Dandelion Chocolate In San Francisco Carrying On A Bay Area Legacy

CBS Bay Area

September 10, 2025

Before it melts in your mouth, chocolate begins as a large cocoa pod. That transformation from bitter bean to rich bar is on full display at Dandelion Chocolate's factory in San Francisco's Mission District, where co-founder Todd Masonis leads a movement that's both global and yet deeply rooted in local tradition.

"I had a career in the tech industry," Masonis said. "And after I had finished that, I had some free time and started roasting up cocoa beans in a garage with some friends."

That hobby-turned-business has grown into one of San Francisco's best-known craft chocolate makers. The company, which began in 2010, is a fitting tribute to San Francisco's rich chocolate legacy.

"I think that San Francisco has always been a chocolate city," Masonis said. "You have Ghirardelli, you also have Guittard, you had Scharffen Berger in the East Bay which kicked off the whole new American chocolate movement. So, we kind of view ourselves as continuing that tradition. We're just kind of next in that progression."

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