The Top 50 Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Makers In The United States

To celebrate food writer and chocolate lover Megan Giller's new book Bean-to-Bar Chocolate: America's Craft Chocolate Revolution (available today), we're highlighting her list of the top 50 bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the United States.

Come on, admit it. I know you have a favorite chocolate maker. Everyone does, and opinions range widely. That's why this list is essentially "my top makers." I'm not claiming that this is The Exclusive List of the best bean-to-bar makers ever; rather, they're the ones that I personally think are worth trying and visiting (if they're open to the public).

I've listed them in alphabetical order and divided them into tiny, small, medium, large and giant — loose categories to give you a sense of whether they're a one-person operation or a 200-person conglomerate. Tiny generally means it's a one- or two-person shop without much distribution. Small- and medium-size makers have a few more employees as well as a retail location and/or café. Large makers have dozens of employees, a space where the public can visit, and good distribution. And giant makers have many employees (around 100), great distribution, and sometimes even wholesale or private-label businesses.

Find basic information about each maker below, and read more about many of them throughout the book.

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Year Founded: 2015

Founder: Carol Morse

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Small collection of two-ingredient bars. All beans are sourced from a co-op in northern Peru.

Location: Orem, Utah

Year Founded: 2005

Founder: Art Pollard

Size: Small

Visit: No

Products: Single-origin bars, especially from Venezuela, and some inclusion bars. Made with added cocoa butter and vanilla. Some private-label products. Provides to restaurants like Chez Panisse.

Location: Milpitas, California

Year Founded: 2015

Founders: David and Leslie Senk

Size: Small

Visit: No

Products: Large collection of single-origin bars.

Location: Springfield, Missouri

Year Founded: 2006

Founder: Shawn Askinosie

Size: Large

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and shop.

Products: Single-origin (especially from Tanzania and the Philippines) and inclusion bars as well as collaboration bars made with other artisan makers. Milk chocolate and even white chocolate.

Location: Manhattan Beach, California

Year Founded: 2010

Founder: Nicole Trutanich

Size: Tiny

Visit: Yes! Check out the café and factory tours.

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars, some milk chocolate, and chocolate-related products (granola!)

Location: Burlington, Vermont

Year Founded: 2012

Founder: Eric Lampman (father Jim Lampman founded Lake Champlain Chocolates)

Size: Tiny, but owned by giant chocolate manufacturer Lake Champlain

Visit: You can visit Lake Champlain's factory, but not Blue Bandana's.

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars with a few inclusion bars, chocolate chips, and roasted nibs.

Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Year Founded: 2011

Founders: Rom Still and Barbara Price

Size: Tiny

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and shop.

Products: Single-origin bars as well as inclusion bars with interesting ingredients like dried blueberries.

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Year Founded: 2010

Founder: Daniel Prieto Preston

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory with antique machines and the small shop, as well as tours on the weekends and by appointment.

Products: Single-origin bars, inclusion bars, couverture, hot chocolate and nibs, all using cocoa from the Dominican Republic.

Location: Stuart, Florida

Year Founded: 2012

Founders: Denise and James Castronovo

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the shop.

Products: Focuses on rare heirloom beans and single-origin bars. If you visit the shop you can also try and buy truffles, cookies, drinking chocolate and more.

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Year Founded: 2012

Founder: Joshua Rosen

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Vegan bars with lots of fun inclusions and other products (think toffee almond bites).

Location: North Truro, Massachusetts

Year Founded: 2014

Founders: Katie Reed and Josiah Mayo

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the café with plenty of special desserts and confections.

Products: Single-origin and inclusion bars and bonbons as well as drinking chocolate, nibs, and beans.

Location: Portland, Oregon

Year Founded: 2009

Founder: Sebastián Cisneros

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Inclusion bars with creative ingredients like bee pollen, Palo Santo wood, and Pop Rocks

Location: San Francisco, California

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Todd Masonis and Cameron Ring

Size: Large

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and café.

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars. If you visit the café you can also try brownies, cookies and drinking chocolates.

Location: Eureka, California

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Adam Dick and Dustin Taylor

Size: Large

Visit: Yes! Check out the shop and factory for tours.

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars and some inclusion bars, as well as drinking and baking chocolate.

