Lindt & Sprüngli Group and Company
Where are Lindt & Sprüngli Chocolates produced and available?
As the world's leading company in the premium chocolate sector, the company looks back on a long-standing tradition originating in Zurich, Switzerland. Today, quality chocolate products by Lindt & Sprüngli are manufactured at 11 of its own production facilities in Europe (Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Austria) and the USA. The products are distributed through 32 subsidiary companies and branch offices, around 500 own stores and a comprehensive network of more than 100 independent distributors around the globe in more than 120 countries worldwide.
Why are Lindt & Sprüngli Chocolates more expensive than other brands?
Lindt & Sprüngli stands for premium chocolates. For us, premium chocolate combines fine ingredients with over 175 years of tradition and artisan-like craftsmanship to create the ultimate chocolate tasting experience. Everything begins with the selection of high-quality ingredients, such as a high percentage of fine cocoa beans, but also other ingredients such as hazelnuts mainly from the Piedmont region for our Piemonte-squares or whole vanilla pods, which we use for our Lindt EXCELLENCE 70%.
Premium chocolate is truly an experience to be slowly enjoyed and appreciated. Thanks to in-depth consumer research, Lindt & Sprüngli is able to satisfy the needs and expectations of consumers, taking into account also local tastes and trends in innovative recipes and product concepts. Consumers are willing to pay a premium price for our premium quality, which offers the ultimate chocolate delight.
What is the relation between Lindt & Sprüngli and the Sprüngli Confiserie in Zurich?
Both companies have been separated since the end of the 19th century, but share part of their history. Originally, Sprüngli was a small patisserie with a small chocolate factory in Horgen and locations on both Marktgasse and on what is now known as Paradeplatz in Zurich. When Rudolf Sprüngli-Ammann arranged the succession between his sons, he split the company. One of his sons (David Robert Sprüngli-Baud) received the patisserie, while the other – Rudolf Sprüngli-Schifferli – inherited the chocolate factory. He soon built a new, larger factory in Kilchberg. A year later, he took over the Lindt conching process and the brand. The name was changed to “Aktiengesellschaft Vereinigte Berner & Zürcher Chocoladenfabriken Lindt & Sprüngli”. From then on, the two world-renowned, independent companies “Sprüngli” and “Lindt & Sprüngli” would officially exist.
Foundations
What is the Difference between Lindt Home of Chocolate and Lindt & Sprüngli? What is the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation?
The Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation, founded in 2013, aims to maintain, cultivate and promote Switzerland’s long-term reputation as a chocolate business location and to further strengthen Swiss chocolate competence. Among other things, the Foundation is committed to fostering skills and innovation throughout the entire industry, providing further training for specialists, and supporting young professionals with state-of-the-art facilities. The Foundation’s main project is the opening of the Lindt Home of Chocolate, a chocolate museum for the general public as an interactive information platform focusing on all aspects of the chocolate industry.
The museum is not a company museum or Lindt museum, but touches on all parts of the chocolate history, current facts about chocolate and the entire industry. Other chocolate manufacturers are also part of the museum. In addition to the museum, which is operated by the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation, the Lindt Home of Chocolate has a café, chocolateria and shop; these spaces are leased to and operated by the Swiss subsidiary of Lindt & Sprüngli.
What is the Lindt Cocoa Foundation?
The Lindt Cocoa Foundation was founded in 2013 and has the declared purpose of working to achieve social and environmental sustainability in the cultivation, production and processing of cocoa and other raw materials used in chocolate production. The Lindt Cocoa Foundation supplements the already existing endeavors of the Lindt & Sprüngli Group designed to improve the living and working conditions of farmers in the countries of origin of the raw materials, and co-funds certain elements within the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program. Its projects ensure that raw material procurement is done in a way which works more effectively towards sustainable agricultural development.
Cocoa Beans and the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program
What does bean to bar mean?
