The Oldest Chocolate Company In The World Still Uses Its Original Equipment

No one would blame you if you thought the oldest continually-operating chocolate company in the world was located somewhere in Switzerland or Spain or even Mexico, countries well-known for their chocolate-making traditions. You might even expect the company's name to have a familiar ring, like perhaps Toblerone, Lindt or Callebaut. But the oldest company in the world is based in Spain, a brand you probably never heard of: Xocolata Jolonch, founded in 1770 in the Catalan city of Agramunt. Aside from its chocolate-making tradition, the Agramunt region is also associated with its Spanish rendition of nougat, the Middle Eastern confection typically made from hazelnuts or almonds, sugar, egg whites, and honey.

For the past 250-plus years, Xocolata Jolonch has been producing chocolate in Spain using the ancient stone-ground method used by the Aztecs and Mayans in Mexico. Stone-ground chocolate is unlike the smooth, creamy European chocolate we are more familiar with. Instead, stone-ground chocolate generally has less sugar, does not contain dairy, and has a gritty consistency that the Wall Street Journal likened to "crunchy dirt." Xocolata Jolonch is not only using the same methods as it has in the past but also many of the same tools. This, the company website says, makes the factory a "veritable museum."

Xocolata Jolonch's oldest variety of chocolate is its chocolate a la piedra, which is made with only cocoa, sugar, rice flour, and cinnamon or vanilla essence. The company starts with fermented beans, roasting them with holm oak wood. Once roasted, the cocoa is thoroughly blended with the other ingredients in a granite stone mixer. It is then refined, molded into thick tiles, and refrigerated before being wrapped. The can be used to create sweet and savory dishes, such as bread and pastries, or eaten on its own. In addition to the stone-ground chocolate in bars, Jolonch also sells grated chocolate, a line of flavored chocolates created in partnership with chef Albert Adrià, as well as European-style bars, artisan chocolates, and bonbons.

As renowned as Xocolata Jolonch may be, it didn't make Chowhound's ranking of dark chocolate bars — our favorite was Ghirardelli's Intense Dark Chocolate — as the focus was on bars more widely available in the United States. Xocolata Jolonch is also one of those chocolate treats that are harder to find in the United States. Thankfully, even if you're not planning a trip to Spain anytime soon, you can still find this rare chocolate on websites that sell international specialty items.