Each year Americans spend $16 billion dollars on chocolate. It doesn’t matter if it’s white chocolate, dark chocolate or milk chocolate, people can’t get enough of it. What’s surprising is that most individuals don’t really know how chocolate is made or where it comes from. Throughout the world there are tours available that show visitors how a little bean is turned into a piece of chocolaty goodness.
Big Island Candies in Hilo, Hawaii:
Big Island Candies was established in 1977. Visitors can go on a self guided tour of the factory. Along the way they can taste chocolate samples. After the tour they will exit through the gift shop and can purchase different varieties of chocolate as well as macadamia nut cookies. Big Island Candies is open Monday through Friday throughout the year.
Temple of Chocolate d’Or, Belgium
For the ultimate chocolate tour, many visitors flock to Belgium each year to visit the Temple of Chocolate d’Or. This tour is mostly geared towards kids, but adults love the tour as well. Tours are very popular and reservations must be made well in advance to reserve a spot. Hours vary throughout the year.
Maison Cailler in Broc Gruyere, Switzerland
Swiss chocolate is famous throughout the world. At Maison Callier in Broc, visitors can go on an interactive tour of the factory. Participants get to sort through some of the coffee beans, see how they are produced and taste the finished product. The factory is open 7 days a week and tours last anywhere from 1 to 1 ½ hours. Reservations aren’t necessary, but during the summer months the wait to get in can be around 90 minutes long.
Haigh’s Chocolate in Adelaide , Australia
The Haigh’s Chocolate tour in Adelaide is one of the most in depth chocolate tours in the world. Visitors can see how raw coffee beans are chosen from plantations and how they are turned into chocolate. There are not only chocolate samples, but complementary tea and coffee available as well. Tours last about 20 minutes and are available Monday through Friday at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. On Saturday they are available at 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Perugina Chocolate Factory in Perugia, Italy
The Perugina Chocolate Factory in Perugia began giving visitors tours in 2007. Before the tour begins, visitors are given a free sample of chocolate and are shown a video about the production process. They are then led to a catwalk that is suspended over top of the production floor where they can see how the chocolate is made and boxed. The hours of operation do vary each season. For those that want a tour guide that speaks English, they will need to book a tour in advance.
If you are in New York, check out Mast Brothers as well. They are no longer offering tours of the facility, but you can still watch the chocolate being made and the staff loves to answer questions and will even give visitors chocolate samples. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, now is a great time to go on a chocolate tour and even purchase chocolate for yourself or a loved one.
