Chocolat Kohler was a

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

producer based in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

, founded in 1830 by the Kohler brothers. It is currently a brand owned by

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...

History

The Kohler chocolate factory was one of the first in Switzerland, shortly following that of

Cailler Cailler is a Swiss chocolate brand and production factory based in Broc. It was founded in Vevey by François-Louis Cailler in 1819 and remained independent until the early 20th century, when it associated with other producers. Shortly before, ...

. The first factory was created in 1830 by

Charles-Amédée Kohler Charles-Amédée Kohler (born Charles-Gottlieb Kohler; 15 June 1790 – 15 September 1874) was a Swiss chocolatier and entrepreneur who founded Chocolat Kohler. He notably invented hazelnut chocolate, in his factory opened in 1830 in Lausanne. ...

and his brother Frédéric Kohler, sons of Amédée Kohler (1761-1833), a trader in colonial foodstuffs since 1793. In 1849, Charles-Amédée Kohler bought the municipal sawmill in the Sauvabelin forest where he moved the production of chocolate. The newly built factory used the hydraulic power of the Flon river to allow the grinding of the cocoa beans. The installation of a steam engine would replace the hydraulic facility a few years later and allow a considerable development of the factory. Sauvabelin

In 1865, Charles-Amédée sold the business to his two sons Charles-Amédée II and Adolphe, who were succeeded by the sons of the first, Amédée-Louis and Jean-Jacques. From 1894 to 1896, they built a new factory in neighbouring

Échandens Échandens is a municipality in the district of Morges of the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. History Échandens is first mentioned in 1164 as ''Scandens''. Geography Échandens has an area, , of . Of this area, or 52.3% is used for agricultura ...

, which worked until 1907. In 1904, a rapprochement took place with Chocolat Peter managed by

Daniel Peter Daniel Peter (9 March 1836 – 4 November 1919) was a Swiss chocolatier and entrepreneur who founded Peter's Chocolate. A neighbour of Henri Nestlé in Vevey, he was one of the first chocolatiers to make milk chocolate and is credited for inven ...

Orbe Orbe (; la, Urba; older german: Orbach, ; frp, Orba) is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It was the seat of the former district of Orbe and is now part of the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois. History Orbe is first mentioned about 2 ...

to form the Peter Kohler company, then with Alexandre Cailler in

Vevey Vevey (; frp, Vevê; german: label=former German, Vivis) is a town in Switzerland in the canton of Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne. The German name Vivis is no longer commonly used. It was the seat of the district of ...

in 1911 to form Peter Cailler Kohler. These various mergers led to the takeover of the brand by the Nestlé company in 1929.

Products

One of the main specialties of the company was hazelnut chocolate. Charles-Amédée Kohler notably created hazelnut chocolate in 1830. His son Charles-Amédée II also invented the

Branche Branche or la Branche is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alcée Louis la Branche (1806–1861), American politician * George Branche (born 1953), Sierra Leonean middle-distance runner * Derrick Branche (born 1947), British a ...

, a praline-filled chocolate and hazelnut bar; the product is described in his recipe book from 1896. The Branche has been produced by Cailler since 1904, and ultimately has become one of the most popular candy bars on the Swiss market. A recurrent advertisement poster showed a wolf attracted by

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brot ...

's basket, the latter being full of Kohler chocolates. Chocolat Kohler was also advertised by French artist

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics to nearly a thousand songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These include ...

References

{{Nestlé Nestlé brands Companies established in 1830 Brand name chocolate Swiss chocolate companies Swiss brands Food and drink companies established in 1830 1830s establishments in Switzerland Companies based in the canton of Vaud Companies based in Lausanne

History

Products

See also

References