Guittard Chocolate Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Chocolate manufacturing |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Founder | Étienne "Eddy" Guittard |
| Headquarters | Burlingame, California , United States |
Key people | Gary Guittard (President and CEO) |
| Products | Cocoa, chocolate syrup, milk chocolate confections, baking chips, mints, mint-flavored wafers, chocolate bars |
| Website | www |
Guittard Chocolate Company is a U.S.-based chocolatier known for its specialization in couverture chocolate, crafted using authentic recipes and time-honored French methods. Established in 1868 and located in Burlingame, California, it holds the distinction of being the longest-standing family-owned chocolate enterprise in America, managed by the Guittard lineage for more than four generations.
History
The company was initiated by Étienne "Eddy" Guittard (1838–1899), who emigrated from Tournus, France, amid the California Gold Rush. His venture began after exchanging French chocolates for supplies. After an unsuccessful attempt at gold mining, he returned to San Francisco where local merchants encouraged him to focus on chocolate production. He acquired machinery in Paris before launching his enterprise at 405 Sansome Street along the San Francisco waterfront, initially retailing tea, coffee, spices, alongside chocolate.
In the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Étienne’s son Horace C. Guittard reconstructed the business by establishing a new facility on Commercial Street. The company further expanded in 1921 and 1936 with additional locations on Main Street south of Market. In 1954, Guittard sold its property to facilitate the construction of the Embarcadero Freeway and moved operations to a 75,000-square-foot plant at Guittard and Rollins Road in Burlingame, which remains its current headquarters.
Gary Guittard became a full-time member of the company in 1975 and took over as president and CEO from his father Horace A. Guittard in 1989.
Products
Guittard manufactures a range of products including cocoa, chocolate syrup, milk chocolate confections such as balls and eggs, baking chips, as well as mints and mint-flavored wafers. Approximately eighty-five percent of its clientele consists of professionals within the food industry, while pastry chefs make up the remaining fifteen percent. Notable clients include See's Candies, Rocky Mountain Chocolate, Kellogg's, Baskin-Robbins, Recchiuti Confections, Garrison Confections, Williams Sonoma, and Nation's Giant Hamburgers. The firm also supplies chef Donald Wressel and has recently introduced chocolate bars designed specifically for home bakers.