Seattle Chocolates has opened its doors to the public for the first time in its 25-year history with the Experience Chocolate tour.
The tours began Jan. 9 at the Seattle Chocolates factory, 1180 Andover Park W. in Tukwila.
Experience Chocolate is a celebration of all things chocolate and an opportunity to bring people of all ages together to taste, experience and discover all aspects of this sweet sensation, the company said in a press release.
The tour is designed as an immersive experience that educates and inspires visitors to delight in the chocolate-making process.
“We know people are fascinated by how things are made and want to know where their chocolate comes from. We are excited to share more about the company and the people behind the product,” Jean Thompson, owner and CEO of Seattle Chocolates said in the press release. “Our products have been in many people’s homes across the U.S. and Canada, and we are excited to invite them to ours.”
The tour was designed and curated by a collective of chocolate-obsessed operations, purchasing, quality, customer service, sales, retail and marketing employees at Seattle Chocolates. MG2 was the architect overseeing the tour vision, specifically the magenta mezzanine walkway that guides visitors through the factory from a true bird’s-eye view.
Tour highlights include:
• Trying a smorgasbord of chocolate samples.
• Learning about the history of chocolate and the cacao plant in the Chocolate Classroom.
• Immersion in the busy, chocolaty bustle of a working factory.
• Discovering what makes a truffle a truffle and watching how a truffle flavor is carefully crafted, poured, molded, shaken and then run through a chocolate waterfall before it’s cooled and packaged.
• Exploring different chocolate varieties and flavor combinations in the Tasting Room based on what is being made fresh that day. Visitors get the opportunity to suggest new flavor ideas that may become reality for the next Seattle Chocolates collection.
Tours are offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $10. Tickets can be purchased at seattlechocolates.com/tours. For to safety reasons, no children under the age of 6 are permitted.
