Inside Hershey

Goodbye to Starbucks Chocolates

 As we predicted six weeks ago, The Hershey Company officially announced today that it will no longer produce and/or market the line of Starbucks chocolates that was launched in early 2008.

The Cacao Reserve line is another casualty in the company's premium chocolate line. Which leaves us with the Scharffen Berger line (which is no longer produced in the iconic Bay Area factory) and the organic Dagoba line.

With the company abandoning the Joseph Schmidt brand and the Starbucks brand this year, one has to wonder what will become of Hershey's Artisan Confections line.

News from The Hershey Company

It's true, I haven't posted much about chocolate lately.

Nothing about the plethora of Easter goodies — the Reester Bunnies, the Bliss eggs, the white chocolate and dark chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs — and nothing about the new Pieces line, and nothing about the new Hershey Meltaway Kisses/Reese's Cremes/Thingamajig bars (see Cybele's Candy Blog for excellent reviews of all the new products) and nothing about The Hershey Company's stalwart earnings in the face of a global recession.

That's all good news, sure. But I've just been a little down about the company closing the iconic Scharffen Berger factory in Berkeley and discontinuing the line of Joseph Schmidt truffles. Call me a chocolate snob, but I was excited about Hershey's Artisan Confections and hoped it had a bright future.

Unfortunately, it looks as though Artisan Confections will be taking another hit. This week, there have been rumblings that Hershey's and Starbucks have decided to dissolve the partnership that produced those stellar Starbucks chocolates. I suppose it's no surprise — the Starbucks line has never been sold at Starbucks locations, and it really hasn't been supported by a lot of advertising. But this was good chocolate. Premium chocolate. REAL chocolate.

And I'll miss it.

I hope the Dagoba line survives.

Is this the end of the line for Schmidt Truffles?

This Easter will be the final season for Joseph Schmidt Confections, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday.

The Schmidt line is owned by The Hershey Company via its Artisan Confections Company subsidiary. Hershey had announced the closing of the Schmidt facility in San Francisco just a few weeks ago.

I had noticed recently that Schmidt truffles and gift boxes were no longer available at Hershey's Chocolate World and feared the worst. The Joseph Schmidt site seems to be fully up and running, with no announcement of any kind; indeed, it features current Valentine confections that may be ordered online. If you're a Joseph Schmidt fan, as I am, you may want to place an order just for old time's sake.

The Top Five Milk Chocolate Bars

Food & Wine Magazine issued its list of the top five milk chocolate bars, and The Hershey Company snared two of those five spots.

Coming in at Number Two: the Dagoba Organic Milk Chocolate bar. Dagoba is part of Hershey's Artisan Confections subsidiary.

And the Number Three bar on the list: the Hershey's Symphony bar.

Not a bad showing!

Artisan Confections Changes

The Hershey Company announced yesterday that it will close the West Coast production facilities for its Joseph Schmidt and Scharffen Berger lines.

Joseph Schmidt and Scharffen Berger are two components of Hershey's Artisan Confections Co., a subsidiary specializing in premium chocolates. Dagoba Organic Chocolate of Ashland, Oregon also produces high-end chocolate under the Artisan Confections umbrella. Hershey acquired both the Schmidt and Scharffen Berger companies in 2005.

Sadly, jobs will be affected — reportedly, 150 jobs will be affected in this move to consolidate production and cut costs.

Immerse Yourself: Chocolate-Covered February

February is Hershey's secret season. No, Hersheypark isn't open. Visitor counts are low. We're a little short on hours of daylight.

But that makes February one of the best months to visit! You can get into some great restaurants without a wait, there's an impressive new museum to explore, the trees are often covered in snow or frost at the Hershey Gardens (half-price admission and the makings for some awesome wintry photographs!) and last, but not least -- you can hit some Chocolate-Covered February events!

Chocolate-Covered February is in its fifth year, and it's not just some random tourist bureau "event." There are some outstanding special chocolate-themed meals, seminars and treats around town in February. Whether you'd like to take in a $55 chocolate and cognac pairing with dessert buffet or you want to take the kids to Hershey's Chocolate World for free samples after the ride, there's something for every age and every budget. Guest chefs and notables often appear during the month to offer their expertise as well -- and it's a real treat to watch Joseph Schmidt or John Scharffenberger talk about their passion for chocolate, or to enjoy a meal of Alison Barshak's inspired creations.

