Läderach is a Swiss

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 ...

and

confectionary Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlappi ...

manufacturer based in

Ennenda Ennenda is a former Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Glarus (canton), Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Ennenda is part of the municipality of Glarus. History Ennenda is first ...

( Glarus). It was founded in 1962 in Glarus by Rudolf Läderach (1929–2013). His patent for the process of manufacturing hollow, ready-made chocolate truffles revolutionized the fine chocolate industry. In 2004 Läderach decided to enter the consumer market by acquiring Merkur Confiserie AG, a well-established chocolate retailer. In 2012 the company was further vertically integrated towards end-consumers when it opened its first factory in

Bilten Bilten is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Bilten is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. History Bilten is first mentioned in 1050 as ''Billitun''. Geography Bilten has an ar ...

in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

region. As of 2020 Läderach operates 100 stores in 35 countries.

History

Foundation

In 1970 Rudolf Läderach invented and patented his "process to manufacture thin-walled hollow balls for truffles", which simplified and improved the production of truffles. In 1994, he handed over the operational management of the company to his second son Jürg Läderach, who is now the vice president of the board of directors. Under the leadership of Jürg Läderach, the chocolate maker acquired Olten-based Merkur Confiserie AG, a well-established chocolate and coffee retailer in 2004 to sell its products directly to consumers; having been a supplier to caterers and other chocolate manufacturers for over half a century. Läderach rebranded all Merkur locations. In 2015, 750 employees worked for Läderach. By 2021, the number grew to 1,000 and reached 1,300 by 2022.

International expansion

In 1981 Läderach opened its first foreign subsidiary, Confiseur Läderach GmbH & Co KG. The first international consumer branches opened in 2019: two branches in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

(Canada) and one branch in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

(United States). Läderach plans to open up to 35 stores in the United States. As of 2020, Läderach operates 100 stores across five continents. In 2020, Läderach opened a visitor center and museum at the

factory, called the "House of Läderach". The company announced in February 2021 that it was opening 30 outlets in the United States, having taken over sites and retail space from Godiva Chocolatier.

Criticism

Jürg Läderach and his son Johannes have been involved in the ''Christianity for Today '' association for many years, which has been heavily criticized for its radical views (rejection of same-sex partnerships, opponents of abortion). Further, management staff of Läderach company are high-ranking members of the CFT association. In addition, Jürg and Johannes Läderach are co-organizers of the "March for Life", a

political demonstration A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formati ...

against the right to abortion. Jürg Läderach has also been fighting against homosexuals and pornography for years. Swiss and German LGBT groups call for a boycott of the Läderach Products. Swiss International Air Lines ended their collaboration with Läderach in November 2019. Johannes Läderach publicly distanced himself from homophobic statements, stating that he would never want to hurt or discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation.

References

External links