Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, a hallmark of chocolate confectioneries, traces its roots back to an entrepreneur named Domenico Ghirardelli. The journey of this sweets merchant to a chocolate tycoon is truly remarkable.
Domenico Ghirardelli was born in Rapallo, Kingdom of Sardinia, which is now modern day Italy, in 1817. In his teens, Domenico apprenticed to chocolatier Romanengo, in Genoa, Italy. By 20, Domencio sailed to Uraguay with his wife to work in a coffee and chocolate business. A year later, he and his wife moved to Lima, Peru, and opened a confectionary store. In 1847, his neighbor, James Lick, sailed to San Francisco with 900 pounds of Domenico's chocolate. In the same year, Domenico Ghirardelli changed his name to its Spanish equivalent, Domingo Ghirardelli. In 1849, Domingo moved to Stockton, California, under the recommendation of his former neighbor, and the news of the California gold rush. In Stockton, he opened one of the first shops in the area, a tent-based general store, selling confections and supplies to miners. Months later, in 1850, Domingo opened his second store on the corner of Broadway and Battery in San Francisco. On May 3rd, 1851, the San Francisco Fire destroyed his San Francisco business, and a few days later, his Stockton store. In September, he attempted to open the Cairo Coffee House in San Francisco using his remaining assets, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. Then in 1852, on the corner of Kearny and Washington streets, Domingo opened a new store, Ghirardely & Girard. This new location is later known as the modern Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in Ghirardelli Square. Soon after opening, he had enough money to send for his family, who were still living in Peru. A year later, the business moved to the corner of Jackson and Mason Streets. In another two years, they already needed a bigger facility, so they moved to the corner of Greenwich and Powell Streets, and kept the previous location running as the office. Around 1865, an employee discovered a hanging bag of cocoa beans in a warm room, the cocoa butter would drip off, leaving residue that could be made into ground chocolate, this technique is known as the Broma Process. In 1884, Domingo's three sons joined him as business partners, and in 1892 he retired as the head of his company, leaving it to his sons. Domingo Ghirardelli's journey comes to an end in 1894, when he dies in Rapallo, Italy, from influenza. His body now rests in the Mountain View Cemetary in Oakland, California, with the rest of his family.