A Brief History of Lindt - By: Spencer Samaroo

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, or Lindt as it is more commonly known, is a luxury Swiss chocolate and confectionery company that has developed a very special relationship with Australian chocolate lovers since it opened its Sydney office in 1997. So much so that Lindt is now the leading premium chocolate brand in Australia and currently sits at number two in the general chocolate market behind Cadbury's with a market share of approximately 20% in the boxed chocolate category. Australia was also the first country in the world to house a Lindt chocolate concept store and café, as a consequence of the tenfold growth Lindt has enjoyed in Australia during the last of decade. That was back in 2004 and now there are six. Four in Sydney and two in Melbourne.

The origins of Lindt as a company date back to 1845 when David Sprüngli-Schwarz and his son, Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann opened a small confectionery shop in the beautiful old town of Zurich. Backed by a delicious range of confections it was a successful venture that enjoyed good levels of customer demand. So much so that two years later a small factory was added to it specifically to produce chocolate in solid form. A move which only served to increase demand even further.

When Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann retired in 1892 he handed over control of the business to his two sons. The youngest, David Robert, was given responsibility for a brace of confectionery stores that operated under the brand name Confiserie Sprüngli, whilst the eldest, Johann Rudolf, was charged with running the chocolate factory. An ambitious man, Johann Rudolf had a clear vision of how he wanted to grow the business. This involved changing its name to ‘Chocolat Sprüngli AG’ and also taking over a chocolate factory owned by one Rodolphe Lindt of Bern. Having done this, he then decreed they should collectively become known as Aktiengesellschaft Vereinigte Berner und Zürcher Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli (United Bern and Zurich Lindt & Sprungli Chocolate Factory Ltd) and set about laying a strong foundation that would enable the company to grow steadily for many years to come.

More recently the whole size and structure of Lindt changed significantly when as a result of aggressive expansion they acquired the noted Austrian chocolatier, Hofbauer in 1994, the Italian chocolatier, Caffarel in 1997 and the American chocolatier Ghirardelli in 1998. All of which were integrated into the company as wholly owned subsidiaries. As a result of this Lindt & Sprüngli now is one of the largest chocolate companies in the world, running one factory each in Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria and the USA.

Lindt of course is best known now for its amazing silky smooth tasting chocolate. Along with its signature Gold Bunny the company produces a range of Lindt Blocks, Lindt Fioretto, Lindt Gold Blocks, Lindt Piccoli Couverture, Lindt Swiss Gold Blocks and even Lindt Cooking Chocolate. In addition they also make the much loved Lindor range. A type of chocolate that is characterized by a hard chocolate shell and a smooth chocolate filling, the company originally introduced this as a truffle ball in 1955. However the product is now available in a wide range of flavours, as both a ball and a block. Each of which has its own distinctive packaging or wrapper. The Lindor Balls in particular are extremely popular amongst couples for bombonieres or lolly buffets at their wedding.

About the Author

Article posted by Spencer Samaroo, Managing Director, Moo-Lolly-Bar http://www.moolollybar.com.au The best online chocolate, lolly and confectionery store on the web!

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Spencer-Samaroo/108592

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