Chocolat Suchard
A historic Swiss chocolate brand founded in 1826 and now associated with French confectionery group Carambar & Co.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Chocolat Suchard is a historic Swiss chocolate brand whose origins reach back to 1826, when Philippe Suchard established a chocolate factory in Serrières, a district of Neuchâtel. The business became one of Switzerland’s oldest industrial chocolate producers and helped shape the development of affordable, mass-produced chocolate in Europe. Suchard’s early production combined local hydropower with mechanical grinding equipment. Its melanger used a heated granite plate and granite rollers to refine cocoa paste, an approach that improved consistency and lowered production costs. The company initially struggled because chocolate remained an expensive luxury. A major breakthrough came in 1842, when Suchard received a substantial order from Frederick William IV, king of Prussia and prince of Neuchâtel. The order provided commercial momentum, and the company later received recognition at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and the 1855 Paris Universal Exposition. The company expanded under the next generations of the Suchard family and their relatives. Philippe Suchard’s son contributed to the growth of the enterprise, while his daughter Eugénie Suchard and her husband Carl Russ-Suchard became important figures in its management after Philippe Suchard’s death. Russ-Suchard extended the business internationally, opening a factory in Lörrach, Germany, in 1880. By the end of the nineteenth century, Suchard had become one of the largest chocolate producers in Europe. Suchard participated in the transition from plain chocolate to milk chocolate. In 1896, Carl Russ-Suchard developed an early milk-chocolate bar influenced by developments elsewhere in the Swiss chocolate industry. In 1901, the company mechanized production and introduced Milka for the Swiss market. Milka later became a major independent brand associated with purple packaging and a cow motif, while Suchard also developed products such as Suchard Express chocolate drink and Sugus fruit candies. The business was reorganized several times during the twentieth century. Suchard became a public limited company in 1905 and a holding company in 1930, ending direct family control. In 1970, it merged with Tobler to form Interfood. Klaus Johann Jacobs acquired Interfood in 1982, creating the Jacobs Suchard group. Philip Morris acquired Jacobs Suchard in 1990 and subsequently combined it with Kraft General Foods Europe in 1993. The Suchard chocolate operations were also combined with Terry’s interests in a Terry’s Suchard subsidiary during that period. Production gradually moved away from the original Serrières site. Mondelez International, which inherited the relevant chocolate and confectionery portfolio after the 2012 separation of Kraft Foods’ global snack business, transferred production to the Toblerone factory in Bern during the 1990s and added a Milka and Suchard production line at its Bludenz, Austria, plant in 2015. In 2016, Mondelez sold the Suchard and Terry’s brands, together with five factories, to investment company Eurazeo. Eurazeo used the assets to establish the French confectionery company Carambar & Co. The historic Serrières factory is no longer used for production. Suchard therefore represents both a continuing consumer brand and the legacy of a major Swiss industrial chocolate enterprise. Its positioning rests on Swiss heritage, established recipes, milk chocolate, and a long association with European confectionery manufacturing.
History
Philippe Suchard founded the Suchard chocolate factory in 1826 at Serrières, near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The site benefited from the hydropower of the nearby river, which was used to operate the factory’s machinery. Suchard’s production method included a heated granite plate and granite rollers for grinding cocoa paste. This melanger-based process helped produce chocolate more efficiently and consistently than small-scale manual methods. The early business faced a difficult market. Chocolate was still a costly luxury, and Philippe Suchard reportedly recognized that a small tablet sold through a pharmacy could cost several days’ wages. A decisive commercial opportunity arrived in 1842, when Frederick William IV of Prussia, who was also the prince of Neuchâtel, placed a large order. The order improved the company’s finances and helped establish its reputation. Suchard products later won prizes at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and the Paris Universal Exposition in 1855. The business expanded under Philippe Suchard’s son and later under his daughter Eugénie Suchard and her husband Carl Russ-Suchard. After Philippe Suchard’s death in 1884, Carl Russ-Suchard managed the company for many years. He had already opened Suchard’s first foreign factory at Lörrach in Germany in 1880, giving the company an international manufacturing base. By the end of the nineteenth century, Suchard was regarded as one of Europe’s largest chocolate producers. Product development continued as the company sought to broaden the chocolate market. In 1896, Carl Russ-Suchard created an early milk-chocolate bar, drawing on developments in the wider Swiss chocolate industry. The company mechanized production in 1901 and introduced Milka in Switzerland. The Milka identity used distinctive purple packaging and a cow symbol connected with Swiss milk production. Suchard also diversified beyond chocolate bars through Suchard Express, a chocolate drink, and Sugus, a fruit-flavored candy. Corporate ownership changed during the twentieth century. Suchard became a public limited company in 1905 and was converted into a holding company in 1930, marking the end of direct family ownership after Willy Russ sold his shares. The company merged with Tobler in 1970 to form Interfood. In 1982, Klaus Johann Jacobs acquired Interfood, creating Jacobs Suchard. Suchard later acquired 66 percent of Côte d’Or in 1987. Philip Morris announced its acquisition of Jacobs Suchard in 1990. In 1993, Philip Morris combined Kraft General Foods Europe and Jacobs Suchard, producing Kraft Jacobs Suchard. During the same year, the Suchard chocolate activities were combined with Terry’s of York in a Terry’s Suchard subsidiary. These transactions integrated Suchard into increasingly broad multinational food and confectionery structures. Manufacturing was progressively consolidated. Production moved from the original Serrières location to the Toblerone factory in Bern during the 1990s, and the Serrières factory is no longer used for production. Following the 2012 separation of Kraft Foods’ global snack business, the relevant brands became part of Mondelez International. Mondelez opened a new Milka and Suchard production line at its Bludenz, Austria, plant in 2015. In 2016, Mondelez sold Suchard and Terry’s, along with five factories, to Eurazeo. Eurazeo established Carambar & Co as the French confectionery group associated with the acquired brands. Suchard’s history consequently spans family entrepreneurship, industrial chocolate innovation, international expansion, repeated corporate consolidation, and the transition from a Swiss factory business to a heritage brand operated within a modern confectionery portfolio.
