Läderach is a Swiss

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

and confectionary manufacturer based in

Ennenda Ennenda is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Ennenda is part of the municipality of Glarus. History Ennenda is first mentioned around 1303-07 as ''Obront-Ennant-A'' and ''Nydern-Ennant-A'' ...

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Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.chocolate truffle A chocolate truffle is a French chocolate confectionery traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center and coated in cocoa powder, coconut, or chopped nuts. A chocolate truffle is handrolled into a spherical or ball shape. The name der ...

s 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 in the

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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 served as 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. 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

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(Canada) and one branch in

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

(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 2018, the eldest son, Johannes Läderach, took over management of the company from his father Jürg. Elias Läderach, a trained confectioner and chocolatier, also joined the management team. In addition, since the beginning of 2021, the third son David Läderach has been in charge of the company's German business. In 2020, Läderach opened a visitor center and museum at the Bilten 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 Godiva Chocolatier (; ) is a multinational chocolate maker owned by Turkish conglomerate Yıldız Holding. Founded in Belgium in 1926, it was purchased in 1974 by American food manufacturer Campbell Soup Company, who owned and operated the com ...

Criticism

Jürg Läderach and his son Johannes have been involved in the ''Christianity for Today '' association for many years, which has been criticized for its 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 homosexual pride and pornography for years. Swiss and German LGBT groups call for a boycott of the Läderach Products.

Swiss International Air Lines Swiss International Air Lines AG, stylized as SWISS, is the flag carrier of Switzerland and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, as well as a Star Alliance member. It operates scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, ...

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