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Permalink Reply by Al Sterling on November 16, 2008 at 9:54am

Earlier this year I was looking for a high quality, pre packaged, chocolate bar supplier. Initially, I looked at private label options with companies like Trader Joe's. (they don't...) On recommendation from Barefoot Coffee in Santa Clara, who said they were selling the pre-packaged chocolate bars from Guittard, I called Guittard in Burlingame, CA and received a large sampling of both bars and raw chocolates. Later in the year, I received samples of their dark and milk chocolate sauces and their caramel. The bars were a perfect answer to a quality, pre packaged chocolate that was consistent with quality specialty coffee, and certainly not just another Girardelli display like I've seen in every nook and cranny. An acquaintence here in Laguna Niguel, Downey Chocolates, uses Guittard in their high end chocolate confections. My impression is that Guittard is a major supplier in the commercial baking and food industries, but not really focused on specialty coffee. As for their sauces, while I'm sure they're consistently of high quality as their other products, I find the Ghirardelli line easier to access and certainly not the weakest link in the chain when marketing flavored coffee drinks. If you're focus includes increasing gross dollars, then IMO, the chocolate bar line, marketed much like specialty coffee SO's, is a logical and safe add-on. The cost/square foot to inventory pre packaged chocolate is low, and the margins are reasonably high. I'm surprised that more shops don't include it with add-ons like bakery.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Bruggman on November 16, 2008 at 6:30pm

I may be a little bias because I work for the company but is anyone out there familiar with Mont Blanc Gourmet. Mont Blanc has been is the business for over 25 years and is one of the most trusted chocolatiers in the business, with customers ranging from specialty coffee chains like Peets and Peaberry's, and quick service joints like Dunkin Donuts and Tim Horton's. Their the first ever to produce a Single Origin Chocolate Sauce made with Ghana Cocoa and have the most killer Sugar-free line hands down along with great caramels and white chocolate. Having a background in food science I can tell you that Mont Blanc has the longest self life and is the least prone to separation insuring a quality chocolate sauce all the way through the bottle. Again I may be biased but as my days working as lab tech for the company I got the chance to do lots of sensory evaluations and lab test on ours and competitors products.

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Permalink Reply by John on November 28, 2008 at 5:43pm

I've used Guittard an Ghirardelli Sauces in my drinks, and like them both. I have no prefrence.

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Permalink Reply by Robert on February 19, 2009 at 12:53pm

Hello Scott,
Does Mont Blanc Gourmet make their chocolate from bean to bar? Do they only makes sauces or do they make solid chocolate as well?

Have a great day,
Chocolatier
http://www.chocolateguild.com

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Permalink Reply by James Liu on February 19, 2009 at 10:05pm

Guittard is only second to Valhrona in my book. I used to work at a restaurant that used their pistoles exclusively in chocolate preparations. Ghiradelli I'm really not sold on, they're not even the best chocolate out of San Fran - which is Scharffen Berger by a lot.

You can't go wrong with any of those three. Just lovely, lovely chocolate.

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Permalink Reply by Ginger Gerhart on February 20, 2009 at 10:13pm

Ghirardelli is the oldest chocolate company in the US. They still import their green beans, blend and nib roast for making a true chocolate using real cacao liquor, cocoa butter and vanilla. The caramel is a true cooked confectioner caramel as opposed to a butterscotch flavored sauce and the Ghirardelli white chocolate has a cult following nation wide because of it's unique flavor profile. It's a good company too with farm friendly programs and awards for green practices and enviromental sustainabilty. These are just a few of the reasons everyone uses and loves Ghirardelli. hey, you should check out the Barista Dark chocolate for an intense dark chocolate mocha and Intense Dark line of bars if you are a true chocolate fan.

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Permalink Reply by Robert on February 27, 2009 at 12:57pm

Actually Bakers chocolate started in the 1700's. They are no longer family owned of course but they are the oldest in the USA. I am a huge fan of Guittard for many of the reasons that people have posed. When it comes to the USA I think Guitard has the, hands down, best chocolate. I think they have the most experience and the smartest staff and Research and Development crew...I am not as familiar with their coffee powders but their actual chocolate is the best.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Kerkhof on March 24, 2009 at 9:13am

I met and spoke with the rep from Guittard at Coffee Fest in Chicago. Was way impressed. Still family run and simply some of the best chocolate I have personally ever tasted. They just sent me a huge case full of their chocolate and I am nothing but in love with everything from their 31%-to the cocoa powder itself.

Haven't done a taste comparison between the Guittard and Ghirardelli, however we are switching to the Guittard White. We were using Monin, but it has that preservative taste to it a bit. Still it's better than a lot of others out there. Check the ingredients, they will tell you a lot.

We make our dark chocolate sauce using the infamous Sharffen Berger, however we are whipping up a batch with Guittard 64% to taste test. Too many good chocolates out there to narrow down to one!...maybe we'll start offering several different mochas.

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Permalink Reply by Black Sheep Coffee North on March 24, 2009 at 9:32am

We just recently started purchasing Guittard chocolate in ten pound blocks. We hand shave it with a cheese grater for our mochas, and hot chocolates. We've been using Ghiradelli until now, but seem to have a hard time finding the exact product that we want for a decent price.
I met reps. with both companies in at Coffee Fest in Chicago back in Feburary. The Ghiradelli rep. seemed to know very little about his product. Didn't really put forth any effort to get me what we needed.
I guess it really gets down to personal preference.

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