Five chocolate factories near Seattle that you can actually visit and one place that’s not a chocolate factory that you should visit too

I recently visited the factory of one of my favorite chocolate shops in my hometown. The chocolate factory was pinned on my google maps forever so when I finally arrived and smelled the chocolatey aroma outside its glorious doors I almost had to pinch myself. And I really should have pinched myself because the minute I peeked inside, this place looked like every other retail shop I’ve been to from this chocolate brand. My heart broke a little. But the Seattleite in me didn’t lose hope as I asked an employee rearranging chocolate on the shelves.
“Is the actual factory not open to the public today?”

Oh no, she said as she continued to arrange. It’s a working factory. You can’t visit a working factory-there’s not enough room. I persisted. “So does this location have any special chocolates, like only at this special factory location chocolates?”

Her words came in a devastating jumble of something that sounded like weallhavethesamechocolateswhywouldyouwantdifferentchocolates. So I didn’t even ask what they were sampling today. I already knew the answer.

We Seattleites are totally spoiled with the plethora of chocolate options in our area. These are working chocolate factories with samples and even chocolate retail stores that sample every time you walk in the store. As a young Canadian child shopping at Bellis Fair Mall late at night, I knew that when we walked into the doors of Sees, I was almost 100% guaranteed a delicious chocolate treat.

So if you are in the Seattle area, here are some chocolate shops you should visit and many of them are working factories and also places that give out samples:

Theo Chocolate Factory in Fremont

(PS. as of June 23rd we have news that the Theo Chocolate Factory will be merging with another company and summer 2023 will be the last for chocolate tours at the factory)

When the Theo chocolate factory first opened up in Fremont, I went on a tour with my friends and it was led by a tour guide and maybe the owner’s son who is likely now a grownup too. We were told to take and eat as much chocolate as we wanted and I felt like I was in Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. It was the first time I heard about “bean to bar” and I realized that having the chocolate factory within a walkable distance to my house was a dangerous thing.

The tour is no longer “all you can eat and put in your pockets” but the samples are still plentiful and the chocolates are delicious. There are “only at the factory” treats ( I went back the other day to pick up some only at the factory treats for a friend to be sure) and although you can get Theo chocolates everywhere in Seattle and in many places beyond, I still love visiting the factory and buying chocolates there. The Big Daddy is probably one of my family’s favorite chocolates ever. The Theo Chocolate Factory also has reasonably-priced tours, kids’ tours and chocolate classes and if you plan ahead enough you might be lucky and schedule a free Thursday tour that they offer once every month (but be warned- it books out months ahead.)

Fran’s Chocolates

A gray salt caramel chocolate from Fran’s chocolates is also one of the best things you can eat in Seattle. The factory for this chocolate shop is in Georgetown and they have a big viewing window. The brick building this factory is in is also really cool.

We usually end up at the shop in UVillage or in the Four Seasons near the market, and I don’t ever think I’ve been in either store without being offered a sea salt caramel. I also didn’t realize that there is now a Fran’s in Nagoya Japan. I recently met Fran at a Whole Foods event and I was totally starstruck. I first started buying Fran’s chocolates when I moved to Seattle because my mom’s name is Fran too.

Seattle Chocolates

The chocolate from Seattle chocolates is something I always look forward to in the cheese plate when we fly on Alaska Air. I also love the designs (and flavors) of a bunch of the Seattle chocolate truffle bars we can get in local grocery stores. I visited the Seattle Chocolate Factory recently on a media trip with Seattle Southside and it was such a great tour. We started in a classroom to learn about bean to bar, then ended up in the working factory where we tasted some yummy chocolates and watched as they were made. I especially liked the part of the tour where we had to guess the flavors in chocolates and talk about what we liked-I think this would be such a great thing to do at a party too.

I love how the JCOCO line of Seattle Chocolates helps people in need of food with each purchase of a chocolate bar. It’s nice to know that we can do a small bit with our purchases and I value this kind of giving back by businesses more and more. The Seattle Chocolate factory has special shopping days as well as themed factory tours-the one at Halloween is rumored to be really fun. If my kids were younger I’d probably check out their Saturday Story Time too.

Intrigue Chocolate Company

I probably would not have visited Intrigue Chocolate Company if I hadn’t been invited to visit Pioneer Square with the Alliance for Pioneer Square. We drive through Pioneer Square often or walk through on the way to concerts and games but I was there for a visit just this January 2023 and was early for a tour and noticed Intrigue Chocolates. One of the founder and owners for the shop, Aaron was there the day I visited and told me a little about the history-this shop started with truffles and I need to go back and try these one day. My husband bought one of the chocolate bars there and it was really delicious. Aaron gave us a little card that showed us how to taste chocolate and it was fun to try this when we ate our chocolate bar too.

Joe Chocolate Company (not in the market as of 2023)

Joe Chocolate Company used to be in Pike Place Market is one of the newer Seattle chocolate factories and it has a fabulous location right next to Beecher’s Cheese (Beecher’s Cheese in Pike Place Market also has a window where you can watch cheese being made and it is absolutely mesmerizing.). I think these chocolates are pretty delicious but I didn’t realize this chocolate is famous for having coffee added to it. This makes sense now though with a name like “Joe”.

Over the summer the guys and I stopped in the shop and bought one of their handmade dipped ice cream cookie sandwiches. We devoured it in minutes. I didn’t realize the chocolate might have had coffee in it until I was writing this up. (I guess my guys really are Seattle kids.)

Indi Chocolate in Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market has not just one but two working chocolate factories. Indi Chocolate is in the new market area overlooking where the Alaskan Way Viaduct used to be. Indi chocolate also hosts events for things like chocolate roasting, bean to bar chocolate making and chocolate classes for kids. We visited one day on the way to pick up our Pike Box from the market and the kids we picked up some chocolates and the kids were happy to receive a sample.

And a candy factory that is not a chocolate factory and a bit of a drive from Seattle but worth it anyways…..

it’s Applets and Cotlets in Cashmere. This is not a chocolate factory but I added this candy factory to the list because if you’ve read this far, it’s probably the type of place you would appreciate. We stopped at Applets and Cotlets on our way to Wenatchee this summer but we were too late to see the working factory-apparently it’s best to arrive before 3pm. We still were able to tour where the machines worked and left with our bellies full of samples. Applets and Cotlets are sold in so many Pacific Northwest stores and they all come from a little factory near Wenatchee Washington.

PS, there is a Chocolate Factory you can visit in Vancouver BC.

So even though I was disappointed at the chocolate factory I visited up north, if you’re in Vancouver Canada and you want to visit a working chocolate factory, you’re not totally out of luck. Wild Sweets in Richmond is a really innovative chocolate factory and we’ve visited a few times. The owners and chocolatiers are delightful and they always have a new chocolate creation up their sleeve. They have a “meet the makers” chocolate experience that I tried on a media trip to Richmond BC and it’s a great chocolate tasting experience if you are a chocolate fan. I’ve bought their cakes at Christmas time and they are quite delicious too. Check the opening times before you visit because they might only be open on certain days of the week or by appointment.

Do you love chocolate as much as I do? And if you have a favorite chocolate factory in the Pacific Northwest, I’d love to hear about it too!

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)