a chocolate experience
Award-winning Swiss chocolatier sweetens up Houston with 2 new locations
An award-winning Swiss chocolatier will open two Houston locations this fall. Läderach's new partnership with real estate developer Simon comes with locations for both the Houston Premium Outlets and the Galleria.
Founded in 1962, the family-owned business still makes all of its chocolate at a production facility in Bilten, Switzerland. The company holds a patent for its process of making thin truffle sells, and chocolatier Elias Läderach won the World Chocolate Masters in 2018.
The heart of every Läderach store is the FrischSchoggi (fresh chocolate counter) where slabs of chocolate loaded with different combinations of nuts and fruits are on display. Customers choose which varieties of chocolate to purchase; they're then broken by hand and sold by the quarter-pound. Other offerings include truffles, chocolate gifts, and popcorn.
At a time when in-person retail would seem to be on the decline, Läderach has been on a growth spurt. In addition to its 15-location partnership with Simon, the company opened a flagship store in New York City last December.
“We really see a demand for physical chocolate experience,” CEO Johannes Läderach told Forbes. “The experience has to do with all the senses...Premium chocolate purchase is so impulse driven. People still want the physical stores. It’s very important.”