- 2016
Brand sold to Eurazeo
[1]Mondelez sold Suchard and Terry’s, together with five factories, to Eurazeo, which formed Carambar & Co.
- 2015
Bludenz line added for Milka and Suchard
[1]Mondelez opened a new production line for Milka and Suchard chocolate products at its Bludenz plant in Austria.
- 2012
Chocolate portfolio becomes part of Mondelez
[1]Following the separation of Kraft Foods’ global snack business, the Suchard brand became part of Mondelez International.
- 1993
Kraft Jacobs Suchard is created
[1]Kraft General Foods Europe and Jacobs Suchard were combined under the Kraft Jacobs Suchard name.
- 1990
Philip Morris announces acquisition
[1]Philip Morris announced that it would acquire Jacobs Suchard.
- 1990
Manufacturing begins moving from Serrières
[1]Production associated with Suchard was moved to the Toblerone factory in Bern during the 1990s.
- 1987
Majority stake in Côte d’Or acquired
[1]Suchard acquired 66 percent of Côte d’Or.
- 1982
Interfood joins Jacobs Suchard
[1]Klaus Johann Jacobs acquired Interfood, bringing Suchard into the Jacobs Suchard group.
- 1970
Merger with Tobler creates Interfood
[1]Suchard merged with Tobler to form Interfood.
- 1930
Company becomes a holding company
[1]Suchard was reorganized as a holding company, marking the end of the family business phase.
Products and positioning
A traditional Swiss chocolate brand emphasizing heritage, established confectionery know-how, and classic milk-chocolate and filled-chocolate products.
Chocolate bar · 1896
Suchard milk chocolate
Milk chocolate became an important part of Suchard’s product development in the late nineteenth century. The brand’s milk-chocolate tradition reflects the company’s participation in Switzerland’s transition toward smoother, more broadly affordable chocolate products.
Filled chocolate
Suchard filled chocolates
Suchard has been associated with filled and assorted chocolate products alongside its tablet chocolate range. These products extend the brand from everyday bars into boxed and confectionery-style formats.
Chocolate drink
Suchard Express
Suchard Express was a chocolate-drink product developed as part of the company’s diversification beyond solid chocolate. It illustrates Suchard’s historical expansion into beverage and preparation formats.
Fruit candy
Sugus
Sugus was a fruit-flavored candy associated with Suchard’s broader confectionery portfolio. Its inclusion demonstrates that the company developed products outside the core chocolate category.
Chocolate brand · 1901
Milka
Milka was introduced by Suchard for the Swiss market in 1901. It later developed into a major standalone chocolate brand, known for purple packaging and a cow symbol. It is historically linked to Suchard but should not be treated as identical to the Chocolat Suchard brand.
Brand decisions
2016
Transfer Suchard to Carambar & CoM&ABackground
Mondelez reviewed its European confectionery portfolio and divested the Suchard and Terry’s brands together with five factories.
Action taken
Mondelez sold the assets to Eurazeo, which established Carambar & Co.
Aftermath
Suchard moved from the Mondelez portfolio into the Carambar & Co confectionery group.
2015
Add a Suchard production line in BludenzProduct launchBackground
Mondelez was organizing production for its European chocolate brands across specialized manufacturing sites.
Action taken
Mondelez opened a new line for Milka and Suchard chocolates at its Bludenz, Austria, plant.
Aftermath
The investment maintained industrial production for Suchard products outside the historic Swiss factory.
1990
Sell Jacobs Suchard to Philip MorrisM&ABackground
Jacobs Suchard had become part of a broader international food and beverage sector undergoing consolidation.
Action taken
Philip Morris announced and completed the acquisition of Jacobs Suchard.
Aftermath
Suchard was subsequently combined with Kraft General Foods Europe and became part of Kraft Jacobs Suchard.
1990
Consolidate manufacturing outside SerrièresStrategyBackground
The historic Serrières factory had grown from a nineteenth-century local plant into an operation within a large multinational portfolio.
Action taken
Production was moved to the Toblerone factory in Bern during the 1990s.
Aftermath
The Serrières site ceased to be used for production, ending the factory’s role as Suchard’s manufacturing center.
1987
Acquire a majority stake in Côte d’OrM&ABackground
Suchard was expanding its position in the European chocolate market through portfolio growth.
Action taken
The company acquired 66 percent of Côte d’Or.
Aftermath
Côte d’Or became part of the wider chocolate portfolio later integrated into multinational food businesses.
1970
Merge with Tobler to form InterfoodM&ABackground
Both Suchard and Tobler were established Swiss chocolate businesses seeking a larger corporate structure.
Action taken
Suchard merged with Tobler and operated within the newly created Interfood group.
Aftermath
The merger began a sequence of ownership changes that moved Suchard away from independent family control.
1901
Introduce Milka and mechanize productionProduct launchBackground
Suchard was expanding industrial production and developing milk-chocolate products for a wider consumer market.
Action taken
The company mechanized production and launched Milka in Switzerland, using purple packaging and a cow symbol in its market identity.
Aftermath
Milka later became a major chocolate brand in its own right, while Suchard continued as a separate heritage chocolate name.
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