Etienne guided the company for 31 years. Although he started from scratch with only a few bags of cocoa beans, by the time of his death in 1899, Guittard Chocolate was an established enterprise with an integral role in the growth of the business community of San Francisco.

During the war, chocolate manufacturing was considered an essential industry. Horace A. stayed back at home to run the business and provide chocolate and cocoa powder to the military.

Guittard remained on Main Street until selling the property to the city to make room for the Embarcadero Freeway. It was at that time, that Horace A. moved the company to Burlingame, California. While chocolate manufacturing is highly automated, it remains one of the few industries that still requires an artisanal and flexible approach. We use vintage equipment to retain the highest flavors.

Gary joined the family firm in 1975, working side-by-side with his brother Jay, who oversaw the wholesale business and his father Horace A.

Jay assumes the presidency in the mid-80s. In 1989, due to the untimely deaths of his father and brother, Gary began running the company with his family of employees, many of whom had been there for 20+ years and remain at his side to this day.

Gary referenced the hand-written journals of his great grandfather Etienne while developing the E.Guittard artisan line—single origins and blends crafted in the small-batch, French-artisan tradition.

Today, the Chocolate Studio is a space for research & development, industry events, and immersive classes.

Solar panels are installed at the Fairfield facility, generating renewable energy and offsetting approximately half of the site’s electricity demand as part of Guittard’s Cultivate Better™ sustainability platform. The next year, we add Bloom Energy fuel cell technology to the Burlingame , further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening on‑site clean energy generation.