Chocolate came to America in the 18th century. Milton Hershey introduced mass production of chocolate bars in 1900, and Americans have been enjoying the luscious treat in large quantities ever since. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that Americans consumed roughly six billion pounds of chocolate in 2006. From a bean to a candy bar, you can see the chocolate-making process in several chocolate factories across Michigan.
Morley Candy Makers, part of the Sanders family of brands and the largest chocolate producer in Michigan, offers a variety of chocolate confections, from milk chocolates to fruit-flavored to no-sugar-added varieties. Morley's candy tours begin with a video about the origins of chocolate, how chocolate is made and the company's start in the candy-making business. The company follows that with a live demonstration and a free sample. Self-guided tours and a "Stop & Shop" tour are also available. Located in Clinton Township, Michigan, Morley's holds tours Monday through Friday and requires advance reservation.
Morley Candy Makers
23770 Hall Road (M-59)
Clinton Township, MI 48036
800-682-2760, ext. 2218
sanderscandy.com
Schakolad Chocolate Factory boasts 29 locations across the United States and one international location in Kfar Saba. Three factory stores are located in Michigan in downtown Ann Arbor, Birmingham and 8 Mile Road in Northville. The Ann Arbor store offers tours on Sundays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for $10 per person, as of August 2010. Reservations are required.
Schakolad Chocolate Factory
110 E. Washington
Detroit Suburb
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-213-1700
schakolad.com
The South Bend Chocolate Co. has outlets in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, but only offers a live factory in Indiana. It does, however, offer an online video tour (see Resources) that Michigan residents--and others--may enjoy. The online tour begins with the growing and harvesting of cacao beans, covers the South Bend chocolate-making process, and ends with an invitation to enjoy the company's Chocolate Museum. South Bend Chocolate Co. produces a variety of chocolates, including creams, fudges, truffles, cordials, crunches and specialty and gourmet confections.
The South Bend Chocolate Co.
sbchocolate.com
Located among the fruit orchards in southwest Michigan, the Chocolate Garden specializes in handmade truffles. Former advertising executive and founder/chocolatier Tina Buck says all the chocolates at the Chocolate Garden are made by hand on the premises. In addition, the Chocolate Garden uses only high-quality ingredients. It does not offer live tours, but visitors may view an in-store video from an appearance on The Food Network while selecting and purchasing their chocolates.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, with more than 300 locations nationwide and a few as far away as Abu Dhabi, offers a wide variety of chocolates. It does not offer factory tours for safety reasons, but certain confections, like candied applies and fudge, are made out front where customers can observe the candy-making processes.
Working out of a factory in downtown Grand Rapids, Mary Ann's Chocolate Factory specializes in chocolates. Although no longer family-owned and operated, descendents of founder Mary Ann Maloney still work in the factory, including the head chocolatier who is the founder's great-grandson.
