Haigh’s chocolates in Adelaide: Rundle Mall or Parkside Visitor Centre?

It’s possible to buy Haigh’s chocolates in Adelaide at the famous Beehive building on Rundle Mall. But a better bet is the Haigh’s Visitor Centre at the Haigh’s Chocolate Factory in the Parkside suburb. Here, tours show off the Haigh’s Adelaide chocolate-making process.

Chocolate-maker Haigh’s is one of the most beloved businesses in South Australia. It has been going for over a century, and is still a family-run operation. Trying Haigh’s chocolates in Adelaide has become a visitor rite of passage, like swimming with dolphins from Glenelg or climbing the Adelaide Oval. The Adelaide Oval is also open for behind-the-scenes tours.

Part of the love for Haigh’s chocolates is about the chocolates themselves, but a significant factor in the treasured status is the Haigh’s Adelaide shop on Rundle Mall. This highly distinctive Beehive-esque building has become one of the most recognisable heritage buildings in Adelaide.

History of Haigh’s chocolates in Adelaide

Haigh’s Rundle Mall wasn’t the first home of Haigh’s, however. Alfred Haigh opened his first chocolate shop at 34 King William Street in 1915. The company moved to the Haigh’s Rundle Mall Beehive building in 1922.

Initially, the big thing made by Haigh’s was fruit jellies covered in chocolate. By the time Alfred Haigh died in 1933, the business had expanded to six stores.

The business started changing into what it is today when Alfred’s grandson, John Haigh, joined the business in 1946. John went to Switzerland to train with Lindt and Sprungli, and also visited the US to study production and marketing styles. When he came back, the Haigh’s manufacturing process was transformed, and the company became known for its premium quality chocolates.

Haigh’s still makes the chocolate from bean to bar. They roast the beans and extract the cocoa butter. And all members of the family who join the business work in the shops during the school holidays, before going to Switzerland to train with Lindt.

Haigh’s Chocolate Factory and Visitor Centre in Parkside

The Haigh’s Rundle Mall Beehive store is still the best known and most beloved Haigh’s outlet. Much of the Haigh’s chocolate range is available to buy there, and it can be visited on an Adelaide chocolate tour. But the chocolates are made elsewhere.

To get the full experience, go to the Haigh’s Visitor Centre in the Adelaide suburb of Parkside. This is just south of the CBD, on the edge of Adelaide’s ring of parklands.

The Haigh’s Visitor Centre usually offers tours – although these are currently on hold due to Covid-19. When these Adelaide chocolate factory tours restart, the tours allow visitors to watch the confectioners create and hand-finish the chocolates, before indulging in chocolate-tasting sessions.

The Haigh’s Visitor Centre in Parkside also has a retail store. Here, you can buy chocolates fresh from the factory, as well as the truffles, Haigh’s chocolate frogs and fruit centres that this Adelaide chocolate company is known for.

There’s also a Haigh’s store in the Adelaide Arcade.

More Australian chocolate

The Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie near Anglesea, Victoria.

Coal River Farm near Hobart in Tasmania.

Where can I buy Koko Black chocolate in Australia?

The Phillip Island Chocolate Company on Phillip Island near Melbourne.

The Barossa Valley Chocolate Company near Adelaide, South Australia.