As one of the few global chocolate manufacturers, Lindt & Sprüngli produces chocolate products from “bean to bar”. It all starts with purchasing cocoa beans through our own sustainability program, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, continues with producing cocoa mass in our own production facilities, and extends to processing the chocolate and ultimately marketing and distributing our quality products. In 2021, Lindt & Sprüngli expanded its Program to cocoa butter sourced from the Côte d'Ivoire. The cocoa used is decisive for the quality and taste of the chocolate, which is why Lindt & Sprüngli has such high standards for raw materials used and processing start as early as with the cocoa. For Lindt & Sprüngli, “bean to bar” production forms the basis of a sustainable and traceable cocoa bean supply chain and is therefore a responsibility from the very beginning.
An exception is our subsidiary Russell Stover which buys chocolate and chocolate products.
Visit this page From Bean to Bar to find out more about the steps in Lindt & Sprüngli’s chocolate production.
Where does Lindt & Sprüngli stand with regards to sustainable cocoa sourcing and what are the commitments made?
Our main cocoa commitment: By 2025, 100% of cocoa products (beans, butter, powder, and, for Russell Stover, chocolate) will be sourced through sustainability programs.
An important milestone was already reached: We achieved a 100% traceable and externally verified cocoa bean supply chain by end of 2020.
See all of Lindt & Sprüngli's commitments in regard to sustainability here Sustainability Plan - Our Commitment for a Better Tomorrow
What does Lindt & Sprüngli do regarding sustainable sourcing of cocoa beans? What is the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program and its scope?
In 2008, we have launched the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program in Ghana and in the subsequent years in all our other cocoa bean sourcing origins (Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Peru) to improve the livelihoods of our cocoa farmers, their families and communities. One of our top priorities is to ensure that they are able to benefit directly from our financial support.
With the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program for cocoa beans, we work towards our vision of “decent and resilient livelihoods for today’s and future cocoa farmers and their families, and a sustainable intensification of agriculture while securing the supply of high-quality cocoa beans from a stable base of farmers” (see more in our Theory of Change).
The Program enables us to trace cocoa beans back to their origin (according to traceability standard “identify preserved”) and support farmers and their communities according to their specific needs. It empowers farmers to manage their farms in accordance with sound agricultural, social, ecological, and economic practices and to increase productivity. The engagement also targets the diversification of incomes and improved resilience of farmers and their smallholdings.
All this is achieved by the four pillars of the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program:
1. Traceability and farmer organization
2. Training and knowledge transfer
3. Farmer investments and community development
4. Verification and continuous progress (via internal monitoring system and external auditing and verification by The Earthworm Foundation)
The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program is financed by price premiums paid for every ton of cocoa beans sourced, as well as contributions from the Lindt Cocoa Foundation. Local partners implement the Program in the field with a team of dedicated field staff. In every origin the Program is tailor-made to tackle the sustainability issues locally.
Since 2020, 100% of our cocoa beans are traceable and externally verified. This is a major step toward our target to source all cocoa products (beans, butter, powder, chocolate and, for Russell Stover, chocolate) through sustainability programs by 2025.
Where can I find more information about the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program?
More information regarding the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program can be found here.
Why does Lindt & Sprüngli not print the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program logo on all products?
We are printing it on our products (except white chocolate products) and are integrating this continuously.
From where does Lindt & Sprüngli source its cocoa beans?
Cocoa beans are the heart of our chocolates. Knowing which of the many different origins of cocoa beans will best contribute to the distinctive taste of a product is a skill that we have perfected over time.
A fundamental distinction is made between consumer and fine flavor cocoa. Consumer cocoa is cocoa with a robust flavor. It accounts for the largest share (90-95%) of total global cocoa production and is farmed mainly in West Africa. Lindt & Sprüngli uses Forastero beans (consumer cocoa), exclusively from Ghana.
