By Deepi Harish
Switzerland’s chocolate houses reveal the craft, tradition and taste that set the country’s iconic brands apart.
It begins with the smell—unmistakably sweet chocolate. Here in Kilchberg, standing near Lake Zurich, the air feels infused with cocoa. At Lindt’s headquarters (pictured above), the journey into Swiss chocolate craftsmanship begins.
Raw cacao beans arrive from Ghana, Ecuador and Madagascar—tropical regions that produce some of the world’s best cacao. “The combinations of beans are a closely guarded secret,” says Stefan Bruderer, Lindt Master Chocolatier. Unlike most brands, Lindt produces its own cocoa mass, controlling every step of the process.
A key moment is conching, a technique developed in 1879 in which chocolate is stirred continuously for about 72 hours. The process aerates and refines the chocolate, creating Lindt’s signature silky texture. “It still matters today because it ensures the highest quality and consistency,” Bruderer says. No matter how much he is pressed, Bruderer remains tight-lipped about the iconic truffle recipe. “Perfected since 1845,” he says, and leaves it at that.
Next, a chocolate-wrapped train departs Bern for Maison Cailler. For more than an hour, oversized windows frame rolling pastures and clustered farms. Upon arrival, even the station platform carries the unmistakable scent of cocoa—less like a bakery, more like something deliciously adjacent.
Maison Cailler’s pristine white building stands regal against the Alps. Inside, an interactive tour leads visitors through the brand’s history and ends with unlimited chocolate sampling. Founded in 1819, Cailler is Switzerland’s oldest chocolate brand, sourcing Alpine milk from 40 farms within 30 kilometres. It remains the only Swiss brand to use condensed milk, giving its chocolate a buttery softness.
Cailler also relies on traditional conching to refine flavour and texture. “It ensures our chocolate maintains the quality,” says Fleur Helmig, Director of Maison Cailler. Its milk chocolate tastes dairy-driven and creamy, while the darker varieties reveal pleasant bitterness and the natural complexity of cocoa.
Off the tourist trail is Halba, a lesser-known brand considered Switzerland’s most sustainable chocolate maker and ranked second globally. Its mission is clear: chocolate with ethics at its core. The company sources 100 per cent Fairtrade-certified cacao and practises direct trade, cutting out middlemen to ensure higher profits for farmers. Halba has also taken firm action against child labour and poor working conditions in the cocoa supply chain.
The commitment extends to flavour. Each Halba bar balances bitterness, sweetness and acidity depending on the bean’s origin. “Chocolate made with Madagascar beans tastes completely different than one made with Honduran beans, even at the same cocoa percentage,” says a Halba spokesperson. Halba’s tasting notes lean less sweet, with a firm, earthy cocoa profile.
Though closed to the public, Halba opened its production facility to a small group of international journalists. Before entering, visitors scrub in, suit up, remove all jewellery and makeup, and surrender their phones. The facility is so spotless one could eat off the floor, almost literally.
If Lindt is about precision and smoothness, and Cailler leans buttery and handmade in character, then Halba is something else entirely—less about indulgence, more about an honest reflection of the bean. Together, they leave a lasting respect for the craft of chocolate—and for the country that perfected it.