Emil Gerbeaud (french: Émile Gerbeaud,
Carouge,
Canton of Geneva
The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...
,
Switzerland, 22 February 1854 –
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
, 8 November 1919) was a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internati ...
-born
Hungarian confectioner, chocolate producer, industrialist and entrepreneur. Several famous traditional
Hungarian cakes were first introduced by him like the ''macskanyelv'' (), the ''konyakos meggy'' (), the ''csokoládé drazsé'' () and he was the first in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
who sold French cakes filled with
custard
Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency f ...
. The ''zserbó'' cake, a well-known product of the
Café Gerbeaud
Café Gerbeaud, situated at Vörösmarty tér 7 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a traditional coffeehouse opened in 1858. It was built in Gründerzeit style. In 2009 Café Gerbeaud opened its second confectionery in Tokyo, Japan.
His ...
is named after him, although it was not available in his lifetime.
Life
Early life
Émile Gerbeaud was born in
Carouge,
Canton of Geneva
The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...
,
Switzerland on 22 February 1854 into a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
merchant, confectioner family. His father, Simon-Jean-François Gerbeaud was a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
confectioner and trader. His mother was Jeanne-Marie Gros.
During his younger years he was trained in the family business and later worked in several confectioneries in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
.
In 1879 Gerbeaud opened his own confectionery in
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the ...
,
Loire Department
Loire (; ; frp, Lêre; oc, Léger or ''Leir'') is a landlocked department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France occupying the river Loire's upper reaches. Its prefecture is Saint-Étienne. It had a population of 765,634 in 2019. ,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
.
Café Gerbeaud
In 1884 he came to
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
at the request of the famous
Hungarian confectioner
Henrik Kugler
Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estonian), ...
and became shareholder and
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...
of the
Henrik Kugler's Confectionery (''Kugler Henrik Cukrászdája'') (which later became his own company under the name
Café Gerbeaud
Café Gerbeaud, situated at Vörösmarty tér 7 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a traditional coffeehouse opened in 1858. It was built in Gründerzeit style. In 2009 Café Gerbeaud opened its second confectionery in Tokyo, Japan.
His ...
).
In 1886 he expanded the company with a new chocolate factory.
He gained reputation for the Hungarian confectionery industry and won the gold medal for his products on the
World Fairs in
1898
Events
January–March
* January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...
and
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), ...
. In recognition of this he received the
Franz-Joseph Order and the
French Honorary Order
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Fran ...
. He was elected President of the Division of Sugar Production of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Hungary in 1903.
In 1904 he moved the chocolate factory to Duna Street. In 1907 he became president of the international bakery and confectionery exhibition.
In 1896 at the Millennium Exhibition he demonstrated his modern fabrication method of chocolate which brought him a reputation.
In 1907 he bought and renewed a chocolate factory in
Fiume
Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primorj ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
(today
Rijeka
Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Prim ...
,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
).
Death
After his death on 9 November 1919 his wife led the company successfully further until 1940.
In 1948 the communist regime deprived the heirs, the five daughters of Emil Gerbeaud, of the shares of the company and they confiscated it.
Since 1984 the company is again under the name '
Café Gerbeaud
Café Gerbeaud, situated at Vörösmarty tér 7 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a traditional coffeehouse opened in 1858. It was built in Gründerzeit style. In 2009 Café Gerbeaud opened its second confectionery in Tokyo, Japan.
His ...
' registered and since 1995 owned by the German billionaire, Erwin Franz Müller, the owner of the
Müller drugstores.
Personal life
He married Esther Ramseyer (1853 – 7 February 1940), the daughter of a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internati ...
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
chocolatefabric owner and confectioner from
Saint-Imier
Saint-Imier () is a municipality in the Jura bernois administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking Bernese Jura (''Jura Bernois'').
The Observatoire Astronomique de Mont-Soleil is located ab ...
,
Canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...
,
Switzerland. They had together five daughters.
* Gabrielle (?–?)
* Marcella (Budapest, 14 January 1883 – 30 January 1971)
* Erzsébet Kamilla (Budapest, 15 November 1885 – ?)
* Ilona Janka (Budapest, 23 April 1888 – ?)
* Margit Magdolna (Budapest, 23 October 1890 – )
See also

*
Café Gerbeaud
Café Gerbeaud, situated at Vörösmarty tér 7 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a traditional coffeehouse opened in 1858. It was built in Gründerzeit style. In 2009 Café Gerbeaud opened its second confectionery in Tokyo, Japan.
His ...
Sources
* ANTAL, Zsuzsanna - Ki sütött először süteményt a Gerbeaud-ban? Kugler Henrik története. (7 September 2017, Forbes Hungary)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerbeaud, Emil
Swiss expatriates in Hungary
Businesspeople from Budapest
Hungarian investors
Hungarian industrialists
Hungarian chief executives
19th-century Hungarian businesspeople
1854 births
1919 deaths
Swiss Roman Catholics
People from Carouge