The remaining 5-10% of worldwide cocoa harvests are fine flavor cocoa. Fine flavor cocoa is a high-quality cocoa with nuanced, fine aroma. It is mainly farmed in Latin America and the Caribbean. Lindt & Sprüngli uses fine flavor cocoa beans (Criollo and Trinitario) from Ecuador, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea and Peru.
Our own sustainability program, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, is in place in all countries we source cocoa beans from.
We achieved a 100% traceable and externally verified cocoa bean supply chain by end of 2020.
Is the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program active in all countries from which Lindt & Sprüngli sources cocoa beans?
Yes. Our own sustainability program for cocoa beans, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, is in place in all countries we source cocoa beans from (Ghana, Ecuador, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea and Peru).
We achieved a 100% traceable and externally verified cocoa bean supply chain by end of 2020.
Which Lindt & Sprüngli brands use cocoa beans sourced through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program?
Currently, the following Lindt & Sprüngli brands use cocoa beans sourced through our sustainability program, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program: Lindt, Caffarel, Ghirardelli, Küfferle and Hofbauer.
Why does Lindt & Sprüngli focus on traceability?
For us, traceability begins on the cocoa farm and does not end until the beans reach our production sites. We select only cocoa beans from countries and farmers which are part of our own sustainability program – the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program. For cocoa beans, Lindt & Sprüngli follows the "identity preserved" traceability approach. This highest level of traceability guarantees that the cocoa beans from the Farming Program are always physically processed and transported separately from all other beans and can be traced back to their origin. The traceability of our cocoa bean supply chain is the key foundation of our Program for improving living conditions in the growing countries in the long term. As a bean to bar manufacturer, we have built up extensive expertise, in areas ranging from the selection of high-quality beans and technological know-how in the processing of our own cocoa mass to chocolate production at our own factories. This is a differentiating feature that still distinguishes us as a premium manufacturer today.
We are proud to have achieved a 100% traceable and externally verified cocoa bean supply chain by end of 2020. Traceability is crucial to have a real impact. We need to know who produces our cocoa and what the conditions on the ground are to be able to support farmers and their communities with the right actions.
Visit this page to find out more how traceability works.
Why does Lindt & Sprüngli focus on external verification?
As part of its internal monitoring policy, Lindt & Sprüngli tracks the ongoing progress in social, ecological, agricultural, and economic practices. The external review by an independent third-party organization (Earthworm Foundation) evaluates Lindt & Sprüngli's entire Farming Program, including the internal performance monitoring system. It gives recommendations to improve and further develop the Farming Program. The internal monitoring of farmers’ practices, combined with the external review of the Program, represents a kind of joint verification. This makes it possible to monitor the implementation of the Program and ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the activities. Ultimately, this system helps us to ensure that we have a positive influence on sustainable agricultural development, particularly in terms of the livelihoods of farmers and their families and that we continuously improve the Program.
How does the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program measure its progress and impact?
We publish our progress annually and use The Earthworm Foundation to independently verify our progress. The results of the external assessment are published on the Earthworm website. For selected country of origins, we mandate credible research organizations to survey the farmers and assess the impact of our Program on the farmers, their families and communities.
To which extent is Lindt & Sprüngli engaged in improving conditions for farmers in cocoa producing countries?
At Lindt & Sprüngli, we are resolutely turned towards the search for sustainable solutions to offer decent and resilient livelihoods of todays and future cocoa farmers and their families in the countries of origin and ensure sustainable intensification of agriculture.
We recognize the unfortunate reality that globally millions of smallholder farmers are living in poverty, often caught in a vicious cycle of poverty. At the same time, poverty is the root cause for many other sustainability issues, such as deforestation. With the production of chocolate, our company has significant social and environmental impacts related to the cultivation, processing, and transport of raw and packaging materials. Sourcing these materials sustainably is of particular importance to Lindt & Sprüngli. We constantly observe and review environmental and human rights risks associated with our sourced raw and packaging materials and adopt our sourcing policies accordingly.
