Scharffen Berger Chocolate manufacturer was founded in 1996 by wine manufacturer John Scharffenberger and physician Robert Steinberg with one simple goal: to make the finest chocolates possible using traditional methods and the most flavorful, natural ingredients. Their goal – to highlight the true flavor of cacao instead of masking it with sugar and other flavors.
The first American company founded in the past 50 years to make chocolate from “bean to bar”, Scharffen Berger primarily produces chocolate bars, using small-batch processing and focusing on dark chocolate varieties with high cocoa solid content.
In 1997 they made the first batch in the South San Francisco factory using vintage European equipment and basic ingredients including Venezuelan criollo beans and whole Tahitian vanilla. Today, Scharffen Berger produces a wide selection of products and makes about a half million pounds (200 tonnes) of chocolate a year.
Scharffen Berger moved to its permanent home, a 27,000-square-foot, 1906 vintage-brick warehouse in Berkeley, California, in 2001.
The Hershey Company, the largest confectionary conglomerate in North America, announced in July of 2005, it had purchased Scharffen Berger Chocolate manufacturer, Inc.
Tags: chocolate bars, dark chocolate, fine chocolate, gourmet chocolate
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