Lindt & Sprüngli

Swiss premium chocolate manufacturer and one of the world's leading chocolate companies, owner of Lindt, Ghirardelli, Russell Stover, and Caffarel.

The company's origins trace to 1845, when David Sprüngli-Schwarz and his son Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann established a small confectionery shop in Zurich. The connection to Rodolphe Lindt came in 1879, when Lindt invented the conching process, a technique of stirring and aerating melted chocolate over an extended period to produce smooth, mellow-tasting chocolate. Lindt's process was revolutionary and established the template for modern premium chocolate texture. The Sprüngli family acquired Lindt's factory and name in 1899.

The company remained relatively focused on its core Swiss market until the latter half of the twentieth century, when it began international expansion. The Ghirardelli acquisition in 1998 was a landmark: Ghirardelli, founded in San Francisco in 1852, is the oldest continuously operating chocolate company in the United States, and its acquisition gave Lindt & Sprüngli a major foothold in the US premium market alongside its own Lindt brand.

The Russell Stover acquisition in 2014 for approximately $1.4 billion was the company's largest and brought it significant scale in the US boxed chocolate gifting market, including the Whitman's brand.

Lindt & Sprüngli operates the "Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program," a direct cocoa sourcing initiative designed to improve cocoa farmer incomes and living standards in West Africa. The company has committed to sourcing 100% of its cocoa through this program or certified alternatives. Lindt & Sprüngli has set science-based climate targets and is working toward carbon-neutral manufacturing operations.