We are convinced that Lindt & Sprüngli – as other companies – plays an important role in supporting households involved in our supply chains to end poverty and to achieve a living income. Together with other critical actors, such as our suppliers, governments, NGOs, other supply chain partners, researchers, farmers, etc. we work on these topics.
Of special importance for a chocolate company is of course the sourcing of cocoa.
We chose to build up our own sustainability program for cocoa beans, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program. With the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program for cocoa beans we work towards our vision of “decent and resilient livelihoods of today’s and future cocoa farmers and their families, and a sustainable intensification of agriculture while securing the supply of high-quality cocoa beans from a stable base of farmers” (see more in our Theory of Change). In this blog entry we also reflect on the importance of net-income in this discussion and present how the Program aims to achieve higher net-income.
The Program enables us to trace cocoa beans back to their origin and support farmers and their communities according to their specific needs. It empowers farmers to manage their farms in accordance with sound agricultural, social, ecological, and economic practices and to increase productivity. The engagement also targets the diversification of incomes and improved resilience of farmers and their farms.
What is the position of Lindt & Sprüngli on the Living -Income-Differential (LID) introduced by the governments of the Ivory Coast and Ghana?
Since 2008 Lindt & Sprüngli is supporting cocoa farmers and their communities in Ghana, where we source all our consumer cocoa beans from, through our own cocoa bean sourcing program – the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program. The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program follows a holistic approach and aims to create decent and resilient livelihoods for current and future cocoa-growing families and sustainable agricultural intensification.
The Program consists of different elements such as farmer trainings, investments in community infrastructure, and fostering income diversification to ultimately increase the net income of farmers, their families, and communities. The Program is funded with a special sustainability premium and additional funds from the Lindt Cocoa Foundation. We also support the governments’ efforts to contribute to improved livelihoods of cocoa farmers with the Living Income Differential (LID). We have already purchased cocoa with full LID pricing and will be continuing to do so.
Other Ingredients
Does Lindt & Sprüngli offer organic chocolate products?
No, we do not offer organic chocolates in our product range.
Does Lindt & Sprüngli use palm oil when producing chocolate?
We only use pure cocoa butter as vegetable fat for our chocolate mass, which we produce exclusively in-house at Lindt & Sprüngli. In all our unfilled chocolate bars or hollow figures, cocoa butter is the only vegetable fat used. Only for the fillings of certain products we use other vegetable fats, such as coconut oil, palm oil or palm kernel oil. We have been using small quantities of these oils for decades and include them on the list of ingredients for each of our products that contain them.
Palm oil and palm kernel oil have outstanding melting properties, have a neutral flavor and remain solid at room temperature. Thanks to these specific characteristics, we are able to avoid using hydrogenated vegetable fats. We are committed to purchasing sustainable palm oil. As an active member of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), founded by the WWF in 2004, we source 100% RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil.
Where do the hazelnuts for Lindt & Sprüngli products come from?
Hazelnuts are a key raw material for Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate products. We source them from Italy and Turkey. The hazelnut supply chain in the Turkish Black Sea region, where approximately 70% of the world’s harvest originates, has serious challenges, especially concerning labor conditions. This is why we have been working closely with our Turkish hazelnut suppliers since 2014 on implementing programs aimed at improving the economic, agricultural, social, and environmental sustainability of hazelnut gardens.
In 2020, we reached our goal and sourced 100% of Turkish raw (unprocessed) hazelnuts through sustainability programs. We even surpassed our commitment by integrating processed hazelnuts into the scope of our sustainable sourcing activities in Turkey. In 2021, we will continue to work closely with our Turkish hazelnut suppliers and support them as they expand and improve their sustainability programs. Our hazelnut sourcing model is based on long-term relationships with select suppliers and a stable farmer base. All our Turkish suppliers are members of the Fair Labor Association (FLA). Following the same structure as the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program for cocoa, our hazelnut program is based on four pillars:
1. Traceability and farmer organization
2. Training and knowledge transfer
3. Farmer investments and community development
4. Verification and continuous progress
Does Lindt & Sprüngli use ingredients that are genetically modified?
