The Chocolate shower is NOT what you think. Come see from beginning to end of the chocolate process at the French Broad Chocolate Factory. Tell Jacques we said hi!
No Way To Miss It From The Road
The French Broad Chocolate Factory is located in Asheville. Unsurprisingly, you will find it not far from the French Broad River which runs through town. The surrounding area is a chic albeit authentic industrial area. The building you will find the factory and cafe in is an old converted warehouse that also is home to a variety of artists.
they do have a cafe close to down town also. This is NOT where the factory is so please check your address. They commonly have issues with people showing up for Factory tours at the wrong location. The factory building itself is highly recognizable from the road.
Parking minimal at best. We came during mid day but we’re barely able to find one spot to park. I could not find any open parking lots available to use in the area additionally. If you have a large group, I would highly recommend carpooling.
A Little Background
When you get inside you will be surrounded by a large open area with large glass windows. This is the café! They serve an assortment of their own chocolates, merchandise and café inspirations. We came for the tour (which we will discuss later), but we came a little too early. The cafe made for a perfect place to relax while we waited for the tour.
I did notice most patrons were coming to buy something and leave or were coming for the tour. Their second location downtown is known for its café atmosphere so the lack of lingering patrons may just be a phenomenon of the factory.
Pretend To Be Willie Wonka
We found ourselves looking around for things to do on our Asheville trip and came across the French Broad Chocolate Factory Tour. Why not feel like Willie Wonka in Beer City USA for a little? You can easily book some seats for their tours on the French Broad Chocolate Factory.
After checking in at the Cafe, we waited for a little and planned our evening. Once it was time for the tour, the tour guide came to get everyone. Jacques, our guide, led us into a classroom with a few neatly laid out chocolates.
Jacques proceeded to take us on a little history lesson about the facility and cocoa. They pride themselves on having tight controls over where their raw materials come from. This is largely a result of the founders having an extensive background in Costa Rica.
Jacques then proceeded to take us on a walking tour of the factory. They take the raw cocoa bean and process them all the way into bars here. When building the factory, they made sure to have as many windows as possible for they could showcase their processes. Oddly enough they even have a “shower of chocolate air”. The shower is an exhaust vent coming from one of their processes that smells exactly like the inside of a chocolate bar. This smell fills the whole factory and gets a little over power after a while if you are not careful. I do not want to give away everything about the tour so go and enjoy it.
Bean To Bar
I can not recall the last time I have been in a chocolate factory, let alone one in NC that does so much. Being a bit of a manufacturing nerd, I love seeing how things change through a process to become something amazing. The French Broad Chocolate Factory did just that. Aside from the tour, there is not much else to do here
Overall
The French Broad Chocolate Factory offers a unique insight into the interworking of a modern chocolate establishment. They exemplify what it looks like to not just make chocolate but make it at an artisanal level. This is perfect to check out with kids, on a date, get away or for the chocola-holic in your life.
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