 Their chocolate contains a lot of stirred-in and covered nuts.
Whitman's USA 1842 Best known for Whitman's Sampler, now a part of Russell Stover.
Whittaker's New Zealand 1896 Various flavors of slab chocolate, family-sized bars, almond gold, and K-Bars. James Henry Whittaker started the business in Christchurch in 1896 and it was later moved to Wellington.
Wilbur Chocolate USA
(Lititz, PA)
1884 Purchased by Cargill in 1992.
World's Finest Chocolate USA
(Chicago, IL)
1949 The company is known for chocolate bars commonly sold by schools and social service organizations as part of fundraisers. Family-owned and based in Chicago for over 50 years. Purchased by Blommer Chocolate Company.

See also

References

  1. "Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Makers Dare To Bare How It's Done". NPR.org. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. http://www.academyofchocolate.org.uk/academy/awards.html
  3. "Chocopolis". Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  4. International Chocolate Awards . Retrieved 2015-08-19
  5. Epoch Taste . Retrieved 2016-4-29
  6. Confectionery News . Retrieved 2016-4-29
  7. BBC News . Retrieved 2016-04-29
  8. http://www.scdigest.com/assets/newsViews/07-05-02-1.php?cid=1041)
  9. LA Weekly . Retrieved 2016-4-29
  10. Feast Magazine . Retrieved 2016-4-29
  11. Food & Wine . Retrieved 2016-4-29

External links

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