Joseph Schmidt Confections was a San Francisco-based chocolatier

Chocolatier

A chocolatier is someone who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.Professional chocolatiers study topics including the following:...

, which produced gourmet confections using imported Belgian chocolate. The line of confections includes large, mini and petit truffles, slicks, and mosaics. Joseph Schmidt confections ceased operations 2009.

Early

Joseph Schmidt Confections was started in 1983 in San Francisco. Joseph Schmidt, a European-trained baker, and his partner, Audrey Ryan, a European-trained confectioner, opened a store selling baked goods and chocolates. Joseph Schmidt's signature egg-shaped truffle was the company's trademark.

In 1985, Joseph and Audrey brought in two partners to grow the business: Jeff Smith, a successful restaurateur and veteran of Nestle

Nestlé

Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...

, and Duane Papierniak, an engineer. They continued to run the company until 2005, growing the business both nationally and internationally. At different times, Joseph Schmidt products have been available in such department stores as Harrod's and Selfridges

Selfridges

Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...

 in the UK, David Jones Limited

David Jones Limited

David Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...

 in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Takashimaya

Takashimaya

is a large Japanese department store chain.Founded in 1829 in Kyoto by Iida Shinkichi as a retailer of used clothing and cotton cloth, the store now has outlets throughout Japan and also in Taipei, Paris and Singapore....

 in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, and a variety of locations in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. North America includes department stores such as Macy's

Macy's

Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...

, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...

, and gourmet grocery stores such as Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...

, Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...

 and the Fresh Market

Fresh Market

The Fresh Market is a chain of gourmet supermarkets based in Greensboro, North Carolina.The Fresh Market was founded by Ray and Beverly Berry on March 8, 1982 in Greensboro, North Carolina...

, as well as other independent stores.

Current

In November 2005, Joseph Schmidt Confections was purchased by Artisan Confections Company, a Hershey

The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...

 subsidiary, which, had previously purchased Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

Scharffen Berger Chocolate is a line of chocolate produced by Artisan Confections Company, a subsidiary of The Hershey Company. Acquired by Hershey in 2005, it was formerly produced by Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker, an independent Berkeley, California-based chocolate maker, founded in 1996 by...

, an artisanal chocolate manufacturer in nearby Berkeley, California

Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...

. In November 2006 Artisan Confections purchased Dagoba

Dagoba Chocolate

Dagoba Organic Chocolate is an organic brand of high-quality chocolate, founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling. It has been owned by The Hershey Company since 2006. Its founders are no longer involved but Hershey has maintained the brand's factory in Ashland, Oregon. The name Dagoba is a Sinhalese...

, an Ashland, Oregon

Ashland, Oregon

Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...

-based manufacturer of organic chocolate. Hershey's later began to consolidate the production of Scharffen Berger products in an upgraded factory in Robinson, Illinois

Robinson, Illinois

Robinson is a city in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,822 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Robinson is located at ....

. In early 2009 Hershey's announced plans to eliminate the Joseph Schmidt brand. By July 2009 both the production facility and retail store on 16th Street in San Francisco closed, laying off approximately 150 local employees.