Domingo Ghirardelli

Domingo Ghirardelli was an Italian-born chocolatier who lived from February 21, 1817, to January 17, 1894. He is best known for founding the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in San Francisco, California. Ghirardelli moved to the United States and settled in San Francisco during the Gold Rush era, a time when many people were searching for gold and the city was growing quickly.

He started his chocolate business in 1852, and his high-quality chocolates and candies became very popular. His company is still known today for making delicious chocolate products. Ghirardelli’s work helped make San Francisco famous for its rich chocolate history.

Early life, family and education

Domenico Ghirardelli was born on February 21, 1817, in Rapallo, which was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, to Maddalena (née Ferretto) and Giuseppe Ghirardelli. His father worked as a spice merchant in nearby Genoa. As a teenager, Domenico learned the chocolate-making trade in Genoa from a well-known chocolatier.

At around age 20 in 1838, he moved to Uruguay and later to Lima, Peru, where he opened a shop selling sweet treats. There, he started using the Spanish version of his name, Domingo. In 1849, he traveled to San Francisco, California, after his friend James Lick suggested it. During the busy California Gold Rush, Domingo opened his first store in a mining camp to sell sweets to miners. He even spent some time near Sonora and Jamestown before setting up shop again in Hornitos, California.

Career

In 1852, Ghirardelli moved to San Francisco and started the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in an area that later became known as Ghirardelli Square. He became one of San Francisco's most successful chocolate makers. His company is America's third oldest chocolate business and was one of the first in the world to create and ship chocolate powder for drinking and baking in the 1860s.

Around 1865, someone working at the Ghirardelli factory found that by placing a bag of crushed cacao beans in a warm room, the cocoa butter would drip away. This left behind a material that could be turned into chocolate. This method, called the Broma process, is now the most common way to make chocolate.

Personal life and death

Domingo Ghirardelli married Elisabetta "Bettina" Corsini from Italy in 1837, but she passed away in 1846.

He later married Carmen Alvarado Martín in Lima, Peru, in 1847. They had seven children together. Sadly, Carmen passed away in 1887.

Ghirardelli was a member of a special group called the Freemasons. He passed away from influenza on January 17, 1894, in his hometown of Rapallo. His family buried him at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.