The chocolate maker is now a sister company of Harry & David

By Jim Flint for Ashland.news

Ashland’s Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, with a succession of previous owners and operations across multiple locations, may have reached its final destination after being acquired last year by 1-800-Flowers.Com, Inc., parent company of Harry & David.

Joseph Rowland, group president of Gourmet Foods & Gift Baskets, Harry & David, said the company has no plans to move Scharffen Berger’s production into the Harry & David campus in Medford.

“Scharffen Berger will continue to operate in its Ashland facilities,” Rowland said, “maintaining the craftsmanship and expertise that have made it a standout in the chocolate industry.”

Why 1-800-Flowers?

Rowland says integrating Scharffen Berger into the company’s portfolio of brands provides an opportunity to introduce its chocolates to a broader audience.

“This strategic tuck-in acquisition enhances our product offerings and supports our commitment to delivering high-quality gifts to our customers,” he said.

“Our focus is on growing the brand while preserving the exceptional quality and craftsmanship that define Scharffen Berger.”

1-800-Flowers already had several other chocolate brands, including its Simply Chocolate website, before it acquired Scharffen Berger last July.

“The acquisition expands the company’s chocolate offerings within our gourmet food and gift basket business,” Rowland said. “It also supports our larger mission to expand our giving category with a brand we know, through consumer feedback, our audience loves.”

Expanding the reach

The new acquisition easily plugs into 1-800-Flowers’ supply chain, increases the company’s cocoa buying power, and may help to drive up the average order spend by offering another product to add to the cart.

“We see significant opportunities by leveraging Harry & David’s robust distribution network and integrating Scharffen Berger’s products into our curated gift assortments,” Rowland said.

The Ashland facility offers its new owners a West Coast chocolate manufacturing option, conveniently located a half-hour drive from the 52-acre Harry & David headquarters in Medford.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker was founded in 1996 by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg. It was the first “bean-to-bar” chocolate manufacturer in the United States in more than 50 years. At the time, the more common practice was to acquire chocolate from other chocolate makers.

The new company introduced its chocolate at the annual Food & Wine Classic held in Aspen, Colorado, in 1996. It was the first chocolate maker to put cacao percentages on their packages.

The company sourced its beans from around the world and created blends to get the desired flavor. It first began selling chocolate direct to the public at farmers markets.

A doctor and his patient

Scharffenberger was a well-known Bay Area winemaker and Steinberg was a physician. Steinberg had closed his practice after being diagnosed with cancer. Scharffenberger, a former patient, was selling his winery and looking for new business opportunities. The two decided to partner together to make chocolate.

The operation went from Steinberg’s kitchen to South San Francisco to Berkeley, California, in four years. In 2005, the company was sold to the Hershey Co. Hershey subsequently manufactured the brand in Illinois and closed Scharffen Berger’s Bay Area factories.

After 15 years, Hershey divested the chocolate maker, which again became a privately held company. Scharffen Berger moved its manufacturing operations to a new facility in Ashland in 2021.

The Scharffen Berger collection now includes seven chocolate blends from nine different bean origins around the world.

Scharffen Berger will be participating in the Oregon Chocolate Festival March 7-9 in Ashland.

“We are excited they’re going to be a part of our celebration,” said Maili C. Morrison, spokesperson for the festival. “They will be a vendor and a product sponsor at our famed Chocolate Makers’ Wine Dinner at the Ashland Springs Hotel March 7.”

To learn more about Scharffen Berger chocolates visit harryanddavid.com or the Harry & David Country Village at 1314 Center Drive, Medford.

Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at jimflint.ashland@yahoo.com.

Related story: Oregon Chocolate Festival returns March 7-9 (Feb. 21, 2025)