Location: Wasatch Range, Utah

Year Founded: 2015

Founder: Eric Durtschi, founder of Crio Bru (a cocoa drink brewed like coffee)

Size: Tiny, but owned by large company Crio Bru

Visit: No, but you can check out Crio Bru, its parent company, at its shop in Lindon and take tours there.

Products: Single-origin bars made with added cocoa butter.

Location: Raleigh, North Carolina

Year Founded: 2008

Founders: Hallot Parson and Danielle Centeno

Size: Medium

Visit: Yes! Check out the café.

Products: Single-origin bars, inclusion bars and bonbons. If you visit the store, you'll also find ice cream, drinking chocolate and more.

Location: Woodstock, Illinois

Year Founded: 2011

Founders: Mary Ervin, Sara Miller and Michael Ervin

Size: Medium

Visit: Yes! Check out the café.

Products: Single-origin and inclusion bars, plus many confections, baking mixes, cookies and more available online and at the café.

Location: Asheville, North Carolina

Year Founded: Café concept founded 2008, chocolate factory founded 2012

Founders: Dan and Jael Rattigan

Size: Large

Visit: Yes! Check out their lounge, factory and boutique with a huge collection of bars from other makers.

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars and some inclusion bars with ingredients like coffee and malted milk, as well truffles, brownies, toffee and drinking and baking chocolate online, plus cakes, cookies and more in the lounge.

Location: Lynden, Washington

Year Founded: 2008

Founder: Rob Anderson

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Single-origin bars that specify their roasting style and conching style, so you can get super-nerdy about it.

Location: Traverse City, Michigan

Year Founded: 2011

Founders: Nichole Warner and Justin Manning

Size: Tiny

Visit: Yes! Check out the production area as well as café and coffee bar.

Products: Small selection of two-ingredient single-origin bars, drinking chocolate and brownie mix.

Location: Shokan, New York

Year Founded: 2011

Founders: Bryan and Dahlia Graham

Size: Medium

Visit: Yes! Check out the big store in Shokan and satellite store in Woodstock.

Products: Single-origin and inclusion bars with creative ingredients like corn, as well as hot chocolate, bonbons, caramels and other confections. They also make milk chocolate and even white chocolate.

Location: Burlingame, California

Year Founded: 1868

Founder: Etienne Guittard; run by his great-grandson Gary Guittard

Size: Giant

Visit: No

Products: Single-origin and blended dark and milk chocolate bars as well as dark, milk and white baking chocolate, drinking chocolate, cocoa powders and couverture chocolate for professional chefs. Used by many food manufacturers, restaurants, and chocolatiers around the country (and internationally), including See's Candies.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Year Founded: 2015

Founders: Sarah and Colin Hartman

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and store.

Products: Uses beans from Brazil's Atlantic and Amazon rain forests in blends and inclusion bars with ingredients like Earl Grey tea, peanuts and pretzels.

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Year Founded: 2015

Founder: Peter Kelsey

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out their factory and shop.

Products: Single-origin bars and bars with superfood inclusions like pumpkin seeds and maca.

Location: Los Angeles, California

Year Founded: 2014

Founders: David and Corey Menkes

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Single-origin bars.

Location: Central Point, Oregon

Founders: Jeff Shepherd

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the shop.

Products: Single-origin and inclusion bars as well as tons of confections.

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Year Founded: 2009

Founder: Seneca Klassen

Size: Tiny

Visit: Yes! Call ahead for farm tours and factory visits.

Products: Single-origin and inclusion bars made in Hawaii from tree to bar. Mostly available through a subscription chocolate club, but any leftover bars can be bought online.

Location: O'ahu, Hawaii

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Nat Bletter and David Elliott

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the shops in Honolulu and Kailua.

Products: Vegan single-origin Hawaiian bars as well as bars from other origins and with inclusions.

Location: Kailua, Hawaii

Year Founded: 2010

Founder: Dylan Butterbaugh

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory.

Products: Single-origin Hawaiian bars as well as bars of other origins and with inclusions, plus brewing chocolate, nibs and more.

Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Year Founded: 2014

Founder: Mackenzie Rivers

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Custom couverture and single-origin and inclusion bars as well as hot chocolate, cold-brew chocolate, baking chocolate and single-origin cocoa powder.

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Year Founded: 2014

Founders: Paul and Marlene Picton

Size: Medium

Visit: Yes! Check out the store.

Products: Single-origin bars as well as milk and white bars, inclusion bars, drinking chocolate and cocoa nibs.

