Chocolat Suchard

In 1825, Philippe Suchard opens a sweet shop in Neuchâtel in Switzerland in conjunction with a factory in Serrières. He chose these two places according to their geographical positions. These cities are in effect at the edge of a river, which provides businesses a source of hydropower. The company started out as one among many other becomes, in a century, one of the most brands of chocolate réputées1.
In 1826, while the demand for chocolate is constantly increasing due to the quality of the latter, Philippe Suchard develops a new machine. This allows better mixing sugar with powdered cacao2.
In 1879, the company opened its first plant abroad. It is also the first Swiss chocolate factory located abroad. It is located Rötteln in southern Germany. In 1883, the son of Philippe Suchard, also called Philip, died while working with his father for the chocolate manufacturer of the latter. Philippe, the father died a year later and now Suchard resumed by his son Carl Russ-Suchard. The company then 200 people. In 1851, Suchard chocolate wins the gold medal at an exhibition located in London. He also won in 1855, the gold medal at the World Exhibition Paris3.


Advertising Suchard of the late nineteenth century
In 1901 Carl Russ-Suchard, then inspired by Daniel Peter, who had discovered and marketed the milk chocolate in 1875, produces chocolate milk under the name Milka. This label is gaining a huge success and is still a derivative of the brand founded by Philippe Suchard.3
The house becomes a multinational Suchard in 1905. The house then has plants in Austria, Germany, and France.3
In 1930, the holding company is based Suchard. It is transferred ten years later in Lausanne Neuchâtel. In 1970, the group merged with the "Chocolat Tobler, Toblerone and known by the name takes Interfood SA. In 1982 Klaus Johann Jacobs acquires majority stake and includes it in his group who becomes Jacobs Suchard AG.
1990 saw the end of the manufacture in Neuchâtel. The group was sold to tobacco companies Philip Morris, which integrates into the Kraft General Foods Kraft Jacobs Suchard, which becomes. In 2000, the group changed its name to Kraft Foods.