Swiss Bliss—A Love Affair
with Chocolate
In Switzerland, chocolate is far more than a treat–it is history and craftsmanship. From the origins of milk chocolate to small bean-to-bar ateliers like Orfève or Carrack, every bite tells a story of precision, tradition, and moments that slow down the pace of everyday life.
(Sweet) To understand what lies at the heart of the Swiss love for sweets, we go back to its beginnings—chocolate, which had been imported from the Americas to many European regions since the 16th century. Why Switzerland, in particular, came to triumph in the second half of the 19th century is thanks to two men.
The first is Daniel Peter, born in 1836 in Canton Vaud, who mixed cocoa, sugar, and condensed milk and is considered the father of milk chocolate. The second is Rodolphe Lindt, born in 1855, who is credited with inventing the “conching” process—a technique of constant stirring at elevated temperatures that reduces the acidity and bitterness in chocolate, resulting in a smoother texture and melting consistency.
Lindt, or more specifically, the Lindt & Sprüngli AG, which was founded in 1899 and has its headquarters on Lake Zurich, is now a multi-billion-dollar company that produces not only chocolate but also pralines and seasonal Christmas and Easter products. Other major players include Läderach, Cailler (owned by Nestlé), and Suchard—now part of Mondelēz International, the company behind Milka, whose branding has let some city dwellers to believe that all cows are purple.
From Bean to Bar
It’s no wonder that Switzerland has the highest per capita chocolate consumption in the world—although this figure should be taken with a grain of salt, according to Caroline Buechler, including as it does purchases made by tourists. Buechler—whose hair and reading glasses resemble the color of white chocolate—and her life and business partner François-Xavier Mousin represent a new generation of producers who work according to the bean-to-bar principle, overseeing all the sourcing and production steps from the cocoa bean to the finished chocolate bar.
The path wasn’t easy: “François-Xavier and I used to work in the wine and watch industries before we decided to make chocolate in 2017. As an academic, I wished for formal training, but there was none, so I sought advice from established producers. Everyone said they couldn’t help because it was all about the right ingredients and machines, so we just started. To fund the founding of Orfève, we sold two Porsches and our life insurance.”
One year after starting, they were still experimenting in their 30-square-meter home kitchen. Today, they sell over ten tons of chocolate annually in delicatessens, wine and cheese shops, the Swiss supermarket chain Globus, and through their website, with the trend continuing upward. When asked about her personal consumption, the Geneva native replies, “At my peak, it was a bar a day. When my pants started to get tight, I cut back to half and switched to our Quillabamba chocolate.”
This refers to a chocolate made from Peruvian beans with 100% cocoa content, offering notes of sandalwood and nutmeg. Orfève doesn’t produce milk chocolate—preferring instead only varieties with 70%, 80%, 90%, or even 100% cocoa, or with flavor combinations such as apple and nutmeg, pear and mint, or peach and piment d’Espelette.
Regarding production, the company favors a precise, clockwork-like quality: “Only the best raw materials lead to a premium product, which is why we are very strict about selecting our beans. Only 5-10% of global production is ethically sustainable. At the same time, I don’t demonize the industry. Ideally, it enters into a dialogue with the craftsmanship we represent.” Buechler also has an explanation for her homeland’s sweet obsession: “The love for tradition and quality products, whether it’s cheese, watches, or chocolate.”
Alongside Orfève, other artisanal chocolate producers stand out. Carrack, based in Geneva, sources beans from Tanzania, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. Founder Émile Germiquet, formerly in finance and tourism, teamed up with Alain Chanson to celebrate the pure, unadulterated taste of cocoa.
Garçoa Chocolate uses only cocoa and organic raw cane sugar. Cheesemonger-turned-chocolatier Fränzi Akert discovered Peruvian beans and, with Eva Schüler handling roasting, grinding, and tempering, turned them into chocolate in their Zurich Wollishofen workshop.
Nearby, La Flor, founded in 2017 by Laura Schälchli, Ivo Müller, and Heini Schwarzenbach, focuses on quality, transparency, and contemporary design.
Switzerland has the highest per capita
chocolate consumption in the world.
Swiss Precision Meets Culinary Obsession
The list would not be complete without mentioning Felchlin. Based in Canton Schwyz, this company was the first in the country to use the term “Grand-Cru” for chocolate in 1999—attracting the agreement of many professionals. One of them is Titouan Claudet. Not only is he the head pâtissier at the Geneva-based Atelier Robuchon, he is also in charge of the attached Woodward Hotel and its boutique pâtisserie.
His “chocolate dream” consists of a cake made of 100% Felchlin chocolate, enhanced with cardamom and cocoa fruit juice. Geometric shapes are the signature of the 32-year-old, seen in his Bûche Mosaique, a beautiful, diagonal-cut cocoa biscuit refined with dark chocolate cream and mousse, sea salt praline, and a milk chocolate coating. Born in Besançon, France, Claudet describes himself as “straightforward, almost pedantic,” with a strong need for order and symmetry. This precision is right at home in the world of pâtisserie, as it demands milligram-accurate strictness. It’s no surprise that pâtissiers are often casually referred to as the “autists of the kitchen.”
By the way, Titouan Claudet was named Pastry Chef of the Year for Switzerland in 2025. That puts him in good company among his compatriots. A few examples: David Schmid, World Confectioner of the Year 2021, who in Aarau creates French classics such as macarons and Paris-Brest; pastry world champion Rolf Mürner; or Othmane Khoris, Pastry Chef of the Year 2023, who runs a dessert boutique in Geneva. The Parisian’s signature dessert is a vanilla sushi rice with Gruyère double cream.
Another Pastry Chef of the Year 2025 who technically doesn’t hold a Swiss passport—although he’s been based in Switzerland for years—is currently based at the Mandarin Oriental Savoy in Zurich. Andy Vorbusch has a clear stance on crowd-pleasing desserts: “A chocolate cake like that completely wipes you out.” The Hamburg native has made a name for himself by using unusual ingredients such as peas, candied lettuce, dill pickles, and fermented shiitake mushrooms.