The Amici Veloci Gang Goes to a Chocolate Factory

[jobob]

Oh, what a great day !

Those of us going on the ride met up nice and early at the Scharffen Berger chocloate factory in Berkeley. Somehow, we managed to roll out by noon

Here we are, almost ready to roll out:



L to R: Sarah (SadieKate), Bill (Bubba), Candy, Marty, Ann (BikerZ), Melissa (melissam), and Jo (jobob).

And here’s our photog, Lee (leebob)!



We went over the I-80 bike/pedestrian bridge and rode up the bay trail, with a side trip out to the Berkeley Marina and around Cesar Chavez park.

We were toodling along the waterfront admiring the San Francisco skyline when off in the distance we see another pair of Amici Veloci jerseys approaching us.



It was Nicole and Mary, who had joined us on our Alameda Creek ride last month !



Nicole and Mary couldn’t join us on the factory tour. They were doing a ride on their own, and donned their AV jerseys and timed meeting up with us to perfection.

After a brief chat we all went on our ways again. Lee and I stopped at the kite field to say a quick hi to a couple of friends from our kiteflying days – we hadn’t been there in ages! – but alas it was still too early in the day for our friend Tom (the guy who introduced us and was best man at our wedding) to be there.

We continued on the Bay Trail up to Point Richmond. The weather was really nice, clear and sunny and not as windy or chilly as I had expected (still, I’m glad I had my vest on). We stopped briefly at the nice park in Pt. Richmond before we headed on back again. BikerZ and melissam got frisky and tried to leave us in a cloud of dust but SadieKate reeled the breakaway back in. Meanwhile Bubba and leebob were bringing up the rear and yapping nonstop.

We got back to the factory right on time, and met up with the rest of the group for a delicious lunch at the café adjacent to the factory. The dessert display was calling to me as we left the café …must go back sometime …

We then went into the gift shop to wait for our tour to be called. Walking into the shop we were hit with the most incredible smell of roasting chocolate, it smelled like the best chocolate brownies you could imagine. What a heavenly contact high !

We got to wander through the gift shop for a few minutes oooh-ing and ahh-ing at all the chocolate goodies for sale. Here we are before the tour:



L to R: Bubba, jobob (hey slinke, lookit what I’m holding!), Candy, Amy (dachsund), Sarah (maillotpois), melissam, Emily (petitpois), Cindy (CindySue), BikerZ, leebob, Marty, Janet (snapdragen), and SadieKate.

Our guide brought us to a demo room where we learned about the history of the company and the history of chocolate, how cacao is grown and harvested, and how Scharffen Berger turns it into the stuff of dreams. It was all pretty cool, and we got to sample different kinds of chocolate along the way.

We then donned our tres stylin’ caps and earmuffs and entered the factory.



We got to see the machines that roast the cacao beans, break open the roasted beans to release the nibs (little nuggets of pure cocoa and cocoa butter), grind down the nibs into a thick paste & blend in the additional ingredients (sugar, vanilla beans, sometimes additional cocoa butter, an emulsifier called lethicin, and additional ingredients depending on the final product), the machine where the chocolate is tempered, and the all-important conveyor belt on which the final molded product is packaged. Most of the machines were operating, but alas, the conveyor belt wasn’t operating today. Which was probably just as well

We then ended our tour back in the gift shop. What can I say, Scharffen Berger did well by us.

Leebob simply couldn’t wait until we got back home …



This was so much fun ! Many thanks to SadieKate for organizing the tour, and to BikerZ for the superb ride leadership.

Next field trip: the Hangar One vodka factory. Oy.

[snapdragen]

Here we have the Scharffen Berger building. A lovely old brick fortress, to protect the valuable chocolate



Mr Leebob, stylin' in his hairnet and beardnet



Factory shots




AV - ever so stylish in hairnets and earmuffs



pp going into chocolate overload. The girl is a connoisseur of fine chocolate!

[slinkedog]

Jo! I can't see what you're holding because I can't see any of the pics except for the last one, for some reason. I get that annoying little box with the red "X" in it, instead. Do you have a link to the pics?

Sounds like a VERY fun day! I wish we could have made it. Devon's room is painted a nice, sunny yellow and she's a happy teenager, at least for the next day or so.

[jobob]

hmmm, must be something amiss with tinypic.com

I'll get off my duff and set up a photobucket account.

Okey-doke, the photos should load now

[salsabike]

What great pics. Now I feel like I know you all just a little more.

[maillotpois]

That was AMAZING!! I am still recovering. My daughter may never recover.

Fortunately, I did a 10k organized trail run with a friend today. That and the 15 mile run/walk I did before the tour yesterday should ALMOST balance out all that chocolate. Great marathon training plan, huh?

Anyone want to guess as to whom the prize for most chocolate dollars spent at the gift shop after the tour was.....?

[Veronica]

Thanks for all the pics!

V.

[snapdragen]

Anyone want to guess as to whom the prize for most chocolate dollars spent at the gift shop after the tour was.....?

I dunno! Who? Who?

[maillotpois]

And I wasn't going to name names. Golly, Snap, you could have your own Sharffen Berger catalog.


Can I come over and help you out with that....?

[snapdragen]

Lots of gifts - I promise. I'd be in so much trouble if I ate all that...

[jobob]

snapdragen is my bestest friend

[bikerz]

That was a lot of fun, you guys! Great company, fun ride, lunch and tour.

And great pictures Jo and Snap! I may have one or two that are postable - I need to check.

I think Hangar One, as a next AV outing, would be a lot of fun - and I liked Bubba's idea of setting up out trainers in the parking lot, so we can still get a ride in

[slinkedog]

JOBOB! LOL! That's too funny! Now I feel like I was truly there in spirit!!

Thanks for fixing the pics. Looking forward to the next mass ride.

[snapdragen]

snapdragen is my bestest friend

You should see the wine I came home with after the Holstein.........

[jobob]

Bet it goes well with chocolate