Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Boldemann Chocolate Company records
- Dates:
- 1890-1971
- Creators:
- Boldemann Chocolate Company.
- Extent:
- 1 manuscripts box, 2 oversized flat boxes (1.63 cubic feet)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Boldemann Chocolate Company Records (SFH 764), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Contains material created by the Boldemann Chocolate Company including 2 expense ledgers, 1912-1916; photographs, trademark documents, product labels, advertisements, press clippings, and 2 chocolate molds. Also includes a 1907 product brochure of A.C. Boldemann and Company. Some family photos are included.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Boldemann family business dates to the late 1880s. A.C. Boldemann established A.C. Boldemann and Company, manufacturing flavoring extracts and fine perfumes. The chocolate business was established in 1902 in San Francisco with the purchase of Milani Chocolate Works. Co-founded by brothers Adolph Charles Boldemann and Oscar Boldemann [Sr.], it was known as the American Chocolate Company by 1905. A 1906 lease document shows Oscar Boldemann as president and A.C. Boldemann as secretary.
Boldemann Chocolate Company made ground chocolate (for drinking) and candy. The company perfected the Wascar process over 15 years, resulting in high quality chocolate coatings. The chocolate business grew, with its main office and factory in San Francisco, and branches in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Salt Lake City. In 1968, ground was broken for a new office and large factory building in Union City, completed in 1971.
Oscar Boldemann, Jr., also known as Dod, eventually took over the business. In the early 1950s, he sold the Boldemann Chocolate Company's common stock to old friend Henry Blommer, Sr., with Boldemann's becoming a subsidiary of Blommer Chocolate Company, one of the five biggest in the country. Dod continued to run Boldemann's. His nephew, Lloyd Boldemann, was the last family member to work for the confectionery.
- Acquisition information:
- Donated by Lloyd Boldemann on May 17, 2019.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Tami J. Suzuki.
- Physical location:
- Open for research. The collection is offsite and advance notice is required for retrieval. Material must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-09-13 18:04:48 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research and available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. Photographs are available during Photo Desk hours. This collection must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Copyright has been transferred to the San Francisco Public Library. Permission for publication is given as the copyright holder.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Boldemann Chocolate Company Records (SFH 764), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
- Location of this collection:
-
San Francisco Public Library100 Larkin StreetSan Francisco, CA 94102, US
- Contact:
- (415) 557-4567