Story published on
29.6.2022
Switzerland and its chocolate - a pair of lovers that has already outlasted many a generation and a reputation that is known far beyond our national borders. But where exactly did this liaison begin and why is the art of chocolate making so strongly anchored in this country?
Cocoa arrived in Europe from America as early as the 16th century. In Switzerland, the exotic fruit became widely known in the 17th century at the latest, but at that time chocolate did not have much to do with the luxury food as we know it today. In the beginning, chocolate was consumed as a remedy or as a bitter drink that was supposed to have an aphrodisiac effect. In 1819, Francois-Louis Cailler opened the first mechanised chocolate factory near Vevey and thus, with the help of his wife, founded the world's oldest chocolate brand still in existence. Cailler celebrated its 200th (!) birthday in 2019.
And other Swiss chocolate pioneers were not long in coming. In 1826, Philippe Suchard invented the "mélangeur", the machine for mixing cocoa powder and sugar, but it was not until 1875 that Daniel Peter succeeded in the difficult task of binding chocolate and milk. Thus, he is still considered the official inventor of milk chocolate. Four years later, Rodolphe Lindt from Bern developed the conching process, which is probably one of the most important inventions in the history of chocolate. The conching process removes all the bitter substances from the chocolate and gives it a smooth melting consistency.
Thanks to all these great inventions and successful marketing, Swiss chocolate received a steep upswing towards the end of the 19th century and is still one of Switzerland's most important export articles today.
We at Max Chocolatier hold on to this original craft and still make our delicacies by hand today. Even our fine chocolate varieties are still conched in the traditional longitudinal conche for up to 74 hours.
