They got workers from Romania to work on building their new factory in Bilten - but they were signed off to be here to learn the chocolate making process and so were working illegally.

Not particularly ethical nor professional.

The trouble with this family is the more you dig, the more unsavoury it all becomes.

We have freedom of thought, speech, religion here.

So people do what? If someone is not on their wave length, they blackmail them into adapting or at least to shut up? The message here is "you must be tolerant or we starve you to death until you declare to agree with us".


Kettle, pot. I may dislike Läderach's points of view but at least they're bloody honest.

So keep on the fence, olygirl, then decide which side to drop. Enjoy the freedom of opinion.

OP asked a simple question. And finally got the answer a few posts up: All Läderach's chocolate is produced in Switzerland. So I guess, OP is even better off buying it in the US as Läderach definitely has better ways to transport it.
Instead of an answer OP got lots of political blabla which has been endlessly posted on the thread it belongs in and OP would have read there, had they wanted to.

__________________
If there is a God, then I believe he’s more insulted by religion than he is by atheism.

What other kinds of businesses are there?

Tom

The ones that value sales and net income over ideologies.

Like Facebook?

Tom

OP, I used to send various chocolates (Läderach was amongst them) twice a year to my family in Japan. Easter and Christmas. Unless you send it during the hot months, I think it would be fine...?

If you add up the cost of the chocolates (Läderach & Sprüngli) and the shipment, it ended up to quite a sum, so I'd only send them to those who would really appreciate good chocolate and knew its value.

Btw, these stores do exist in Japan too, but it felt a bit more special coming all the way from CH.

Ps. Since a colleague shared the Läderach article with me over a year ago, I stopped buying from them too. The big milk chocolate blocks with cornflakes were my favorite- SO good! But thankfully we live in CH where they have lots of other good choices

According to this all their chocolate is produced here, so no worries.

If they decided to go mass market like Lindt and sell in every Wall Mart, then yes it may end up being produced locally which would mean a very different taste.

Their plan is to sell in their own shops and 'boutiques'. To this end they have taken over the leases of many of the Godiva chocolate shops in the U.S.- who are going online and into mass retail sales.

With their fundamental form of Christianity, they'll probably do quite well in the U.S. even if they get any bad press.

I assume you use that phrase as some sort of insult? I know Kittster in real life and I can assure you that she is the last person you would describe as a "Snowflake". And if you did, you would regret it.

But, this is an open public forum. If someone asks for advice or suggestions on a product or service, they must accept that they will get all sorts of answers. As long as they are on topic and civil, (which they have been on this thread) they stand.

Cool story....

They weren't asking for advice on Läderach as a company, they simply wanted to know if there was a difference between their CH products and US products.

There has already been a 51-page thread to whine about Läderach, and there's probably a good reason it finally got closed.

Anyway, the question has been answered quite clearly so there isn't much more to say.

But it's okay to hijack a thread to whine about people whining about Läderach....?

But now I'm whining about people whining about people hijacking a thread to whine about Läderach....

This is all getting too meta for me, I'm out!

And yet they are very much loved by their employees at their factory there.

Perhaps those are also religious folks, don't know.

I'm not telling anyone to buy Laderach, just wanting to say things are not always black or white.

One of the perks owning the business is no one can fire you, unlike a public company where shareholders can oust a CEO. If Läderach were a public company, the CEO might have been escorted to the door long ago.

Losing customers with the public uproar Swiss Airlines made, is not good for any business. Competitors make great efforts to be perceived as wholesome, greenwashing and whatever helps sales. In contrast Mr. Läderach proudly says the end of contracts like the Swiss one is not significant. But it's just life, it's not the first and it won't be the last time a inherited business is screwed up by the new generation.

I'm sure they are.

Romanians that I have met quite like working for foreign companies investing in the local labour market as facilities, processes etc tend to be bang up to date.

If you are an employee, the political or other views of your employers tend to be insignificant compared with actually having a stable job.

Or those virtue signaling tosspots, Ben and Jerry.

Yes, they prefer multinational corporations and to a lesser degree - public sector.
This one is a success story since 1994 - Heidi Chocolat (now merged with a local brand Kandia Dulce).

Indeed, for the employees their political affiliation is of no importance. The chocolate is good, local buyers are happy, what's not to like. They pay their taxes, everyone wins.