The Lindt History

Sprüngli grew rapidly, opening the Schleifetobel factory in Horgen in 1847. You could smell chocolate in the air when production began.

Meanwhile in Berne, Rodolphe Lindt, the son of a pharmacist, had just started a small confectionery. Shortly after opening in 1879, Lindt’s chocolate company Rod. Lindt & Sons only produced hard, bitter chocolate - just like other chocolatiers at that time. Undeterred, Lindt kept experimenting, until one Friday night after months of testing, he left his factory without turning off the conching machine. It churned all night and all through the weekend. The chocolate Lindt found on Monday was delicately smooth and tasted like it never had before. Chocolate had changed forever. That was the beginning of incomparably delicate, world-renowned Lindt chocolate fondant.

The secret to his chocolate was all in the conching process he had invented which created a fine-melting texture by evenly combining the cocoa mass and cocoa butter with other ingredients like sugar and milk for a prolonged period of time. Lindt’s conching technique created a ‘melting chocolate’ so fine and flavourful - it was impossible to resist. This was the start of a chocolate revolution. Lindt kept his invention top secret until the Sprünglis came into the picture. Today, conching is used by chocolate manufacturers all over the world.

The perfect partnership.

When Lindt happened upon the secret in 1879 that would effectively put Switzerland on the map as a top-tier chocolate manufacturer, Johann Rudolf Sprüngli took notice. His interest had been piqued; he recognised a fellow chocolate connoisseur.

But it wasn’t until 1899 that the two entrepreneurs met. Johann Rudolf Sprüngli had just completed construction on a larger factory in Kilchberg-Bendlikon, the location of today’s headquarters, to increase output. In Berne, the high demand for Rodolphe Lindt’s creamy chocolate was beginning to strain Lindt’s small antiquated production facilities.

So when Johann Rudolf Sprüngli offered to buy the company for an impressive 1.5 million gold francs – including the brand Lindt and the secret recipe – Lindt agreed under the condition that he still had a say in the business. The perfect partnership was born until Sprüngli fully ran the business.

1932 saw the launch of a true Swiss original the “Bâtons Kirsch” which proved to be a real success for Lindt & Sprüngli.

Lindt & Sprüngli turned 100 and celebrated the big anniversary with a 12-part advertising series. The anniversary coincided with the end of the war and chocolate consumption picked up again. 

The Lindt Master Chocolatiers wanted to create something heavenly to lift customers’ spirits after the war. They set to work experimenting with chocolate recipes until, in 1949, they came across a chocolate so luxuriously smooth it could be compared to melted gold. It was named LINDOR. First appearing as a chocolate bar with a delicately melting filling, LINDOR was only associated with the signature truffles 20 years later. Curious to know more about the LINDOR history?

Finally, in 1969, Lindt & Sprüngli released the first LINDOR truffles as a Christmas specialty. They became an immediate success and customers were sad to see them go when the festive season was over...

In 1989, yet another classic was created. Lindt & Sprüngli introduced the extra thin EXCELLENCE dark chocolate bars with its intense and elegant flavours and fine texture.

Sustainability is an integral part of Lindt & Sprüngli’s corporate philosophy and is firmly anchored in its strategy, from the sourcing of the cocoa beans to the finished chocolate product. Since 2008, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program is an expression of this commitment to sustainability.

The Lindt GOLD TEDDY launched in time to bring some extra magic during the festive season in 2011.

In 2013, the charitable Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation started a visionary project in Kilchberg, Switzerland. In 2020, during Lindt & Sprüngli's 175th anniversary, the Lindt Home of Chocolate opened its doors. Located at our headquarters in Kilchberg, it houses interactive exhibits, a research and pilot plant, the world’s largest chocolate shop, a café and chocolateria designed especially for chocolate courses. As the Home of Chocolate, it is no surprise that it also has one of the world’s largest chocolate fountains!

Today Lindt & Sprüngli is a household name signalling bliss, quality and chocolate delight the world over. Over the years, the company expanded its brand portfolio abroad and acquired chocolate businesses including Hofbauer and Küfferle (1994), Caffarel (1997), Ghirardelli (1998) and Russell Stover (2014). Today, the Lindt & Sprüngli brands create a unique product world with more than 2500 products. Our quality products are made in 11 production sites in Switzerland, Europe and the US and are distributed via 28 subsidiaries, 500 own retail shops and a comprehensive network of more than 100 distributors in more than 120 countries. Despite its global growth, Lindt & Sprüngli remains Swiss in its roots – in fact, the Swiss remain the biggest champions with each citizen consuming on average one LINDOR truffle a day.