What country would you think of, if you were asked who makes the best chocolate? Many people would say Swiss chocolates are the best. Switzerland is certainly known for its decadent and delicious chocolates, as well as its breakthroughs in the chocolate making process. Here are some of the best swiss chocolate brands you’ll definitely want to try!
What makes Swiss chocolate so good? Their chocolate tends to be the creamiest brands anywhere, thanks to a process called “conching” that was invented by the founder of Lindt chocolate. This is a process of agitating chocolate while it’s heated to a liquid state.
According to Grenada Chocolate, during conching, “various off-flavored, bitter substances as well as water vapor evaporate away from the chocolate.” This produces a sweet flavor without any unpleasant overtones, which accompanies the creaminess and creates the perfect chocolate candy!
Quality ingredients help too, of course. Everything from the cocoa beans to the milk, the sugar to add-ins like fruit and nuts, has to be the best available.
Without further ado, let’s explore the best brands of Switzerland chocolate.
Best Swiss Chocolate Brands
Lindt
Lindt is one of the oldest and most famous brands of chocolate in Switzerland. The company was founded in 1845, and is now headquartered in the municipality of Kilchberg.
When visiting Kilchberg, you can tour the Lindt chocolate factory and museum, which tells about the history of the company. And of course, taste their famous chocolate!
Lindt has two retail locations in North America as well. One location is in New York’s John F. Kennedy airport, in terminal 1. The other is in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, Canada. If you’re lucky enough to be in either location, make sure to top and grab a treat!
Favorite Treats: Lindor Truffles, Lindt Gold Bunnies, and Lindt Chocolate Bars
The official name of the company is Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, which is not the same Sprüngli chocolate brand listed below. The two companies did split from the same parent group, however.
Maison Cailler
Want a “historical” treat? Cailler is the oldest brand of Swiss chocolate that you can still buy today. Based in Broc, it was founded in 1819. Nestle purchased the brand in 1929.
If you’re interested in learning more about Cailler chocolate, you can visit Maison Cailler, the brand’s visitor’s center. It offers tours which teach you about the history of Cailler and its ingredients and processes. Of course, the best part is the tasting at the end of the tour. There’s even an outdoor playground for the little ones.
For a unique experience, jump aboard the Chocolate train, which runs from Montreux to Maison Cailler. The trip takes 45 minutes and is fun for all ages of chocolate lovers.
Favorite treats: Milk chocolate bars, and the Branche chocolate bar, which contains hazelnuts and a praline filling.
Toblerone
Americans who fly often know of Toblerone as the “airport chocolate”, as it’s often found in terminal gift shops. It was even popularized in an episode of Friends, when Ross’s girlfriend Emily had purchased a giant one on her flight and told Joey he could have it. Boy, what she gave up!
The shape of a Toblerone bar is unique; it’s like a bunch of triangles joined together on a base. Rumor is that the shape reflects the Matterhorn, though that is disputed by the maker’s sons. The mountain does appear on the bar’s packaging, though.
A traditional Toblerone bar consists of milk chocolate, almonds, nougat, and honey. They do produce other variations, including dark and white chocolate.
If you’re a fan of the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original in 1971), you have seen the inside of the Toblerone factory during the movie’s title sequence.
Favorite treats: the giant 10-pound Toblerone bar
Villars
Villars Chocolate, located in Fribourg, dates back to 1901. They specialize in Swiss milk chocolate with a variety of additions like nuts and crispy corn (!), but they also make dark chocolate and white chocolate bars. They roast their own cocoa beans, and use Swiss-origin milk and sugar as well, making them truly a local-origin Swiss chocolate. Additionally, they don’t use any palm oil in their products, which is important because farming palm oil is a major source of deforestation worldwide.
Favorite treats include Swiss Whips, which are a creamy mousse with a crunch chocolate coating. They also make a variety of chocolate bars and even Swiss pralines. The assorted chocolate bon bons makes a special variety treat for occasions like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.
If you’re in Fribourg while you travel, make sure to stop by their store for a visit!