Lindt & Sprüngli is not involved in any research or development associated with genetically modified foods. None of the Lindt, Caffarel, Küfferle, or Hofbauer brand products source genetically modified organisms (GMO) ingredients. We will continue this practice as long as non-GMO raw materials are available. Regular tests are performed to monitor these products and ensure compliance with relevant EU and Swiss regulations. We only use high-quality raw materials from well renowned suppliers with which we have a long-standing and a very reliable collaboration. These suppliers provide contractual guarantees that they supply us only with ingredients that are non-GMO, and we take steps to verify these guarantees through our own testing. Furthermore, we purposely refrain from using certain ingredients with an increased risk of being genetically modified.
Ghirardelli is working on measures to guarantee that all its products are free from genetically modified ingredients by 2021. Since the end of 2019, only a very minor percentage of toppings include GMO ingredients.
Russell Stover is currently not planning to switch to non-GMO products.
Are there trans fats or hydrogenated oils in Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate?
Lindt & Sprüngli uses pure cocoa butter as the only vegetable fat to produce our solid chocolates. Fillings may contain other vegetable fats. Milk fat is used in milk chocolate recipes or selected fillings. In this context we would like to point out that none of our products contains hydrogenated oils. For detailed information, it is always best to consult the specific nutritional labelling of the individual product you are interested in.
Packaging
Is Lindt & Sprüngli committed to reducing its use of plastic? Does Lindt & Sprüngli have corresponding goals? Will Lindt & Sprüngli increase the percentage of recyclable materials in its packaging?
Packaging is critical for protecting our premium chocolate during transportation and in stores. It also allows us to present our chocolate products in an appealing way and to
comply with national and international regulations on product declarations.
At Lindt & Sprüngli, we strive to minimize our environmental footprint throughout our value chain. Improving how we source and use our packaging material is an essential
driver for this endeavor. We are determined to eliminate waste and address environmental risks such as deforestation by continuously and proactively challenging our entire
packaging portfolio – from source to disposal. Still, proper local infrastructure and markets for collecting, sorting, and recycling packaging material as well as enhanced consumer behavior must exist where our products are consumed for the objectives to be realized.
Through our Sustainable Packaging Initiative we continuously and proactively challenge our entire packaging portfolio (consumer, transportation and display packaging) and strive to reduce packaging materials used, increase recycled and sustainably certified content, and achieve full recyclability or reusability. Where our quality standards permit, we use recyclable, reusable and biodegradable materials. This is also reflected in our commitment aiming at making all our packaging 100% recyclable or reusable.
All our packaging commitments as well as our progress can be seen in our annual "Sustainability Report".
Child Labor
What is the position of Lindt & Sprüngli on child labor and what does the company do to prevent it in its supply chain?
Lindt & Sprüngli strongly condemns all forms of child labor. Tackling child labor is a priority and we are firmly committed to avoiding and remediating it in our cocoa supply chain.
Child labor is a widespread systemic issue deeply rooted in poverty, lack of awareness, a shortage of adult labor, and few educational facilities. By improving the livelihoods of farmers and their communities, the risk of child labor can be reduced. This is why the goal of our sustainability program for cocoa beans, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, is to improve farmers’ livelihoods. Further, with the focus on traceability and verification within our Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, we are able to identify potential cases of child labor and remediate them.
Lindt&Sprüngli cocoa suppliers who are implementing the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program in countries of origin that have a risk of child labor are expected to effectively protect children’s rights along our supply chain. We consider Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, and Papua New Guinea child labor risk countries in our cocoa supply chain. 100% of cocoa from child labor risk countries will be sourced from farming households covered by a Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) by 2025. A CLMRS includes training and awareness-raising for farming households and community members, as well as monitoring and remediation of child labor.
