NEW YORK — A tour for chocolate lovers in Brooklyn, New York, isn't just about tasting the final product. It also gives a peek at factories, neighborhoods and even business plans.
The chocolate tour offered by A Slice of Brooklyn takes visitors to four chocolate-makers around Brooklyn. "I love chocolate," said Christine Dietz of San Diego, who was treated to the tour by friends throwing her a bachelorette party in New York. "But it's really cool that we also get a bit of a tour of the city."
EDUCATING CONSUMERS
"Customers care about what they put in their mouths — especially millennials and GenXers," said Pam Williams, founder of the online academy
And while everybody knows that wine comes from grapes, "very, very few actually understand that chocolate comes from the seeds of a tree," said Williams, who is also co-founder of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association. Inviting customers "into the factory to see the beans and the machinery that turn those beans into chocolate is a very good way to educate consumers on fine chocolate."
FROM HERSHEY'S TO HIPSTERS
The granddaddy of U.S. chocolate tours
But chocolate tours are offered in many other destinations around the country, from factories to visits with artisanal chocolatiers. Just be sure to plan ahead, as some tours are offered only on certain days and times and some require reservations. Some are free, but others are pricey. The Brooklyn tour is $50.
Mars Chocolate (makers of M&Ms, Snickers and Dove) offers tours and tastings of its Ethel M premium chocolate brand at the
Theo Chocolate welcomes more than 50,000 visitors a year to its
In Oregon, Portland Walking Tours'
Lake Champlain Chocolates offers
In Somerville, Massachusetts, Taza Chocolate offers an
In Connecticut, you can even
At Dandelion in San Francisco,
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the
In the hipster 'hood of East Nashville, Tennessee, Olive & Sinclair offers a
Never mind beignets and pralines: The
In North Carolina,
Even in New York, A Slice of Brooklyn only skims the cream off the city's chocolate offerings. Consider tours at
SLICE OF BROOKLYN TOUR
First stop on A Slice of Brooklyn's chocolate tours is
In Red Hook, a working-class waterfront area of modest homes and warehouses, the tour strolls to a pier with a view of the Statue of Liberty before hitting
And for those who love the idea of touring Brooklyn, A Slice of Brooklyn also offers pizza tours and Christmas lights tours.
Source: AP