When it comes to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, chocolate and gold are one in the same. Domingo Ghirardelli started his chocolate dynasty by crafting chocolates for the weary gold miners of the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. By 1852, his confectionery was in full swing and has remained so for more than 160 years. Today, Ghirardelli chocolate is an American staple, and it's also one of few American chocolatiers to control the entire manufacturing process. That includes everything from selecting the cocoa beans to producing finished chocolate squares. It's such an intricate process that 30% of their beans don't make it to roasting because they don't meet rigorous flavor standards. But in the end, it's a process that produces intense flavors.

Among many others, flavors include milk and caramel, cookies 'n' cream, double fudge, and sea salt. Besides squares, they craft their chocolate into bars, baking products, hot cocoa mixes, and hot fudge to top chilly ice cream.