As part of the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, we have defined clear guidelines and an action plan on combatting child labor, which are published on our website and described in detail in our annually published Sustainability Report. Our Community Child Protection System (CCPS) is a community-based approach that focuses on the close collaboration with community members and public institutions, provides holistic preventive measures and covers main salient children’s rights to secure an environment conducive to the children’s protection. The system is implemented through monitoring, awareness and resilience building for farmers, workers, their households and community members. Through this system, we are not reinventing the wheel, but reorienting our approach and reorganizing our interventions to more effectively take into account the protection of children's rights in our supply communities.
Environment
What is Lindt & Sprüngli doing against deforestation?
Lindt & Sprüngli is aware of the problem of deforestation in cocoa production and is committed to preventing deforestation in the agricultural supply chains for the production of our chocolate products.
As a member of the “Cocoa & Forests Initiative” (CFI), we are committed to working together with other industry partners to stop deforestation for cocoa production. To address this challenge, we have developed and published a "No-Deforestation & Agroforestry Action Plan" for all countries we source cocoa beans from. “No-Deforestation & Agroforestry Action Plans” are an integral part of our Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program.
Adapted to the respective local context, our activities are focused on the following main goals:
– No sourcing of cocoa beans from protected areas
– No expansion of cocoa cultivation land into areas defined by the High Carbon Stock Approach or equivalent
– Agroforestry systems for cocoa production
– Support for protection, conservation and reforestation of community forests
For more Information, our “No-Deforestation & Agroforestry Action Plan” and annual progress can be found here: "Sustainability Governance Documents"
In addition, the promotion of biodiversity using ecologically sound cultivation methods and the promotion of cocoa diversity are also key elements of the Lindt & Sprüngli Sustainability Plan and Farming Program.
Are pesticides used in Lindt & Sprüngli’s supply chain?
Lindt & Sprüngli monitors its raw materials through extensive laboratory testing of cocoa beans to detect possible residues of more than 570 different types of pesticides. Through the training provided as part of the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, we promote improved farming practices that reduce the need for pesticides in cocoa production and control pests using natural methods. Additionally, farmers are educated about the correct application of inputs. As part of the farmer investments, farmers receive solely organic inputs for their cocoa plantations.
What is Lindt & Sprüngli doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Lindt & Sprüngli recognizes its responsibilities to reduce its emissions. Most of our emissions are from indirect operations in our value chain, particularly from the sourcing and production of raw materials. We also release emissions directly, e.g., by using energy in our factories for heating, cooling, and transporting our chocolate.
To better understand our impact, we partnered with third-party experts and employees across functions and subsidiaries to develop our first complete carbon footprint in line with GHG Protocol standards 12. This carbon footprint covers our Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions for the year 2020, and was externally assured by an independent assurance practitioner. Our total GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) in 2020 reached 3.11 million tons CO2 equivalent. Emissions from our value chain (Scope 3) represent about 94% of our carbon footprint: cocoa, other raw materials (such as dairy), transport, and packaging being the biggest contributors.
Over the past years, Lindt & Sprüngli’s emissions management and reporting have focused mainly on direct emissions from the production of our chocolate within our production facilities. As a responsible company, we identified a need to step up our approach. In May 2021, we committed to define a science-based target, including emissions from our entire value chain (Scope 1, 2 and 3), with a long-term goal to reach net-zero emissions. We have submitted this commitment to the Science-Based Target initiative. We aim to publish our science-based target in 2023, together with a roadmap of actions on how to achieve this target.
All our climate commitments as well as our progress can be seen in our annual "Sustainability Report".
Certification
Are Lindt & Sprüngli chocolates Fairtrade certified?
Lindt & Sprüngli is one of the few chocolate manufacturers who produce from bean to bar – from the selection of fine cocoa beans to the finished product. Particularly for cocoa beans – the heart of our chocolate – we make special efforts to ensure a sustainable and socially responsible supply chain. For this reason, we decided in 2008 to establish our own sustainability program, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program. The program is now established in all countries from which we source our cocoa beans (Ghana, Ecuador, Madagascar, Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea).
