Swiss chocolate sales pick up again

The turnover of Switzerland’s 16 chocolate manufacturers hit CHF1.7 billion ($1.8 billion) last year. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

The sales of Swiss chocolate rose again last year after dipping in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, they remain below pre-crisis levels.

The turnover of Switzerland’s 16 chocolate manufacturers hit CHF1.7 billion ($1.8 billion) last year, an increase of 11.8% compared with 2020, the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers (Chocosuisse) reportedExternal link on Tuesday.

However, turnover remains 4.2% below the pre-crisis level of 2019.

Domestic chocolate sales rose by 7.7% in 2021 compared with the previous year, but were still significantly below the level of 2019 (-8.4%).

Meanwhile, export volumes of Swiss chocolate rose 10.8% in 2021, with revenues rising 15.5% to CHF926 million, Chocosuisse said.

Germany (25,689 tonnes), France (12,948 tonnes), Canada (11,791 tonnes), Britain (10,535 tonnes) and the United States (7,837 tonnes) were the main markets for Swiss chocolate last year.

At the same time, imports of non-Swiss chocolate continue to rise. The share of foreign chocolate in the Swiss market was around 42% last year, up from 34% in 2011. It seems this is partly due to a rise in the consumption of imported chocolate – from 4 kilos to 4.7 kilos per capita. The other is a drop in the consumption of Swiss chocolate in Switzerland from 8 to 6.6 kilos per capita over the past decade.

Chocosuisse includes chocolate manufacturers such as Nestlé (Cailler), Lindt&Sprüngli, Barry Callebaut, Camille Bloch, Favarger, Villars, Sprüngli, Maestrani, Stella and Läderach.