Lavoratti 1938 Is the First US Chocolate Shop in Portland

In downtown Portland, not far from Pioneer Courthouse Square, is the home of the very first Lavoratti 1938 chocolate shop in the United States. They chose Portland over places like New York City and San Francisco, which I think is a big deal. I stopped by the other day to see the shop, try some chocolate samples, and learn more about this cherished Italian chocolate company.

What Is Lavoratti 1938?

Lavoriatti 1938 is a chocolate company based in Varazze, a seaside town located in the Liguria region along the Italian Riviera. Genoa is not far, about 37 miles to the east. They are considered a “bean-to-bar” chocolate maker, sourcing their chocolate from San José, Ecuador to make bars, truffles, bonbons, pencils, spreads, and more.

Lavoratti: What’s in a Name?

This is a very straightforward origin story: Lavoratti is named after the company’s founder, Liberto Lavoratti. He started out selling sweets and drinks from a wooden box on the beach.

A few years later he opened a shop in Varazze where he developed and sold artisanal chocolate items, like large chocolate Easter eggs.

This last detail is important because this product made a huge impression on a boy named Fabio Fazio. When he was a child, his grandparents would buy him a Lavoratti chocolate egg during the Easter season. On the website, he writes, “The days immediately before Easter were full of a magical, unrepeatable anticipation. I can still feel that smell of chocolate on me, it was so desired, it filled the room, and it had to be consumed carefully so that it would last the longest time possible.”

Fabio Fazio, now a TV host and writer, and his business partner Davide Petrini, an entrepreneur and restaurateur—and fellow fan of the Lavoratti chocolate egg—would go on to acquire the Lavoratti brand in 2020. They would relaunch Lavoratti together in September 2022.

The Relaunch of Lavoratti 1938

My understanding is that—in what is becoming “a tale as old as time” kind of thing—the COVID pandemic was not good to Lavoratti. It was at risk of shutting down. Fabio Fazio felt like he could not let that happen, thus the acquisition.

They put together some of their thoughts about the Lavoratti 1938 product line on the Faire website that I thought was clear and interesting:

“We were inspired by the scents of our land to create unique flavors. It was a natural journey, in which we discovered that chocolate can hold the flavors of the Mediterranean, such as Taggiasca olive, Valleggia apricot, lemons from the Cinque Terre, Calabrian bergamot, Bronte DOP pistachio, and many others.

“Our entire Lavoratti production is conceived as an ‘editorial line,’ where each product represents a chapter of a story. For this reason, the packaging of our bars resembles book covers, giving our packaging a distinctive identity. From reading to writing, the transition was easy to imagine, and that’s how the Lavoratti 1938 Pencils were born: twelve different flavors and packaging reminiscent of drawing pastels.”

Additional Creatives

After the acquisition, they brought on a couple more leaders in taste, along with a number of new staff members to work in the confectionary.

• 2021, Corrado Assenza, pastry chef from Noto (Sicily). They call him an “internationally-acclaimed flavour-smith.” He helps choose the ingredients and keeps a high level of quality.
• 2023, Marco Ferrari, master chocolatier. He runs the confectionary that was established in 2022 as a kind of creative laboratory and place to experiment with flavors and taste.

Thoughts on Portland for Lavoratti 1938

So why was Portland chosen as the location of the first U.S. Lavoratti 1938 store? Why not NYC or San Francisco instead? Well, for one, they could get a good amount of space—a traditional storefront downtown. They were not really interested in something like a 10 x 10 space in a larger market, like at the Grand Central Market food hall in Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

Olga Moisseyeva, who manages the Portland Lavoratti shop shared some of her thoughts. “I think in Portland is a very foodie destination,” she remarked. And their proximity to the incoming James Beard Public Market is a good thing for both businesses, too.

She continued, “We can’t compare with New York; this is very different story. And I don’t think any city in California has the same vibe as Portland has toward food and representation of different cultures, and of small family owned brands.”

She continued to speak of challenges she has found in California. While there’s a lot of consumption there—it is a huge state with two or three major areas of commerce—it is, in her words, “almost impossible to find appropriate space there.”

“Portland, this is just perfect,” she said. When she approached Lavoratti, with which she has had a relationship through her own business in Tigard, she suggested that Lavoratti would get more value as far as a storefront goes in Portland. It would be a full shop with space to showcase the products well, and that is something they found appealing. So, they went for it.

Olga also talked about how downtown has improved and now feels like a welcoming place for this new business. “We moved right before the pandemic and we were faced with all these problems in downtown during COVID,” she explained. “When I started to look for an appropriate place for Lavoratti, I hesitated—I was skeptical about downtown Portland. But when I did my own research—my own legwork— just to see physically, how has everything changed? And yeah, it’s definitely different now!”

