The First Chocolate Multinational

1 February 2023

Suchard in the Serrières valley near the city of Neuchâtel is an industrial site of one hundred and fifty years of industrial architecture of a chocolate factory.

Philippe Suchard (1797-1884) was one of the pioneers of the chocolate industry in Switzerland. He initially worked in his brother’s coffee shop but left for America in 1824. There, he found inspiration for his career in the chocolate industry.

Philippe Suchard in Serrières.

In 1824, he opened his first chocolate shop, “Chocolat Suchard” in Neuchâtel. Shortly afterwards, he opened his first factory. Through his production and recipes, the company knew a rapid growth. He specialised in confectionery.

His big breakthrough came in 1842 when he received a large order from the King of Prussia Frederick William IV (1795-1861). Although the canton of Neuchâtel had joined the Confederation in 1815, the King of Prussia remained prince of Neuchâtel until 1857.

The Suchard Chocolate factory (Chocolat Suchard) in Serrières and the ancient Roman bathing complex, 1908 

Chocolate was still a luxury product at the time, and Suchard’s fame had reached the Court in Berlin. The King never showed up in his principality, but he was willing to buy the chocolate of his subjects.

As a royal purveyor, his international name was established, and in 1905 his successors opened businesses in France, Germany and Austria. The first Swiss chocolate multinational was born.

No chocolate has been produced at Serrières since 1989, and in 1996 Suchard left the site for good, leaving behind a name, a brand and a rich industrial heritage.

Suchard’s beautiful and, for the time, remarkable advertising posters can be admired at the Museum of Art and History in Neuchâtel.

(Source and further information: Claire Piquet, Un parfum de chocolat, sur les traces de Suchard à Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, 2022; www.neuchatelville.ch).

Boudry. House of Birth of Suchard