Factory tour reveals magic in the making

Family-owned and operated since 1967, Whetstone Chocolates is a St. Augustine original; and, the original Whetstone Chocolates’ factory tour, offers a delectable behind-the-scenes look at the art and science of artisan chocolate-making.

St. Augustine’s original chocolate tour is a guided 55-minute chocolate extravaganza beginning at the Whetstone retail store at 139 King Street. The excursions take visitors next door to the 7,800 square foot Whetstone Chocolates’ factory, where chocolatiers are hard at work producing the fine artisan chocolates for which Whetstone has made its name for more than four decades.

The tour experience starts with a sweet greeting—a taste of Whetstone’s premium white “chocolate” and a lesson in why the white is actually a confection that stands apart from its dark chocolate cousins. During the tour, visitors learn how cocoa beans are grown, harvested, fermented and dried. They then learn how chocolate is processed from the bean through the six steps that produce the creamy product we all know and love. Amidst tantalizing glimpses of liquid chocolate cascading over crisp pretzels and filling molds of various shapes and sizes, visitors will also learn:

– The process of molding and enrobing fine chocolates
– How to handle and store fine chocolate
– The differences between white, milk and dark chocolate
– The difference between artisan chocolates and ordinary chocolates
– The incredible health benefits of fine dark chocolate

The factory tour offers taste samples all the way through to tickle your palate and help you learn to discriminate between the subtleties that define fine artisan chocolates.

Chocolate tours run daily, Tuesday through Saturday, and reservations are encouraged though not required. Adults and children are welcome; discounts are offered for groups of twenty or more. To reserve a tour, call 904-217-0275