Lindt set to open its Swiss-based Home of Chocolate visitor and research facility
Das Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg wird der neue Besuchermagnet in unmittelbarer Nähe und bester Anbindung zu Zürich. (KEYSTONE/Lindt & Sprüngli)
Preparations are fast taking shape for Lindt’s opening of its Home of Chocolate visitor centre and research facility at its Lindt & Sprüngli production site in Kilchberg, Switzerland, reports Neill Barston.
As the company explained, the company’s latest addition will be welcoming guests from 13 September, will feature an interactive exhibition centre and showcase live demonstrations of its latest creations, with a total of more than €100 million having been invested into its development.
Those visiting the site will be able to observe work from the company’s renowned Master Chocolatiers, as well as gain the chance to enjoy the first Lindt Café, a Chocolateria for chocolate courses and the largest Lindt Chocolate boutique in the world will also form part of its core attractions.
Taking 36 months to construct, the Lindt Home of Chocolate, developed through the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation, is providing the public with a chocolate experience in the form of an extensive information platform on the subject of chocolate.
The opening of the facility comes amid reports of a real life ‘Willy Wonka’ moment at the company’s facilities in Kilchberg, which left local residents waking up to a coating of cocoa nib bean fragments having covered areas of the surrounding town due to a minor production issue with its factory operations, which the business has now resolved and confirmed cause no harm to locals.
“With the construction of the Lindt Home of Chocolate, we have created a Chocolate Competence Centre that is unique in Switzerland and will strengthen the innovation of our industry over the long term,” said Ernst Tanner, President of the Lindt Chocolate Competence Foundation’s Board. Located in the immediate vicinity of Zurich and with excellent connections to the city, the new attraction is set to become an exciting destination for around 350,000 national and international chocolate fans every year.
As the business noted, the new building in Kilchberg is the home of the world-famous Master Chocolatiers, who are providing comprehensive insight into their world of chocolate, their passion, and expertise for the first time ever. It will be a destination for Swiss and international guests and families, as well as experts and scientists. Besides the multimedia and interactive exhibition with its various focal points, the Lindt Home of Chocolate will also include a research facility with a show production.
The exhibition covers around 1,500 square meters and covers themes such as the cultivation of cocoa, the history of chocolate, Swiss chocolate pioneers and chocolate production. Young and old Chocolate fans can learn fascinating information about Switzerland as a chocolate country and discover a number of secrets about how chocolate is produced.
At the end of the information-packed tour through the museum, another highlight awaits visitors: endless fine Lindt creations can be tasted and enjoyed in the “Chocolate Heaven” tasting room. The Lindt Home of Chocolate also hosts the largest Lindt Chocolate boutique in the world and the first Lindt Café in Switzerland.
Its development adds to the company’s European presence, which is also celebrated with its close connection to the Cologne’s Chocolate museum, which opened in the 1990s, and attracts around 600,000 visitors from around.
As for the new Swiss facility, it houses a Chocolateria, where guest will be able to create their own chocolate masterpieces under the expert guidance of the Master Chocolatiers – making it the perfect souvenir or gift.
The centrepiece is its chocolate fountain with over nine meters in height in the entrance area, which is thought to be the only one of its kind in the world and features real flowing chocolate.
According to Basel architects Christ & Gantenbein, the building was completed in a record time of just under three years. The modern design makes for a striking contrast to the historic Lindt & Sprüngli factory building dating from 1899 and fits in perfectly with the existing surroundings in Kilchberg. Inside, the three-story building has a distinctive design: curving staircases, suspended walkways and imposing skylights in the ceiling lend the building a particular elegance.
See a video of the new facility here: www.lindt-spruengli.com/about-us/lindt-home-of-chocolate/
