175 years Lindt & Sprüngli

LINDT&SPRÜNGLI 36 The cocoa fruit is harvested in the peak harvesting season. Depending on the country of origin, the fruit can be harvested for a few months or all year round. Since the pods are not all ripe at the same time, this is done at regular intervals. Cocoa fruit grows directly on the tree trunk and is harvested by hand with a clean cut so as not to damage the tree. The harvest is followed by fermentation. The cocoa farmers open the shell of the fruit with a tool and lay the cocoa beans along with the fruit pulp on wooden boxes or banana leaves and cover them. The resulting fermentation pro- cess, which lasts 2 to 7 days, sees the pulp separate from the beans, making them stor- able. At this stage, they are already developing their first flavors and are getting their distinctive brown color. After this, the cocoa beans are prepared for transport. In 60 to 70 kg sacks, they are transported by ship and then by train and truck to Lindt&Sprüngli’s production sites, which produce the cocoa mass. The cocoa beans are sent to cocoa mass facilities in Europe by train via Amsterdam. Producing our own cocoa mass. Lindt &Sprüngli processes the beans into cocoa mass itself in Switzerland, France, and the US (Lindt USA and Ghirardelli). The Lindt Cocoa Center in Olten, Switzerland, supplies all production sites in Europe with cocoa mass. The high-quality cocoa beans are weighed out and mixed according to specific recipes. The exact mixing ratio is a well-guarded industrial secret as the flavors of the individual provenances determine those of the re- spective chocolate in their well-thought-out mixing ratios. Lindt&Sprüngli is one of the few major chocolate manufacturers around the world to produce chocolate from “bean to bar”. This is the only way to ensure maximum product quality and to optimally implement the commitment to sustainability along the entire value chain. Lindt&Sprüngli has pursued this strategy from an early stage and it has played a key role in the company’s success. WHAT “BEAN TO BAR” MEANS AT LINDT&SPRÜNGLI It all starts on the cocoa plantation with a bean, a tree, and a farmer. The beans are dried in the sun for several days to improve their shelf life and allow the fine aromas to develop further. As soon as this process is finished, the cocoa beans are packed in large jute bags and are sent to the collection points, where their quality is assessed. They are only bought and prepared for transport if they meet Lindt&Sprüngli’s stringent criteria. 6 In the country of origin 1 2 4 3 5 Lindt&Sprüngli production steps