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Ghirardelli Chocolates, Ghirardelli Square
San Francisco's Ghirardelli Chocolates are probably the most popular gift taken home to family and friends by visitors to the Bay Area. Italian-born Domenico Ghirardelli (Gear-ar-delly) came to the city in 1849 when he heard that 600 pounds of his chocolate had sold out in tiny San Francisco. His arrival coincided with the Gold Rush and Domenico was swept up in the fever but soon decided his future lay in confections instead. From 200 pounds of cocoa beans in 1852 he built a chocolate empire of 450,000 pounds by 1885. Today Ghirardelli Chocolates is America's longest continuously operating chocolate manufacturer and their location on San Francisco's waterfront has been granted National Historic Register status.
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