Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory Tour in St. Louis (Free, But Book Ahead)

I slow roll. Zach does not. So when we parked the bus outside St. Louis for “a few days off from driving,” Zach heard “a few days to see everything.”

One day: Anheuser-Busch. The World’s Largest Chess Piece. Herbaria. Refab. And somewhere in the middle of that marathon, the stop I actually cared about.

A chocolate factory.

Wait, Why Does the Sign Say Bissinger’s?

We pulled up to Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! and the sign out front said Bissinger’s. There’s also a giant gold B by the door. I stood in it. Obviously.

Turns out it’s two chocolate companies under one roof. Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate started in St. Louis in 1981. Bissinger’s goes back to 17th-century France, where they made candy for the King of France. The family that owns Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate bought Bissinger’s in 2019 and moved its production into this factory.

So a free factory tour in The Hill gets you a brand that once supplied French royalty. Not bad for zero dollars.

What You’ll See on the Tour

First stop is a little museum corner of the company’s old equipment. The Original Chocolate Melting Tank. The original mixer, big and red. A 1930s Cream Ball Beater, which they call the Fondant Machine, that isn’t even made anymore. And a marble cooling table, which Zach leaned on like he’d been working there 30 years. He had the long hair and beard back then, plus a paper tour hat. It worked.

Then you head out behind a yellow chain to watch the real line. Truffles come out of the coating machine, get lined up by hand, and pile onto trays. The kitchen you see through the glass. Our guide (hairnet, mustache, knew his stuff) did the tour for us and one small family.

Also on the wall: a sign that says “Shhh… Oompa Loompas Sleeping.” I had questions. Nobody answered them.

There’s also a sign that says “I’d give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter.” Same.

The Tasting

The tasting was my favorite part. No contest. I felt like I’d found the Golden Ticket, except nobody fell into a river and the tour was free.

Before You Go

• Book ahead. Everyone needs a reservation, even though it’s free.
• Weekdays only. No weekend tours.
• Closed-toe shoes. It’s a working food factory. They mean it.
• Get there early. Late arrivals may get turned away.
• Allergies: tell them up front. You’re right next to the production line.

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More St. Louis Stops From the Same Day

If you’re making a day of it like we did, our Anheuser-Busch tour is right nearby, the World’s Largest Chess Piece is a quick drive, and the Herbaria soap factory tour smells as good as it sounds. For more weird stops across the state, see our Things to Do in Missouri guide.

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