Origins In 1817,
Domenico Ghirardelli was born in
Rapallo, Italy, to an "exotic foods importer" and his wife. Domenico received his first education in the chocolate trade when he was apprenticed to a local candymaker as a child. By the time he was 20, Ghirardelli had sailed to
Uruguay with his wife to work in a chocolate and
coffee business. A year later, Ghirardelli moved to
Lima, Peru, and opened a confectionery store. In 1847, nine years later,
James Lick (Ghirardelli's neighbor) moved to San Francisco, California, with of Ghirardelli's chocolate. Ghirardelli remained and continued to operate his store in Peru.
The move to California In 1849, Ghirardelli received news of the
gold strike at
Sutter's Mill and sailed to California. After doing some prospecting, Ghirardelli opened a general store in
Stockton, California, offering supplies and confections to fellow miners. Ghirardelli's tent-based store was one of the first shops set up in the area.
Early history in San Francisco Several months after opening his Stockton store, Ghirardelli opened a second store on the corner of Broadway and Battery in
San Francisco, which became, in 1850, his first establishment in that city. A
fire on May 3, 1851, destroyed Ghirardelli's San Francisco business, and a few days later, his Stockton store also burned down. However, in September of the same year, Ghirardelli used his remaining assets to open the Cairo Coffee House in San Francisco. This business venture proved unsuccessful. In 1852, Ghirardelli opened a new store, named
Ghirardelli & Girard on the corner of Washington and Kearny Streets in San Francisco. Soon afterward, Ghirardelli was making enough money to send for his family, who were still living in Peru. He changed the company's name to D. Ghirardelli & Co. and, in 1852, imported of cocoa beans. The next year, in 1853, the business relocated to the corner of Jackson and Mason Streets. By 1855, a larger manufacturing facility was needed, and so the factory was moved to the corner of Greenwich and Powell Streets, while the office remained at the previous location. During this time, the company sold liquor, but dropped their line of alcoholic products sometime after 1871. By 1866, the company was importing of cocoa seeds a year. By that time, the company not only sold chocolate, but also coffee and spices to the United States,
China,
Japan, and
Mexico. In 1885, the company imported of cocoa seeds. As of 2024, they feature 11 different sundaes (World Famous Hot Fudge, Ocean Beach, Chocolate Lovers, Gold Rush, Mint Bliss, Strawberry Passion, Non-Dairy Hot Fudge, Cookie Crumble, Lands End, Golden Gate Banana Split, and Treasure Island). In 1963, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was bought by the Golden Grain Macaroni Company, maker of
Rice-A-Roni. Later, in 1986,
Quaker Oats bought Golden Grain, and thus Ghirardelli. In 1992, Quaker Oats sold the Ghirardelli Chocolate division to a private investment group. John J. Anton, from that group, became the president and CEO of the newly independent Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. In 1998,
Lindt and Sprüngli, from
Switzerland, acquired Ghirardelli Chocolate Company as a wholly owned subsidiary of its holding company. The suit was settled in 2018. == Production ==