Valrhona is a high-end French chocolate producer founded in 1922 by pastry chef Albéric Guironnet. The company is headquartered in Tain l’Hermitage, in the heart of Rhône Valley wine country; its name derives from the words “valley” and “Rhône.” Valrhona began exporting to the United States in 1984, and since then it has played an important role in the still-unfolding American chocolate revolution. Prior to the 1980s, little heed had been paid to cacao percentages or origins, and chocolate invariably meant milk chocolate of poor quality.
