SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – With dark chocolate being a big newsmaker in the chocolate category, it’s easy to forget that America remains a nation of milk chocolate lovers.  Milk chocolate accounts for a whopping 80 percent of total chocolate sales in the U.S. ¹

To honor milk chocolate lovers looking for the ultimate chocolate experience, Ghirardelli has created a new line: Ghirardelli LUXE MILK.  The silky and sumptuous formulation uses all-natural ingredients.

Ghirardelli LUXE MILK Chocolate adheres to the company’s defining standards of ultimate quality.  Unlike most manufacturers, Ghirardelli controls the entire chocolate-making process, beginning with selecting the best cocoa beans, to its proprietary methods of roasting to intensify chocolate taste, refining for velvety smoothness, and conching extensively to bring out sophisticated, nuanced flavors.

"Ghirardelli wants milk chocolate lovers to know it’s okay to come out of the dark,” said Fabrizio Parini, senior vice president of marketing for Ghirardelli.  “Milk chocolate fans may have felt left out as dark chocolate has gained in popularity among chocolate consumers. Milk chocolate should be a delightful indulgence, and we have put our company’s resources into creating that intense Ghirardelli chocolate pleasure for milk chocolate lovers.  Our goal is to craft ultimate high-quality for every type of chocolate we bring to our consumers.”

The LUXE MILK Chocolate collection will be available in five popular flavors in 2.8-ounce to 3-ounce bars beginning Fall 2008.  The bars will retail at $2.29 each and are available now in Ghirardelli chocolate shops or online at www.ghirardelli.com. The bars will be available October 2008 at Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Borders, Linens-N-Things and Cost Plus World Market stores.  Beginning in April 2009, LUXE MILK will be offered as elegantly wrapped singles in a bag format, perfect for sharing. 

About the new Ghirardelli LUXE MILK line flavors:

• LUXE MILK – This bar delivers the ultimate premium milk chocolate experience – pure, all-natural milk chocolate with a velvety texture that melts smoothly in your mouth.
• LUXE MILK Hazelnut – Lavished throughout this bar, all-natural deep-roasted hazelnuts add crunch and a distinctive, sophisticated flavor.
• LUXE MILK Almond – Toasted almonds contribute a clean, crisp taste to complement and enhance the flavors of the creamy-sweet milk chocolate base.
• LUXE MILK Crisp – This bar features lightly toasted crisped rice; a grown-up, sophisticated version of everyone’s favorite childhood flavors.
• LUXE MILK Duet – For those who can’t decide between dark or milk, duet melds a layer of the lighter, sweeter flavor of milk chocolate with a layer of bittersweet dark chocolate.