3 reasons why Lindt Chocolate took the world by storm

They say that once you''ve experienced the rich taste of Lindt chocolate, which melts slowly and gently in your mouth, conjuring up a complex harmony of flavours over and over again, there''s no turning back.

A revolutionary discovery that changed the chocolate industry

Lindt chocolate and its story are almost two centuries old. In 1836, David Sprüngli-Schwarz and his son Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann bought a small confectionery in Zurich and just two years later produced the first solid chocolate in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. And one of the world''s finest chocolates was "born".

Meanwhile, Rodolphe Lindt, the son of a pharmacist from Bern, was thinking of how to make a chocolate with a more pleasant taste and texture. In those days, the only chocolate known was chocolate that was very hard and had to be chewed. Lindt therefore bought an old factory with outdated machinery and started experimenting with chocolate making. At first he was rather unsuccessful, as a strange white layer accumulated on the chocolate.

Fortunately, his brother Auguste, a pharmacist like his father, discovered that the white layer on the chocolate was completely harmless, as it was crystallised fat. He and his brother spent a long time trying to figure out how to remove it, until one Friday Rodolphe left the factory in despair, unknowingly leaving the machines running all weekend. When he returned to the factory on Monday morning, he couldn''t believe his eyes - he found a wonderful smelling solid chocolate with an incredibly delicate taste. He became the first person to experience how chocolate melts in the mouth.

The extraordinary success of the Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate factory

When Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann retired in 1892, he left the chocolate business to his two sons - David, the younger, the confectionery and Johann, the older, the chocolate factory. Just a few years later, the latter merged his business with Lindt to form the Swiss chocolate factory Lindt & Sprüngli.

In those days, the only chocolate they knew was very hard and had to be chewed.

In the first two decades of the 20th century, the Swiss chocolate industry expanded more and more, exporting 3/4 of its products to as many as 20 countries around the world. During World War II, it suffered a major crisis due to restrictions on sugar and cocoa imports, but managed to recover and improve its chocolate products, as the demand for chocolate expanded dramatically after the war, and the chocolate factory expanded with it . Today, their factories can be found in Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Austria, and they have expanded beyond European borders to the USA.

3 reasons why Lindt chocolate has taken the world by storm

It is no coincidence that Lindt chocolate has won the hearts of people all over the world. It is popular for several important reasons:

1. the Conche technique

Rodolphe Lindt is responsible for Lindt chocolate melting so beautifully in the mouth. Chocolate was previously very hard and had to be chewed, so Lindt invented a technique called ''conche'', which means ''conch shell'' in French. The name comes from the process of making the chocolate itself, as the shape of the machine used to make it resembles a conch shell. It is used to give the chocolate its wonderful aroma, by removing the bitter taste and softening it so that it becomes smooth and melts beautifully in the mouth.

2. Different flavours and products

There are currently 14 different flavours of Lindt chocolate - from the usual hazelnut, caramel, dark and white chocolate to chocolate flavoured with sea salt, mint or raspberry. The wide range of different chocolate bars is joined by truffles and products on sale during major holidays, such as around Christmas or Easter, as well as customised birthday gifts.

They have even opened their own cafés in some parts of the world, offering Lindt chocolate cakes and ice cream . You can also choose from a wide range of Lindt products in our online shop.

3. A long-standing legacy

The almost 200-year tradition of making chocolate from a secret recipe is surely the reason for its popularity. To pay tribute to Lindt''s legacy, the Lindt Chocolate Museum, called The Lindt World of Chocolate Museum , was opened in Germany in 1993 . On more than 4000 m², visitors from all over the world can get a closer look at more than 5000 years of cultural history of cocoa and chocolate and get an insight into the chocolate-making process itself.

Resources:
- http://www.lindt-spruengli.com/about-us/history/
- http://www.chocolate.lindt.com/world-of-lindt/lindt-in-history/the-invention-of-lindt-chocolate/
- https://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/en/museum