Tcho Chocolate

I recently went on the factory tour at Tcho (bless you) located on Pier 17 in San Francisco.  Secretly, I was expecting a series of Willy Wonka type rooms with huge vats of chocolate running through intricate systems and finished chocolate products flowing along conveyor belts with Lucy and Ethel somewhere in the mix.  I did encounter an incredibly clean, smaller than expected state of the art factory.  The tour guide was very informative discussing Tcho's bean to bar process and philosophy.  Supporting Fair Trade, working with the farmers and selection of the best possible beans all goes into creating the final product. They believe in having the bean create the flavor, using a flavor wheel ranging from citrus to nutty to create the dark chocolate flavors.  The best part of the tour is sampling the products.  My favorite is the citrus.