Chocolate festivals are very popular and there seems to be one in every community.  Luckily for us here in Portland, we have several to look forward to each year:

The Portland Chocolate Festival, held at the World Forestry Center in  January, grows by leaps and bounds each year. Ashland’s Oregon Chocolate Festival, held each March,  is in it’s 7th year.  Then the 3rd annual Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon is coming up on Sunday, July 11th.

Traditionally held on Bastille Day weekend, this event is hosted by Taste TV, the same organization that puts on similar events in San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. The venue is the Bell Harbor Conference Center, beautifully located on Pier 66 along the waterfront.

Tickets are $20 with advanced purchase (until July 9th), and $25 at the door. This fee includes all chocolate & confection tastings, classes, and demonstrations.  There will be samples to savor from over 24 chocolatiers, confectioners, wineries, and other culinary artisans.  You can get more information and see footage from the 2009 salon here.

I attended the first annual back in 2008 and felt it was worth the trip. However, at an event like this here are a few suggestions to help insure a delicious and memorable experience:

*  It can get very crowded, so it is a good idea to get their early.
*  Pace yourself-there is no way a person can eat a sample from each of the vendors and not go into glycemic over-load. Bring a bottle of water, some crackers and a protein source like almonds to eat between treats.
*  Some folks, unfortunately, attend with the goal of getting their admission fee worth of chocolate. (It is the one feature of an event like this that can leave, well, a bad taste in your mouth). As a result, containers are not allowed in fear of this potential hording behavior. So I’d recommend bringing a discreet and sturdy baggie. That way you can nibble on a sample and save the remainder for later and to compare notes.
*  Since we’re ‘on the topic of containers, it is also good to have something to put any accumulated  literature or items you purchase.
*  Take breaks- especially if it is a nice day out. Just outside are amazing views of the Olympic Peninsula.
*  If you rather spend all your money on chocolate, you might consider bringing a lunch to enjoy either on the premises or outside along the waterfront.
*  Above all, I’d also encourage participants to ask the vendors questions. It will make your visit and their time more enjoyable.

There will be chocolate companies from the Puget Sound area, and some Portland companies have been represented in the past such as Alma Chocolates and Missionary Chocolates. Others may be from quite a distance away, such as Amano from Orem, Utah. Another chocolatier to keep your eye out for is William Dean Chocolates from Largo, Florida,  who has won awards at previous salons.

If you decide to make a day or weekend out of it, check out this blog post with other “chocolating” ideas in the Emerald City.

Please let us know your impressions if you do head up for this or any other chocolate event.

Kraft’s recent acquisition of Cadbury (which includes Green & Black’s) brings to mind other mergers that have occurred in recent history.

When I first began offering chocolate tasting programs in Berkeley, California in the early 1980’s, I fondly recall that there were still family members on the board of Ghirardelli Chocolate. Times have definitely changed. Today this historic American manufacturer it is owned by the Swiss chocolate maker Lindt.

After 40 years of ownership, the Campbell Soup Company sold Godiva Chocolates in December 2007 to the Turkish company Yildiz Holding of Turkey for $850 million. The Godiva managers I speak with in Portland seem very happy with this change of guard. It is as if they finally feel like they are being given the attention and resources they deserve by their parent company.

Nestlé’s owns Perugina, the chocolate company that originated in the Etruscan town of Perugia, Italy and is famous for their Baci confections.

Then there is Hershey that now owns the originally Berkeley, California based Scharffenberger Chocolates.

In the fall of 2006, I had the good fortune to attend a class at Draegers in San Mateo, California with Dr. Robert Steinberg, one of the co-founders of Scharffenberger Chocolates. Personally I remember the excitement of the emergence of Scharffenberger back in the mid-1990’s- what was at the time the first chocolate manufacturer in 50 years. Anyone who has ever gone on one of their factory tours might recall the tour guide proudly announcing that they make in one year what Hershey makes in a day. So, like many, I was very disappointed at the 2005 merger of this giant American manufacturer with this small American artisan one that helped bring chocolate to an entirely new level. A year later Hershey bought Ashland, Oregon based Dagoba.

I realize that loyal customers of companies can be upset by such changes. So at the end of class I asked Dr. Steinberg how he felt about it all. I can still recall his big smile and sparkling eyes, as he stated that he actually disliked all the marketing and the other business aspects of running the company. He was now free to do what he really loves- once again concentrating on the chocolate itself. Coming directly from him, those words made me feel somewhat better.

I somehow feel that he would have been disapppointed to see the eventual close of his Berkeley factory which would move to Illinois. It’s hard to imagine that those personally selected Old World pieces of chocolate machinery by himself and John Scharffenberger are still cranking out all that chocolate that is being marketed across the country. It is fortunate, perhaps, that this phase of the merger happened after Dr. Steinberg passed on in 2009.

Yes, there are positives and negatives to mergers. Yet, it bothers me how the “genealogy” of the chocolate industry seems to have far fewer branches in it these days. Let’s see how this all plays out in the coming years.

Who makes your favorite chocolate bars? How have you felt about these mergers?