So check out the event list and choose a few. Don't forget that many events require pre-registration. And immerse yourself in Chocolate-Covered February.

Starbucks Holiday Truffles

Way back in March, the line of Starbucks chocolates was launched with great fanfare here in Hershey. Why? While it's not easy to spot on the packaging, the Starbucks chocolates are manufactured by Artisan Confections Company, which is owned by The Hershey Company.

Slowly but surely, the line surfaced at Hershey's Chocolate World, department stores and select grocery stores. The hard-to-find Caramel Macchiato Truffles were sometimes spotted at wholesale clubs. And occasionally, a surprise addition to the Starbucks line-up would appear. Interestingly, there were no Starbucks Chocolates sold in a place you might expect them to be sold — in those ubiquitous Starbucks coffeehouses.

Just a few weeks ago, I spotted Starbucks Milk Chocolate Bars and Mocha Dark Chocolate Bars in the "factory overstock" area of Chocolate World and immediately thought the worst: that perhaps this line wasn't doing well enough to continue. That was depressing — this is some seriously good chocolate, REAL chocolate in an increasingly mockolate world.

But last week, I was stunned to see new Starbucks truffles at Target. In addition to the Caramel Macchiato Truffles, there were Gingerbread Latte Truffles, Eggnog Latte Truffles and Peppermint Mocha Truffles. Oh, happy day!

Maybe the Starbucks line will continue after all. Maybe Starbucks Chocolates will someday even be sold at Starbucks stores. But in the meantime, do yourself a favor and hurry to the nearest Target and snap up a few of these holiday offerings. They make most excellent hostess gifts. Or a tasty little stash for your desk drawer. Just sayin'.

Robert Steinberg

Dr. Robert Steinberg, who founded Scharffen Berger Chocolate with partner John Scharffenberger, passed away yesterday. His passion for good chocolate paved the way for successful bean-to-bar chocolate companies in the United States. David Lebovitz wrote a beautiful tribute to Steinberg; it's an article that every chocolate lover should read.

Although Scharffen Berger was acquired by The Hershey Company three years ago, many would say it has continued to produce high-quality chocolate while maintaining the original ideals of Steinberg and Scharffenberger.

Free Seeds from Dagoba

Here's your chance to get some free seeds from Dagoba! While you're on the site, submit a flavor recommendation and sign up for The Tao of Cocoa newsletter.

Dagoba is, of course, part of Hershey's Artisan Confections division.

Hershey's Classic

Does anybody out there remember the New Coke fiasco?

Because The Hershey Company is making the same mistake, although in a less splashy sort of way. The company's chocolate products have been on a long trudge toward mediocrity lately as more vegetable oils and milk fat were added to replace the more expensive cocoa butter, and as PGPR snuck into the ingredients list.

There's been no Big Change and no expensive ad campaign trumpeting the different formulation. But more and more, people are noticing the Hershey bars and Kisses they buy today just don't taste like they used to. Cybele's troubling feature on CandyBlog illustrates the changes in bar weight and price, and addresses the ingredients changes as well. There's a depressing list of the recent changes in many Hershey products from chocolate to "mockolate," and a valid criticism of The Hershey Company's web site, which is rarely up-to-date and does an inadequate job of communicating to consumers.

But the most troubling paragraph in Cybele's analysis comes near the end:

"Milton Hershey was often derided for not embracing advertising for his products. He said, 'Give them quality, that’s the best kind of advertising in the world.' But presently [The Hershey Company is]  advertising quality with their new Pure Chocolate campaign but neglecting to actually deliver it."

In our house, where we have two chocolate-crazy kids (who are fourth-generation Hershey natives, by the way) and two foodie adults, we've stopped buying the inferior Hershey's products. We have chocolate in the house less frequently, but when we do, it's real chocolate. Sure, we stick with Hershey's products, but we end up paying the extra dollar for Dagoba or Scharffen Berger chocolates. We talk often about how the chocolate used to taste, and we wonder if Hershey would be better served to introduce a "Hershey's Classic" line -- Hershey bars and Kisses that recall the good old days, when chocolate was...well...chocolate.