Please read more about this topic in the following article.
Do Lindt & Sprüngli chocolates have external certifications?
There are many ways to be engaged in sustainable and responsible cocoa sourcing practices. This can include introducing responsible purchasing practices, buying certified raw materials or implementing individual projects. We believe the key to a more sustainable food sector is to combine different approaches. The basis of our engagement are responsible purchasing practices. This means that we have long-term partnerships with our suppliers, which allows us to work with a stable farmer base over many years. Second, it is important to have a sustainability program (own or certification), which covers 100% of our raw materials, not just a small part. We have achieved the 100% traceability and verification goal for cocoa beans in 2020 and are working towards 100% sustainable cocoa butter, cocoa powder and chocolate by 2025.
Lindt & Sprüngli shares the goals of the industry, governmental and non-governmental organizations (such as World Cocoa Foundation, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, etc) for a sustainable cocoa production. We appreciate their contributions to improving living and working conditions, introducing better farming practices, fostering biodiversity and eliminating the worst types of child labor. Where appropriate and possible, we collaborate with them as partners.
Nevertheless, Lindt & Sprüngli prefers to go its own way. Therefore, we chose to build up our own sustainability program for cocoa beans, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, mainly for the following reasons:
• We consider our control over every step of the production chain as the perfect base to ensure a sustainable sourcing model.
• Our sourcing model targets our entire cocoa bean supply and is not limited to single products or product groups.
• The farmers, their families and the village communities are the focus of our efforts. We therefore want to ensure that wherever possible they benefit directly from our financial support.
An exception is Russell Stover, which buys chocolate as well as chocolate products and includes Fairtrade certified products (Russell Stover Joy Bites).
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lindt & Sprüngli fund, conduct, or commission any tests on animals?
No. Lindt & Sprüngli does not fund, conduct or commission any animal experiments.
Are Lindt & Sprüngli products halal?
To date, none of our production sites are halal certified and, therefore, we do not use any halal labels on our packaging. However, some of our products are made without animal products and without alcohol, such as our Lindt EXCELLENCE range of 70%, 70% mild, 85%, 85% mild, 90% and 99% cacao chocolate bars, which are also suitable for a vegan lifestyle.
Are Lindt & Sprüngli products kosher?
To date, we do not have a globally valid kosher certificate, but certain products manufactured by Lindt & Sprüngli USA that are available in the US and Israeli market are certified as milk kosher. However, some of our products are made without animal products and without alcohol, such as our Lindt EXCELLENCE range with 70%, 70% mild, 85%, 85% mild, 90% and 99% cacao chocolate bars, which are also suitable for a vegan lifestyle.
What is the best way to store my chocolate?
Store your chocolate tightly wrapped and away from strong odors in a cool, dark and dry place at a temperature of 14° to 20° Celsius / 57° to 68° Fahrenheit, and 40 – 65% Relative Humidity. When stored properly, our products will retain their freshness for many months. Refrigerators are environments with very high humidity, which is not suitable for chocolate due to the high moisture, which can cause sugar bloom. If you decide to store our chocolate in a refrigerator, it is best to put the chocolate in an airtight container and place it in the lower part of the refrigerator. Before unpacking, slowly bring the chocolate to room temperature a few hours before eating.
How should Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate be enjoyed? What is the proper way to enjoy premium chocolate?
Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate should be enjoyed slowly and is best served at room temperature (18 to 20° Celsius / 64° to 68° Fahrenheit) to ensure consistency and maintain product integrity.
Lindt & Sprüngli’s “Five Senses” tasting process is similar to that a sommelier would use: Appearance, smell, feel and taste. Tasting fine chocolate, just like wine or coffee, is truly an experience to be enjoyed and appreciated.