Ghirardelli

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets

By Darra Goldstein

Published 2015

  • About

Ghirardelli, more than just chocolate, encompasses the story of immigration, the power of marketing, and the circle of urban renewal.

Italian-born Domingo Ghirardelli (1817–1894) founded Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in San Francisco in 1852. He had apprenticed at Romanengro’s confectionery shop in Genoa before immigrating to Peru, where he opened his own shop, specializing in chocolate. While in Peru, Ghirardelli met fellow entrepreneur and land baron James Lick who, upon returning to the United States, sent word of the California Gold Rush to Ghirardelli.