Photo is CC (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilbur_Chocolate_-_panoramio.jpg)

My last post was all about a very famous name in chocolate that has roots close to home, but this week I am going to share some information on a lesser-known chocolate company that is also a PA gem…Wilbur Chocolate Co.  You may have never heard of Wilbur Chocolate, so today I am going to share some information on the company.

I relied on the Wilbur Chocolate website for the historical information on the company.  The business began over 135 years ago in Philadelphia, PA (Wilbur, 2021).  It was born of a candy company, Croft & Wilbur, that split at that time, Croft stuck to making hard candies and Wilbur focused just on chocolate, good choice in my opinion 😊 (Wilbur, 2021).  The company eventually acquired some factory space in Lititz, PA, which is the town that most people associate with the brand (Wilbur, 2021).    Though the company makes lots of different chocolate products, it’s most well-known is the Wilbur bud which according to the company website got its name in an interesting way, “founder H.O. Wilbur developed a process that deposited specially blended aged chocolate into a solid shape that resembled a flower bud” (2021).

If you want to taste a Wilbur bud or any of the other yummy Wilbur chocolate confections you can visit their store, still in Lititz, PA.   According to Trip Advisor, it is a popular stop in the city that both sells chocolate and provides demonstrations (Trip Advisor, 2021).  The store is open daily (except Sunday) from 9:00am-5:00pm and rumor has it that it smells fantastic (Trip Advisor, 2021).

Well chocolate lovers, I hope that today’s little history lesson taught you about PA chocolate company other than Hershey.  If you get a chance to check it out Lititz is a cute little city with lots of businesses and restaurants to check out.  It is also home to the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, where you can take a tour and make your own pretzels (Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, 2021).  What a great town, brining together two classics chocolate and pretzels!  On that sweet note, see you all next week #crazyforchocolateblog.

Citation:

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery (2021). Plan Your Visit. https://juliussturgis.com/plan-your-visit/.

Trip Advisor (2021). Wilbur Chocolate Candy Store. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g53046-d108055-Reviews-Wilbur_Chocolate_Candy_Store-Lititz_Lancaster_County_Pennsylvania.html.

Wilbur Chocolate (2021). The History of Wilbur Chocolate. https://www.wilburbuds.com/wilbur-history?page=1.