They are feeling pretty good about being in this location. One group of people that are finding their way to the Lavarotti 1938 shop are tourists staying in the nearby hotels.

Tasting Bonbons and More

I met up with Eugenia Alvarez at the downtown Portland location to learn more about Lavoratti 1938 and try some of their products. The first thing they offered me was what is one of their most popular items, a Parmigiano Reggiano filled bonbon. Say what?

This bonbon used white chocolate; there is a dark chocolate version, too. This was the only white chocolate bonbon I had, all the other chocolates were using their 60% dark chocolate. I was told that they had to work long and hard to get permission to use real Parmigiano Reggiano, too, as it is a protected product in Italy—it has a protected designation of origin (PDO/denominazione origine protetta (DOP). Some pistachios are also protected in Italy.

It was a mix of sweet and savory, but neither of those elements were overpowering the other. I could see how it would be nice paired with wine and added to a spread of cheese, charcuterie, and preserved foods. Really intriguing—in the end, it wasn’t my favorite, though I learned that it has been a best seller at the shop.

I tried a few other bonbons, too. Another unusual flavor is the “Sale Marino di Trapani PGI” & Taggiasca Olive Oil. It was buttery and a little savory, with a nice bit of warmth, really delicious. Additional flavors I tried included:

• Peach from Volpedo. Volpedo is the Italian region of Piedmont.
• Late Tangerine from Ciaculli. Ciaculli is a village near Palermo, Sicily.
• Lemon from Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a famous string of villages on the Italian Riviera.
• Giffoni Round Hazelnut. Giffoni is in the Province of Salerno, Italy.

Golden Ratio

Each bonbon and chocolate bar has the image of the Golden Ratio etched on it. The Golden Ratio rule, in their words, “1.618 is the ratio between sides, a symbolic sign of perfection, that divine ratio dedicated to chocolate, which the central-American people considered the food of Gods. According to this progression, Nature conceived the Nautilus, which has become the symbol and icon of Lavoratti 1938.”

Eugenia said, “it’s because the chocolate has the perfect amount.” What I tasted at Lavoratti more or less illustrated that in how balanced and gentle everything tasted.

More, as in, Other Things I Tasted

That would include a chocolate covered espresso bean, called a Dragee. This was an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee bean covered in dark chocolate. As a fan of chocolate and coffee, this was immediately my kind of thing.

I also tasted a couple of truffles—one dusted in powdered sugar and one in cocoa. The Figs and Cinnamon was one of my favorite tastes of the day. I loved the lightly sweet square of fig and warm spice. It was like a warm hug and it is at the top of my list of things to purchase here. The other one was Giffoni Round Hazelnut that was a mix of hazelnuts and chocolate and … well … it’s really hard to go wrong here.

I brought home a few chocolate bars (gifted to me by the shop), all un dark chocolate: Giffoni Round Hazelnut, Bergamot from Calabria, and “Sale Marino di Trapani PGI.” The hazelnut and bergamot bars have two textures within: the dark chocolate enrobing a separate creamier layer of sorts. Breaking it apart, it looks sort of like how an Andes mint looks when you snap it in half.

I really liked the Bergamot bar. It was citrusy and floral, and was really interesting in its flavor.

The third bar is fully chocolate but has the addition of vanilla in it. It has beautiful round floral notes, reminding me how vanilla comes from a flower—an orchid.

What I’d Like To Try Next Time

I’d love to try their spreads, which come in hazelnut and pistachio flavors; citrus rinds of bergamot, lemon, blood orange covered in dark chocolate; and their pencils, especially the box with apricot, peach, and milk chocolate.

You can see their full catalog here.

Lavoratti 1938 in Portland: The Space

The predominant color is a light blue, with light brown, cream, and tan accents. I was told that these are colors of the sea, which makes sense, since Lavoratti was born at the beach. I found the color palette very soothing—blue and brown is my favorite color combination.

Another visual link to the sea are the scalloped edges of the couch and chairs.

The Portland Lavoratti 1938 shop opened on May 5; currently they are in their soft opening phase. They would like to do a grand opening celebration, but need to talk to their partners in Italy first.

For now, you can stop in, grab some chocolate in its varying formats. The bonbons are each $2.50, and you can by them individually if you like—a nice 2-bite treat for not a whole lot of cash.

All the best to the Lavoratti 1938 folks in downtown Portland. I look forward to stopping in again soon!

Lavoratti 1938 [soft opened May 5, 2026]
621 SW Broadway, Portland
Lavoratti 1938 website | Instagram