Episode 43: Decadent must-have Swiss chocolate experiences
Interview with Sandy Bolland from Funky Chocolate Club in Interlaken, Caroline Derungs of Chocolarium in Flawil and Kai Spehr from Lindt Home of Chocolate near Zurich.
Switzerland has a long chocolate-making history and is renowned for producing some of the best – if not THE best – chocolate in the world.
So it’s not surprising then, that eating Swiss chocolate is right up there at the top of most people’s must-do lists when they visit Switzerland.
Of course you can buy Swiss chocolate at the supermarket and at souvenir stores when you’re in Switzerland but for a really immersive experience and to learn more about Swiss chocolate, visiting a factory or taking part in a chocolate making workshop is a fun thing to do.
In today’s episode, we’re going on a virtual chocolate-tasting tour to three different places where you can learn more about the history of Swiss chocolate, watch it being made, make your own chocolate in a workshop, and eat chocolate to your heart’s content.
If you need to go on a chocolate-tasting tour, you need Switzerland.
Thank you, as always, to the sponsors of the podcast, Switzerland Tourism. Visit their website myswitzerland.com for travel information and inspiration.
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Show Notes
Chocolate experiences covered in this episode:
Funky Chocolate Club
- Funky Chocolate Club opened in 2014 is located in located in Interlaken a ten minute walk from both Interlaken Ost and Interlaken West train stations.
- Pralines and some chocolate products are made on-site but Funky Chocolate Club is not a big producer.
- In the workshops offered by Funky Chocolate Club, customers make their own slabs of chocolate whilst learning about the history of production of chocolate in a fun way.
- Workshop participants receive a Funky Chocolate Club Level One Chocolatier certificate.
- Workshops last for 75 minutes and are suitable for everyone from age 4.
- Advance reservations are recommended for the chocolate-making workshops.
- There’s also a cafe and shop on-site.
- Funky Chocolate Club is open year round (sometimes closed in November).
📌 Visit the Funky Chocolate Club website > here.
All images courtesy Funky Chocolate Club.
Chocolarium
- Chocolarium was founded by Aquilino Maestrani in Lucerne in 1852. The company moved to its current premises in Flawil (near St. Gallen) in 2003.
- Chocolarium’s tagline is “The Chocolate Factory of Happiness”.
- Visitors can enjoy learning about chocolate through various methods including a cinema, discovery tour, chocolate-making courses and a shop and cafe.
- A variety of chocolate-making courses are available to suit all ages.
- Chocolarium partners with Hotel Säntispark just outside St. Gallen so that customers can stay overnight in a chocolate-themed room.
- Visitors can reach Chocolarium by car or by train and bus, or they can walk along the Schoggi Weg (chocolate way) from Flawil.
- Chocolarium is open year round except on Monday and public holidays.
- It is recommended that you purchase entrance tickets in advance.
📌 Visit the Chocolarium website > here.
All images courtesy Chocolarium.
Lindt Home of Chocolate
- Lindt began as a small confectionary in Zurich in 1845.
- In 1879, Rodolphe Lindt invented the conch, the art of making the chocolate smooth and give it a soft, melting texture.
- In 2013 the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation was founded with the aim of passing on the history and tradition of chocolate to everyone.
- In 2020 the Lindt Home of Chocolate at Kilchberg, near Zurich, was opened. It features a number of exhibitions and interactive experiences for guests including the world’s largest free-standing chocolate fountain, a museum, a pilot plant where real-time production can be viewed, and the world’s largest Lindt chocolate shop.
- Visitors can enjoy a chocolate-making workshop in the Chocolateria with a Master Chocolatier.
- Workshops are suitable for everyone aged 6 and over.
- Lindt Home of Chocolate is open 360 days a year from 10am.
- Visitors can arrive by car, train or boat.
- If you wish to join a chocolate-making workshop or take a guided tour, it is recommended that you purchase tickets in advance.
📌 Visit the Lindt Home of Chocolate website > here.
All photos courtesy Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation.
Useful Resources
You might also find these articles from Holidays to Switzerland helpful:
- Tasty chocolate experiences to enjoy in Switzerland
- 60+ attractions and things to do in Interlaken
- How to spend 48 hours in Zurich
📌 Get your free copy of my Swiss chocolate lovers map and guide > here.
If you’d prefer to read along with this episode, you can read the full transcript on our website here.
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This episode is sponsored by Switzerland Tourism.
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