Gourmet Chocolate Manufacturers

The number of gourmet chocolate manufacturers is increasing, either because new companies are established, or because existing companies have realized that this is a growing market. Here is a list of some well-known gourmet chocolate manufacturers. Some of them are not bean-to-bar manufacturers as they use good quality chocolate produced by other companies. An overview of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers is presented at Wikipedia.org.

Scharffen Berger

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Makers was established by John Scharffenberger in the San Francisco bay area (USA) in 1996. The first official batch of Scharffen Berger chocolate was made in their South San Francisco factory using vintage European equipment. By 2000 the company had outgrown their initial factory space. The company moved into its 27,000 square foot factory in Berkeley, CA in 2001. Scharffen Berger Chocolate Makers was the first American company founded in the past 50 years to make chocolate from "bean to bar". Scharffen Berger is an artisan chocolate maker, sourcing the best cacao in the world to create rich, flavorful chocolates. The company primarily produces chocolate bars, using small-batch processing and focusing on dark chocolate varieties with high cocoa solid content.

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Michel Cluizel

Michel Cluizel is a manufacturer of high-quality chocolate in the French town of Damville in Normandy. The company is among the world finest chocolatiers, and produces a vast array of the most extraordinary gourmet chocolates in the world. Michel Cluizel features a range of fine pure chocolates, from high cocoa content milk chocolates to dark chocolates from 20 different countries, including our line of Premier Cru Single Plantation chocolates. They also offer over 60 perfectly crafted bonbons, from pralines and ganaches to gianduja and fruit flavored chocolates.

Michel Cluizel won Academy of Chocolate's gold award 2006 for Michel Cluizel Maralumi in the category "Best bean to bar", silver for Michel Cluizel Mangaro, and bronze for Michel Cluizel Tamarina.

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Valrhona

Valrhona is a French chocolate manufacturer based in the small town of Tain L'Hermitage in Hermitage near Lyon. The company was founded in 1924. Valrhona is one of the leading producers of chocolate in the world. The company also maintains the École du Grand Chocolat, a school for professional chefs with a focus on chocolate-based dishes and pastries.

Valrhona produces chocolate for professional as well as for private consumption. The products include confectionery, plain and flavored chocolate bars and bulk chocolate in bars or pellets. Valrhona is one of the few companies in the world that produce vintage chocolate made from beans of a single year's harvest from a specific plantation.

Valrhona won Academy of Chocolate's gold award 2006 for Valrhona Araguani in the category "Best bean to bar", and silver for Valrhona Cao Grande in the category "Best dark organic chocolate bar".

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Amedei

Amedei is a chocolate manufacturing company located in La Rotta in the Tuscany Region (Toscana) of Italy. Their products range from chocolate bars to truffles and pralines. Their are specializing on chocolate bars made with single origin and single varietal cacao beans.

Won Academy of Chocolate's gold award 2006 for both Amedei Chuao and Amedei Porcelana in the category "Best bean to bar", in addition to a silver award for Amedei '9'. Also won the bronze award for Amedei Milk in the "Best milk chocolate bar".

Browse Amedei chocolates.

Dolfin

Dolfin is a Belgian manufacturer based in Wauthier Braine focusing on pure ingredients and top quality. Dolfin offers plain milk and dark chocolates, but is more well-known and acclaimed for their flavored chocolates. They dare to create "unexpected combinations, to invent the subtlest harmonies" (according to their website).

Browse Dolfin chocolates.

Domori

Domori is an Italian specialty chocolate manufacturer located in None in the Piedmont Region (Piemonte) of Italy. Domori is the first company in the world to both process more than ten different types of cacao from several countries and work solely with fine cacao. These flavor or aromatic cacao types (criollo, trinitario and nacional) represent less than 10% of the world’s harvest. They are also among the few companies in the world to make almost all of its chocolate without emulsifiers like soy lecithin.

Domori won Academy of Chocolate's silver award 2006 for Domori Puertomar in the category "Best bean to bar".

Bonnat Chocolatier

Chocolat Bonnat is a French chocolate manufacturer based in the small town of Voiron. The company was established in 1884 by Felix Bonnat. The import the highest quality cacao beans which are delivered unroasted from plantations around the world and then crafted into tablets of chocolates. They do not add soy lecithin, emulsifiers or even vanilla. Bonnat has a line of 10 single origin chocolates consisting of seven 75% dark chocolates and three 65% milk chocolates.

Browse Bonnat chocolates

Hachez

Hachez is one of Germany's leading manufacturers of quality chocolates; it is located in Bremen. The company was founded in 1890, and it produces a range of products containing either 55.5, 77, or 88% cocoa solids. Hachez is best known for its unusual flavoring combinations.

Browse Hachez products

Click links below to browse products from other gourmet chocolate manufacturers

Callebaut (Belgium)
Galler (Belgium)
Theo Chocolate Company (Seattle WA, USA)
Venchi (Italy)


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