Location: Middlebury, Vermont

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Stephanie and Andy Jackson

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the café with house-roasted coffee drinks, milk shakes, hot chocolate and bonbons as well as special-release bars.

Products: Single-origin bars and a few bars with basic inclusions like salt.

Location: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Year Founded: 2010

Founder: Nathan Miller

Size: Large

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory as well as the on-site coffeehouse with chocolate and coffee drinks as well as savory entrées.

Products: Single-origin and inclusion bars as well as confections.

Location: Fort Collins, Colorado

Year Founded: 2014

Founders: Toby and Alix Gadd

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the café.

Products: Single-origin and some inclusion bars. At the café you'll also find confections, hot chocolate and more.

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Year Founded: 2007

Founder: Scott Witherow

Size: Medium

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory.

Products: Stone-ground chocolate using brown sugar. Mostly produces inclusion bars and confections like caramels and chocolate "charcuterie."

Location: Redlands, California

Year Founded: 2013

Founders: Ryan and Cassi Berk

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out their store.

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin chocolates as well as chocolate syrup and drinking chocolate. Visit the store for all sorts of confections.

Location: Columbia, Missouri

Year Founded: 2006

Founder: Alan McClure

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Single-origin, blended and inclusion bars like triple ginger and licorice.

Location: Woodbridge, Virginia

Year Founded: 2010

Founder: Ben Rasmussen

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars as well as a few inclusion bars.

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Nate Hodge and Ryan Cheney

Size: Large

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and store.

Products: Vegan unroasted (not raw) chocolate. Mostly produces inclusion bars with unusual ingredients like ghost chiles and methods like steaming cocoa over simmering wine.

Location: Park City, Utah

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Robbie Stout and Anna Davies

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out the café with chocolate, coffee drinks and pastries.

Products: Single-origin and inclusion bars, plus drinking chocolate, granola and more.

Location: Three Rivers, Massachusetts

Year Founded: 2007

Founder: Colin Gasko

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars.

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Year Founded: 2013

Founders: Scott Query and DeAnn Wallin

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! But make sure you call ahead.

Products: Single-origin and blended bars as well as milk chocolate and drinking chocolate.

Location: Willits, California

Year Founded: 2013

Founders: Ash and Brittany Maki

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Check out their shop for bars, truffles and special treats.

Products: Single-origin and flavored bars made exclusively with coconut sugar.

Location: Somerville, Massachusetts

Year Founded: 2005

Founders: Alex Whitmore and Kathleen Fulton

Size: Large

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and store.

Products: Organic stone-ground chocolate in single-origin bars as well as inclusion bars and confections like chocolate-covered nuts and nibs.

Location: Berkeley, California

Year Founded: 2007

Founders: NASA giant Timothy Childs and Karl Bittong; formerly run by Louis Rossetto and Jane Metcalfe, the founders of Wired magazine; chocolate is made by Brad Kintzer

Size: Giant

Visit: No

Products: Bars characterized by flavor notes instead of origin or percentage; tons of inclusion bars in flavors like astronaut ice cream.

Location: Tomball, Texas

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Scott Moore Jr. and Michelle Holland

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! In addition to chocolate bars and bonbons, they make barbecue, so come hungry.

Products: Single-origin choco-late bars and unusual bonbons (think Parmesan cheese).

Location: Fergus Falls, Minnesota

Year Founded: 2013

Founders: Josh and Kristin Mohagen

Size: Tiny

Visit: No

Products: A few single-origin bars, but mostly inclusion bars.

Location: Seattle, Washington

Year Founded: 2006

Founders: Joseph Whinney and Debra Music

Size: Giant

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and store.

Products: Blends and inclusion bars in flavors like coconut curry and cherry almond.

Location: Raleigh, North Carolina

Year Founded: 2011

Founders: Sam and Starr Ratto and Chris Heavener

Size: Medium

Visit: Yes! Check out the factory and store.

Products: Dark and milk bars as well as confections and baking chocolate.

Location: Portland, Oregon

Year Founded: 2010

Founders: Charley and Jessica Wheelock

Size: Small

Visit: Yes! Visit the factory.

Products: Two-ingredient single-origin bars as well as a few inclusion bars and drinking chocolate. Used by Stumptown Coffee Roasters and many other restaurants and confectioners.