The Craft Chocolate Experience 2024 | The Chocolate Professor

First Craft Chocolate Experience at the Palace Of Fine Arts

San Francisco is a great place for chocolate. There are a myriad of chocolate makers and confectioners and the city has a storied history of bean-to-bar producers. While outstanding chocolate can be found in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, it's in the city itself where you'll find chocolate festivals dedicated to bringing chocolate to the masses. The Craft Chocolate Experience launched in 2020 and is returning for the first time in 2024.

Cuna de Piedra chocolates — Cuna de Piedra photo courtesy of Craft Chocolate Experience

Unlike other strictly consumer events in San Francisco, the Craft Chocolate Experience takes place for several days and is aimed at both consumers and industry. Sponsored by Dandelion Chocolate, the first day is a trade expo for industry only, while Saturday and Sunday offer a Craft Chocolate Marketplace plus introductory sessions on craft chocolate, pairing events, demos, panel discussions, and tours to help attendees explore and discover new flavors and experiences. We spoke with organizer Greg D’Alesandre to learn more about the event which currently lists 75 exhibitors including many we have profiled on the Chocolate Professor including Socola, Argencove, Bon Fiction, Charlotte Truffles, Goodnow Farms, Mirzam and Volo Chocolate.

How does this chocolate festival differ from some of the others?

There are so many outstanding festivals in the world. We are focused on building community among chocolate makers—it is being put on by a chocolate maker, the booths are kept as cheap as possible, and we are running a camp for the industry for a few days after the event!

What’s the history of the event and what inspired it?

When ideating the Craft Chocolate Experience, San Francisco felt like the perfect place due to its deep-rooted chocolate history. Ghirardelli and Guittard Chocolate were early and iconic chocolate pioneers who got their start in San Francisco in the mid 1800’s, and the city is also home to the birth of the craft chocolate movement by Scharffen Berger beginning in 1996. Holding the event at the Palace of Fine Arts, which was originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, is also a testament to San Francisco’s history as a place for creators and innovators.

How many producers participate in the industry day and how many people do you expect for the weekend?

We are expecting around 100 producers to participate in the trade expo and around 5000 visitors throughout the weekend.

Who are some of the producers coming from the furthest away?

We have a fantastic group of international producers that we’re really excited about, including chocolate makers from Jamaica, Thailand, Lithuania Ireland, and India just to name a few. As of right now we have makers from more than 20 countries participating!

Chocolate pastry photo courtesy Craft Chocolate Experience

What are some of the consumer topics for the panel discussions?

We have a great lineup of presenters across four different stages for the weekend: the Cocoa Stage, the Demo Stage, the Industry Stage, and the Pairing Stage. Some exciting consumer topics include “Hot Fudge Sundae School” with Dandelion Chocolate’s Head of Curriculum Development Stephen Durfee, “Mole: The Iconic Dish of Oaxaca” with Executive Chef Rogelio Garcia of Auro (Four Seasons Napa Valley),“Lessons from Michelin-Starred Kitchens for the Home Chef”, and a variety of pairing panels like Sake & Chocolate, Tea & Chocolate, and Whiskey & Chocolate.

How will the program differ from Saturday to Sunday?

Both days will be filled with interesting panel discussions, fun activations, and plenty of opportunities to shop the Craft Chocolate Marketplace. Sunday, we’ll be revealing the world's biggest s’more made by Chef Durfee (and attendees will get a taste!) We’re constantly updating the agenda on the website, so be sure to check it out to get an idea of which day might be best for you.

Anything else you want people to know about it?

We’ve only had this festival once before in 2020 just before the pandemic began. For many of the makers it was the last thing we did before we were constrained to our homes for months. Bringing the festival back and having our community come back to San Francisco gives us an opportunity to start anew.