Max Felchlin AG is a company headquartered in

Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

which produces

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 other

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...

and

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

ingredients.

Company

Max Felchlin AG manufactures semi-finished products and supplies trades such as

confectioneries Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewh ...

and

bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...

. This includes producers, restaurants and confectioners in Switzerland and abroad. The largest customers abroad are the

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The company is considered a niche producer in the field of fine chocolate and manufactures it entirely in its Schwyz plant. In 2019, around 150 employees worked for the company. Max Felchlin AG delivers to over 40 countries worldwide through distribution partners. Max Felchlin AG is a member of IG Bio.

History

Businessman Max Josef Felchlin opened a honey shop in Schwyz in 1908, and expanded to chocolate by the 1920s. In 1913 he renamed his business Honigzentrale Schwyz. In doing so, he laid the foundation for the company. In 1928, Felchlin relocated the business to a rural estate in

Seewen, Schwyz Seewen is a village in the Schwyz, municipality of Schwyz, itself in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. It lies some to the west of the town centre of Schwyz, and near the shore of Lake Lauerz. The outfall stream of the lake, the Seeweren, passe ...

, called ''Liebwylen'', and continued to expand the product line to other confections and ingredients. In 1937, Felchlin developed a new type of praline and nougat mixture, the ‘Pralinosa’, which is still being sold today. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Felchlin produced ''Sowiso'', a milk powder. Felchlin transferred control of the company to his son, Max Felchlin Jr., in 1962, and died in 1970, at the age of 87. In 1974, the company became a public limited corporation, the Max Felchlin AG, and established a new factory in Ibach, Schwyz, and the sole proprietorship was converted into a stock corporation. In 1980, the company exported their products to Japan and the USA for the first time. In 1991, Felchlin, Jr. arranged for an association of local Schwyz residents to take majority ownership of the company after his death. The association named Christian Aschwanden as CEO, subsequent to the death of Felchlin in 1992. The company moved to a new factory in Ibach in 2000. Development, processing and administration were also combined at the site in a new building added later. By 2006, Felchlin produced 2,500 tons per year. On the occasion of the centenary in 2008, a book was published by gastronomy journalist Paul Imhof. In 2016,

Jamie Oliver Jamie Trevor Oliver Order of the Star of Italy, OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and o ...

visited the Felchlin chocolate manufacture in Schwyz for series

Jamie's Super Food ''Jamie's Super Food'' is a UK food lifestyle programme which was broadcast on Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned ente ...

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

. In 2012, the company started construction for a new cacao roasting plant, which was finished in 2014. In the same year Felchlin acquired a new property next to their current facilities in Ibach and started planning and construction of new and centralised headquarters. In 2018, the entire company moved into the new building complex. In September 2022, Felchlin announced that after 30 years Christian Aschwanden would step down from Group Management in 2023. Thomas Truttmann then took over the position from August 2023.

Products and services

Max Felchlin primarily sells

wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

to other confectioners, such as Sprüngli. The most prominent retail product is the Grand Cru line, introduced in 1999, which includes the Maracaibo Clasificado 65%. Felchlin proposes milk and white chocolates made exclusively with milk from the Entlebuch Biosphere, named "Grand Cru Opus Lait de Terroir". Since 1988, the company has also offered on-site training for pastry chefs and other customers at its ''Condirama'' building in Schwyz. Various fine chocolate manufacturers have their products produced by Felchlin. The company also supplies various confectioneries and confectioneries in Switzerland. In addition, Felchlin also offers training courses, seminars, recipe creations and technical support for business customers. In 1999, the company was the first Swiss chocolate manufacturer to introduce the term " Grand Cru" for a selection of their couvertures (high-quality chocolate that is processed further). This means that only fine cocoa from a defined origin is used for these couvertures. Felchin processes beans from regions where the fine cocoa Criollo and Trinitario grows. These varieties are lower yield than the forastero beans processed by much of the cocoa industry, but are said to be more flavorful. To do this, Felchlin's chief buyer regularly travels to the regions of origin and buys the cocoa directly there. Max Felchlin AG is therefore taking on a pioneering role in the chocolate industry when it comes to

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

. This peculiarity has been documented several times in the media.

Awards and recognitions

A chocolate from the company's Grand Cru line, the Maracaibo Clasificado (65%), is named as the "World's Best Chocolate" by the ''Accademia Maestri Pasticceri Italiani'' in 2004.

References

External links