August 17, 2005
SFist Rants: Oh, So Bittersweet
A lot of great stuff starts in the Bay Area. Conversely, it often ends here too. We guess that's our punishment for living in an area where a commitment to artisanal techniques goes hand in hand with an open-minded populace--a place where very desirable things are spawned.
Like good chocolate.
A recent example: two great local chocolatiers sold out to Hershey's. A Pennsylvania company. One that has a theme park. And mass distribution machines in place. And variant versions of its popular, if less than premium, candy bars. Hershey has its place. We just submit that it's something of a shame that it's annexed the Bay Area via acquiring two local gems.
Okay, look -- we don't begrudge Joseph Schmidt Confections and the folks from Scharffen Berger their good fortunes. Hell, we'd probably do the same thing if Hershey came knocking and wanted to dump a truckload of money onto our lawn. They paid their dues and want to cash out. Business is business. We get it.
And maybe the new parent company will be true to their word, that each new division will have autonomy and be able to carry on, that they will be managed by the founders.
Key word: managed. One of the reasons that these two companies are so great, that the chocolate is so good, is the entreprenuerial spirit that created them. It's their asses on the line. How can anything but disappointment be the end result when that factor is removed?
The decline won't be all of a sudden--it won't be in the form of some massive corporate mandate to start making Scharffen-Kisses* or Schmidt-Kats. It won't likely be in immediate personnel moves or layoffs. Rather, we see it occuring in a slow degradation of quality as the spark that these local favorites were built on fades.
Much of the charm in going to Scharffen Berger or Schmidt is the local history -- which doesn't disappear, it just becomes less relevant. We'll pay a premium for a good quality item from a local company. Now when hankering for some chocolate in the Ferry Building, we'll likely enjoy a pricey, artwork-like truffle from Recchiuti rather than spending half as much on Scharffen Berger, just down the hall. Sorry, it's not a statement of the quality, it's just our instinct to want to buy and enjoy from locals.
And sorry, guys -- Hershey, Pa. ain't local to us.
*Mmmmm, a nibby bar or mocha bar version of the Kiss sound pretty damned good though. Damn it.
|
Hey, you know. Hershey is not so bad a company. The company was is partially (a significant amount) owned by the Hershey Trust which exists to promote education. So before you dismiss them as corporate mongols where profit is the only motivation, consider that everytime you buy a Scharffen-Kiss, you'll be helping a poor girl learn how to read.
Thanks for the comments. It's great that Hershey can be so civically minded and I very much appreciate you bringing them to attention.
Just to be clear -- I don't recall dismissing Hershey's as some kind of Wal-Mart-esque monster. I'll quote from above:
"Hershey has its place", "(the decline) won't be in the form of some massive corporate mandate,"
"won't likely be in immediate personnel moves or layoffs."
The shame, in my opinion, is that something that's local a) ain't so local anymore; and b) has ultimately given control away--even if we give the corporate parent the benefit of the doubt, there are sure to be certain consequences.
To sum: the point is not so anti-Hershey as it is pro-local small biz.
I too am lamenting the Scharfen-Berger lump-a-dump into the Hershey's family, and wrote about this on my blog when I first found out. I must agree that I won't have the same sense of pride in or commitment to Scharffen Berger chocolate now that it is owned by a national snack food company.
This is a travesty! The sad truth is that large corporations will do what they must to increase profit margins as wide as possible and keep investors happy, whether they pocket the cash or donate it all to RIF. Cadbury's chocolates were fantastic when they were manufactured in England and imported to the US. The quality of ingredients plumetted once they were franchised by Hershey's and manufactured in PA. Now it's one of the crappiest chocolates around, available at a Wal-Mart near you... Stock up on the mocha bars while the ink's still drying on the takeover.