In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, Italian-born Domingo Ghirardelli moved to America and opened a store in a mining camp. After discovering the miners were starved for luxuries and needed something to spend their gold dust on, he started stocking chocolate delicacies. In 1852, the enterprising immigrant founded a confectionery shop in San Francisco, which eventually became the modern-day Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Today, Ghirardelli is America’s oldest continuously operating chocolate maker. Ghirardelli products are sold in grocery stores, foodservice and e-commerce and Ghirardelli also has its own chocolate and ice cream shops across the country.