Lindt chocolate biography
Rodolphe Lindt
Swiss chocolatier and inventor (1855–1909)
Rodolphe Lindt | |
|---|---|
Lindt c. 1881 | |
| Born | 16 July 1855 Bern, Switzerland |
| Died | 20 February 1909(1909-02-20) (aged 53) Bern, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation | Chocolatier |
| Known for | Founder of Lindt Inventor of conching |
Rudolf Lindt (16 July 1855 – 20 February 1909), often known by his francized name Rodolphe Lindt, was a Swisschocolate maker, chocolatier and inventor. He founded the Lindt brand of Swiss chocolate and invented the conching machine[1] and other processes to improve the quality of chocolate.[2]
Life
Lindt was born on 16 July 1855 in Bern, to pharmacist and politician Johann Rudolf Lindt and his wife Amalia Eugenia Salchli.[3] Between 1873 and 1875 he did an apprenticeship in Lausanne with the Amédée Kohler & Fils chocolate company,[4][3] then managed by the sons of Charles-Amédée Kohler. In 1879, he founded his own chocolate factory in the Mattequartier, a section of the Old City of Bern.[4]
In December 1879, he succeeded in improving the quality of chocolate by the development of the conching machine, a lengthwise stirring device which gives a finer consistency and lets undesired aromas evaporate. He was also among the first chocolate makers to add cocoa butter back into the chocolate mass (although not the very first one).[5][6] These two innovations contributed greatly to the high quality of Swiss chocolate.[7]
In 1899, Lindt sold his factory and the secret of conching to the Chocolat Sprüngli AG, who have traded as Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG since.[8] Sprüngli paid 1.5 million Gold francs for the marketing rights and the recipe.
Sources
References
- ^Thomas Stephens (13 December 2017). "The pioneers of Switzerland's 'Chocolate Revolution'". Swissinfo. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^"Rodolphe Lindt". Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Presence Switzerland. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ abHürlimann, Katja. "Lindt, Rudolf". Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in French). Translated by Elena Vuille-Mondada. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ ab"Rodolphe Lindt, Inventor and Innovator". Lindt & Sprüngli. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^Collins, Ross F. (2022). Chocolate: A Cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 113. ISBN .
- ^Cross, Gary S. (2014). Packaged Pleasures: How Technology and Marketing Revolutionized Desire. University of Chicago Press. p. 113. ISBN .
- ^Chrystal, Paul (2021). Rowntree's – The Early History. Pen and Sword History. p. 40. ISBN .
- ^"170 Years of Lindt & Sprungli - A success story". Retrieved May 7, 2018.