Chocolat Frey
The chocolatier Frey is based in Buchs, Switzerland. It was originally founded in 1887. They are well-known chocolate makers, though some of their offerings do mimic other brands, notably their versions of the Cailler Branch chocolate bar and one that is very similar to a Toblerone bar.
What is special about Frey is their commitment to sustainability. They boast several certifications in the areas of sustainability, for both their ecological and social measures such as higher wages for farmers. They also give back to the community by helping support the SOS Children’s Village organization in Ghana.
Favorite treats: Chocobloc bars and crunchy clouds
Camille Bloch
Located in Courtelary, Camille Bloch is another famous Swiss chocolatier. They are known for their Ragusa and Torino chocolate bars. Visitors to this area of Switzerland, the Bernese Jura region, can visit their factory. It includes a visitor’s center, bistro, escape room game, and of course a shop full of chocolate! There’s even conference space available.
Favorite treat: a Ragusa bar customized with your message is available at their factory. The Ragusa bar is chocolate filled with pralines and whole hazelnuts. Our favorite is the Ragusa Blonde with its unique color and flavors of caramel
Sprüngli
Confiserie Sprüngli, founded in 1836, is headquartered in Zurich, on Paradeplatz in the financial district. They are best known for their Luxemburgerli macaroons, chocolate bars, pralines, truffles, cakes, ice cream, and more. A visit to Zurich wouldn’t be complete without stopping by their cafe on Paradeplatz, known as a favorite meeting place for Switzerland’s elite class.
Favorite treats: Amaretti cookies, Luxemburgerli macaroons, and their chocolate-hazelnut cream.
2 Swiss Chocolate Brands to Avoid for Now
There are two more popular Swiss chocolate brands that we want to mention but not recommend. Each has received a number of critiques as mentioned below. Please consider boycotting these brands until and unless they’ve amended these practices.
Nestlé
Nestle is probably America’s best-known Swiss brand of chocolate, owing to the presence of many of their products in the United States. They are headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. In addition to chocolate, they also produce a number of other products including baby food, breakfast cereals, and bottled water.
Unfortunately the company has been the brunt of lots of justified criticism, including child labor and price fixing, among others. On the other hand, they have a number of social responsibility programs. One can hope that they focus more on the latter and do away with some of their unfortunate practices in the future.
Läderach
Läderach is another chocolatier that is well-known but controversial due to being anti-LGBTQIA+.
Where to Buy Swiss Chocolates
If you’re visiting Switzerland, a fun activity is to visit a chocolate-making factory. You can also find chocolate shops from these brands in a variety of locations. Because these chocolates are high in quality, the cost may be a bit higher than you’d expect, but it’s really worth the price.
If you want to find lower-cost, but still delicious chocolate while in Switzerland, you can find it at most supermarkets, including Coop and Aldi.
In the United States, where most of our readers are located, you can still get delicious Swiss chocolate. Lindt chocolate bars can be found in most groceries and drug store chains year-round, and before Easter, you can also find Lindt chocolate bunnies to celebrate the holiday.
Toblerone is another brand that’s easy to find in America, again at supermarkets and drugstores, but also fairly famously at airports. If you happen to be a fan of the television show Friends, you may remember Emily telling Joey that yes, he can have her Toblerone bar!
Amazon is also a great place to get Swiss chocolate. Here are some Swiss chocolate brands that you can purchase from Amazon if you want to try them! Note that some brands aren’t available on Amazon, and some tend to be pricey for purchase in the US.
- Lindt Lindor Truffles Variety Pack
- Lindt Excellence Roasted Hazelnut Chocolate Bar
- Cailler Frigor Milk Chocolate Bar
- Cailler Chocolate Branche Bar
- Giant Toblerone Bar
- Mini Toblerone Bars – Assorted
- Frey Supreme Dark Chocolate Bars
- Frey Ovation Milk Chocolate and Orange
- Camille Bloch Ragusa Classique
We hope you’ve enjoyed this overview of the best Swiss chocolate brands. There certainly is a wide variety to try! What is your favorite kind of chocolate, Swiss or otherwise? Drop a comment below to vote for your favorite!
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