Scharffen Berger chocolate company co-founder Robert Steinberg died from lymphatic cancer.
By emphasizing premium ingredients and bringing artisan standards to what had been a largely industrialized process in the U.S., Scharffen Berger helped move gourmet chocolate from a special-occasion purchase to an everyday indulgence.Steinberg and Scharffenberger made their first chocolate in Steinberg's kitchen in 1996, testing thirty types of cacao beans to get the right flavor. They bought a machine from a chocolate factory in Germany and made their first bar of chocolate the same year in a small factory in South San Francisco.
The Scharffen Berger brand is currently owned by Hershey.
