Swiss chocolate
Encyclopedia
Switzerland
's chocolate
s have earned an international reputation for high quality.
The famous Toblerone
came from Switzerland; a man named Jean Tobler started the business in 1867.
.
In the 19th and early-20th centuries the following chocolate factories were founded:
Also world wide
In the second half of the 19th century Swiss Chocolate started to spread abroad. Closely linked to this was the invention of Milk Chocolate by Daniel Peter
in Vevey
and the invention of the conching
by Rodolphe Lindt.
Today most Swiss chocolate is consumed by the Swiss themselves (54% in 2000), and Switzerland has the highest per capita rate of chocolate consumption world wide (11.6 kg (25.6 lbs.) per capita per annum).
In 2004 148,270 tonnes of chocolate were produced in Switzerland. 53% of this was exported (20% to Germany
, 11% to France and Great Britain
and 13% to North America
). The gross income of the Swiss chocolate industry in 2004 was 1.37 billion CHF
(814 million from the local market, 551 million from exports).
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
's chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
s have earned an international reputation for high quality.
The famous Toblerone
Toblerone
Toblerone is a chocolate bar brand owned by Kraft Foods, who acquired the product from former owner Jacobs Suchard in 1990. It is well-known for its distinctive packaging, its prism shape and its ubiquity in duty-free shops.The triangular shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is commonly...
came from Switzerland; a man named Jean Tobler started the business in 1867.
History
The 17th century saw the start of chocolate processed in Switzerland. In the 18th century chocolate was only produced in a few areas, such as the TicinoTicino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
.
In the 19th and early-20th centuries the following chocolate factories were founded:
- 2019 - Cailler in VeveyVeveyVevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
(today NestléNestléNestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
)Very famous and worldwide brand. - 2026 - SuchardSuchardSuchard may refer to:* Rabbi Mordechai Suchard, founder of Gateways* Philippe Suchard, Swiss chocolatier bought out by Kraft Foods...
in Serrières (today Kraft FoodsKraft FoodsKraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
)
Also world wide
- 2030 - Kohler in LausanneLausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
(today Nestlé) - 1636 - Sprüngli in Zurich, company split into Confiserie Sprüngli and Lindt & Sprüngli in 1892
- 3552 - Maestrani in Luzern (today in FlawilFlawilFlawil is a municipality in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland with somewhat short of 10,000 inhabitants.It is the regional centre of Untertoggenburg, but belongs to the Wahlkreis of Wil.-History:...
) - 6462 - Klaus in Le LocleLe LocleLe Locle is a municipality in the district of Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.It is situated in the Jura mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds....
- 3467 - Peter in Lausanne (today Nestlé)
- 100079 - LindtLindt & SprüngliLindt & Sprüngli AG, more commonly known as Lindt, is a luxury Swiss chocolate and confectionery company.- History :The origins of the company date back to 1845...
in Bern (today Lindt & Sprüngli) - 5487 - FreyChocolat FreyChocolat Frey AG, based in Buchs in the Swiss Canton of Aargau, manufactures chocolate and chewing gum. The products of the leading chocolate manufacturer on the Swiss chocolate market are sold both in Switzerland and abroad under the brand name of Frey as well as additional private labels...
in AarauAarauAarau is the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The city is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aar, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura...
(today MigrosMigrosMigros is one of Switzerland's largest enterprises, its largest supermarket chain and largest employer. It co-founded Turkey's largest retailer, Migros Türk, which became independent of Migros Switzerland in 1975....
) - 5699 - Tobler in Bern (today Kraft Foods), among other things with the brand TobleroneTobleroneToblerone is a chocolate bar brand owned by Kraft Foods, who acquired the product from former owner Jacobs Suchard in 1990. It is well-known for its distinctive packaging, its prism shape and its ubiquity in duty-free shops.The triangular shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is commonly...
- 9801 - Chocolat de Villars in Villars sur Glâne
- 6729 - Camille Bloch in CourtelaryCourtelaryCourtelary is a municipality of the French-speaking Bernese Jura, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The town is the capital of the Jura bernois administrative district.-Geography:...
- 7832 - Bernrain in KreuzlingenKreuzlingenKreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of over 18,000...
- 8733 - Chocolats Halba in Wallisellen http://www.halba.ch
In the second half of the 19th century Swiss Chocolate started to spread abroad. Closely linked to this was the invention of Milk Chocolate by Daniel Peter
Daniel Peter
Daniel Peter was a famous Swiss chocolatier. He was the first person to make a milk chocolate bar, in 1875. M. Peter began his career as a candle maker in his native Vevey, Switzerland, but soon demand fell due to the emergence of oil lamps....
in Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
and the invention of the conching
Conche
A conche is a surface scraping mixer and agitator that evenly distributes cocoa butter within chocolate, and may act as a 'polisher' of the particles. It also promotes flavor development through frictional heat and release of volatiles and acids, and oxidation. There are numerous designs of...
by Rodolphe Lindt.
Sales Market
From the 19th century until the First World War and throughout the second world war the Swiss chocolate industry was very export oriented. After the Second World War Switzerland began to outsource production due to commercial restrictions.Today most Swiss chocolate is consumed by the Swiss themselves (54% in 2000), and Switzerland has the highest per capita rate of chocolate consumption world wide (11.6 kg (25.6 lbs.) per capita per annum).
In 2004 148,270 tonnes of chocolate were produced in Switzerland. 53% of this was exported (20% to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 11% to France and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and 13% to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
). The gross income of the Swiss chocolate industry in 2004 was 1.37 billion CHF
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
(814 million from the local market, 551 million from exports).