Chocolat Kohler was a chocolate producer based in Lausanne, founded in 1830 by the Kohler brothers. It is currently a brand owned by Nestlé.
Kohler notably introduced hazelnut chocolate, which was perhaps the first combination chocolate bar.[1]
History
The Kohler chocolate factory was one of the first in Switzerland, shortly following that of Cailler. The first factory was created in 1830 by Charles-Amédée Kohler, and his brother Frédéric Kohler, sons of Amédée Kohler (1761-1833), a trader in colonial foodstuffs since 1793. In 1849, Charles-Amédée Kohler bought the municipal sawmill in the Sauvabelin forest where he moved the production of chocolate.[2] The newly built factory used the hydraulic power of the Flon river to allow the grinding of the cocoa beans. The installation of a steam engine would replace the hydraulic facility a few years later and allow a considerable development of the factory.[3]
Kohler chocolate factory at Sauvabelin with the mill on the Flon river (1860)
In 1865, Charles-Amédée sold the business to his two sons Charles-Amédée II and Adolphe, who were succeeded by the sons of the first, Amédée-Louis and Jean-Jacques. From 1894 to 1896, they built a new factory in neighbouring Échandens, which worked until 1907. In 1904, a rapprochement took place with Chocolat Peter managed by Daniel Peter in Orbe to form the Peter Kohler company, then with Alexandre Cailler in Vevey in 1911 to form Peter Cailler Kohler. These various mergers led to the takeover of the brand by the Nestlé company in 1929.[2]
Products
One of the main specialties of the company was hazelnut chocolate. Charles-Amédée Kohler notably created hazelnut chocolate in 1830.[4] His son Charles-Amédée II also invented the Branche, a praline-filled chocolate and hazelnut bar; the product is described in his recipe book from 1896. The Branche has been produced by Cailler since 1904,[5] and ultimately has become one of the most popular candy bars on the Swiss market.[6]
A recurrent advertisement poster showed a wolf attracted by Little Red Riding Hood's basket, the latter being full of Kohler chocolates.[7] Chocolat Kohler was also advertised by French artist Charles Trenet.[8]
^Barel, Michel (2016). Du cacao au chocolat: L'épopée d'une gourmandise. Éditions Quae. p. 101. ISBN9782759225071. C'est le précurseur de tous les chocolats avec des ingrédients : amandes, noisettes, raisins et fruits secs. [It is the precursor of all chocolates with ingredients: almonds, hazelnuts, raisins and dried fruits.]
^ ab"Chocolaterie Kohler". Les musées de Lausanne et de sa région, Bases de données patrimoniales de Suisse romande (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2022.
^Hermé, Pierre (2019). Le Larousse du chocolat. Editions Larousse. p. 44. ISBN9782035981820. Les noisettes furent les premiers fruits à être ajoutés dans le chocolat solide, une innovation suisse due à Kohler en 1830. [Hazelnuts were the first fruits to be added to solid chocolate, a Swiss innovation due to Kohler in 1830.]
^Chrystal, Paul (2021). "The Cocoa and Chocolate Competition at the Start of the Twentieth Century". Rowntree's – The Early History. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN9781526778901. In 1904, Daniel Peter and Charles-Amédée Kohler became partners and founded the company Société Générale Suisse de Chocolats Peter et Kohler Réunis. Cailler began to produce their own Branches. The original Branche was first mentioned in Kohler's recipe books in 1896.
^Ganousse Lysianne (8 October 2017). "Il est fou de Kohler !". L'Est Républicain. Retrieved 11 August 2022. Que le loup veuille s'en prendre au Petit Chaperon Rouge, il y a de quoi en douter. Aussi dodue soit la petite fille. Non, ce qui intéresse notre animal, ce sont les barres de chocolat logées dans le panier de la gamine… Du chocolat Kohler. dont cette image est devenue le visuel emblématique. [That the wolf wants to attack Little Red Riding Hood, there is reason to doubt it. As plump as the little girl is. No, what interests our animal are the chocolate bars housed in the child's basket… Kohler chocolate. of which this image has become the emblematic visual.]
^Pessis, Jacques (2011). Le petit roman du chocolat. Monaco: Éditions du Rocher. ISBN9782268004990. À la fin des années trente, le « fou chantant » a fredonné dans un film très recherché par les collectionneurs : « Je suis fou de Kohler, du chocolat Kohler, c'est lui que je préfère. » [At the end of the 1930s, the « singing madman » hummed in a film highly sought after by collectors: « I'm crazy about Kohler, Kohler chocolate, it's my favorite. »]
1 Currently manufactured by General Mills in the U.S. and Canada. Produced by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand elsewhere. 2 Brand owned by General Mills; U.S. and Canadian production rights controlled by Nestlé under license. 3 U.S. production rights owned by The Hershey Company. 4 U.S. rights and production owned by the Smarties Candy Company with a different product. 5 U.S. rights and specific trade dress owned by Nestlé; rights elsewhere owned by Associated British Foods. 6 Produced by Cereal Partners, branded as Nestlé. 7 Produced by Cereal Partners and branded as Nestlé in the U.K. and Ireland. Produced by Post Foods elsewhere. 8 Philippine production rights owned by Alaska Milk Corporation. 9 Singaporean, Malaysian and Thai production rights owned by Fraser and Neave. 10 Used only in Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. 11 Used only in the Philippines. 12 U.S. production rights owned by the Ferrara Candy Company. 13NA rights and specific trade dress to all packaged coffee and other products under the Starbucks brand owned by Nestlé since 2019. 14 Brand owned by Mars, sold by Nestlé in Canada. 15 Produced by Froneri in the U.S. since 2020.
