Two Centuries Swiss Chocolate
2 July 2022
Switzerland is a country of mountains, cheese, watches and chocolate. Chocolate beans do not grow in this country, however.
Chocolate is derived from the word Xocolati. It was used by the Aztecs as early as 1 500 B.C. Chocolate made its appearance in Switzerland in the eighteenth century.
François-Louis Cailler (1796-1852). Photo: Wikipedia
François-Louis Cailler (1796-1852) opened Switzerland’s oldest chocolate factory in Corsier-sur-Vevey in 1819, followed in 1826 by Philippe Suchard (1797-1884) in Neuchâtel and 1836 by David Sprüngli (1776-1862) in Zurich.
Cailler introduced milk chocolate in 1875. Rudolf Lindt (1855-1909) discovered another application in 1879. This application made chocolate popular and Swiss chocolate of exceptional quality, melting on the tongue.
The history of chocolate is a Swiss success story: innovation, export, ingenuity, tradition and emigration.
(Further information: www.cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler).