Läderach joins Model Young Package
We spoke with Läderach’s CMO about flavor development, chocolate production, and why packaging is key to quality, logistics, and brand identity.
As a premium Swiss chocolate brand, Läderach is known for its dedication to quality – from selecting ingredients to the final unboxing experience. We spoke with Chief Marketing Officer Yvonne Breier to explore how their chocolate is made, how new flavors are brought to life, and why packaging plays a strategic role across the entire supply chain.
Now, Läderach brings this expertise to the Model Young Package competition as the author of this year’s Professional Challenge packaging brief.
Interview
Läderach controls the entire bean-to-bar process. Can you walk us through what that actually means – and how it benefits the end customer?
At Läderach, we oversee the entire value chain – from working directly with cocoa farmers who supply our beans, to producing our own couverture, to handcrafting our unique final products exclusively in Switzerland, and finally to offering them in our chocolateries around the world.
That’s why we often say: from bean to bar to you – describing the full journey from cocoa bean to customer. By managing every step of the process, we aim for the highest quality raw materials, full traceability, and complete supply chain transparency.
Who is your most common customer?
With our over 220 chocolateries around the world we bring together all types of customers. What we all share is the joy of fresh Swiss chocolate – whether for ourselves or for friends and loved ones.
How do you approach new flavour development – and how do you decide which ideas are worth pursuing?
We closely follow market trends and actively listen to customer feedback and ideas. With Elias Läderach, World Chocolate Masters, leading innovation in-house, we're proud to have one of the best in the industry.
Each month, we launch Limited Editions of our iconic FrischSchoggi – a way to showcase our innovative spirit and explore exciting new flavors with our customers.
Some creations have been so well received that they’ve become part of our permanent collection – like FrischSchoggi Coconut or Espresso Macchiato.
Trends like “Dubai-style” chocolate are going viral. How do you see these kinds of trends, and what new concepts or formats are you currently exploring?
As mentioned, we closely monitor market trends – and the Dubai chocolate phenomenon is a perfect example. Elias Läderach and his team had been experimenting with various recipe ideas for months and remained true to our core principle at Läderach: quality first.
Only once we were 100% satisfied did we release it in December 2024 – and the response exceeded all expectations. For several weeks, FrischSchoggi Dubai even outperformed our global best-seller, FrischSchoggi Hazelnut Milk. Safe to say: it’s here to stay. And with exciting new vari-ations coming soon, stay tuned!
How does your brand philosophy translate into your graphic design and packaging? What features or hidden messages are we missing?
Läderach is committed to bringing fresh chocolate to the world, and our new brand appearance plays a vital role in fulfilling that promise. Every detail is carefully designed to create a distinctive and captivating visual identity starting with our updated logo: capital letters emphasize the premium quality of our brand, while the addition of the English tagline “Switzerland” highlights both our Swiss heritage and our exclusive production sites in the country, as well as our rapid international expansion.
In addition to our two brand colors, white and black, we use additional colors to express the freshness and variety of flavors in our communication. The ten color palettes are derived directly from our ingredients and are named after them, for example: hazelnut, raspberry, caramel, or pistachio. Distinctive patterns symbolize our key product categories like Popcorn, FrischSchoggi, and Pralines. Another key visual feature is the "flow" element, capturing chocolate in its purest and freshest state: liquid.
All these elements come together in our new packaging and shopping bags, bringing the Läderach experience to life with every detail.
Has your approach to packaging changed in recent years – and if so, why?
The development of our packaging has been guided by two key drivers: our rebranding and internationalization.
As part of the rebranding, packaging plays a vital role - it’s the most direct touchpoint with our customers and serves as our brand’s business card, both in-store and beyond. The design has been refreshed to appear more modern and vibrant, featuring our new logo prominently at the center, unique and colorful patterns for each product category, and a dynamic 3D flow element that represents our chocolate in its freshest form: liquid. Sustainability has also become a priority for us and we work intensively to reduce plastic use and are incorporating more recyclable materials.
With Läderach now present in nearly 25 countries, we also face the challenge of adapting to diverse cultural perceptions. What may be seen as premium or modern in one market might not resonate the same way in another. Balancing these local expectations with our global brand identity continues to shape and influence our packaging strategy.
What is your most common packaging that you work with?
Carton. It’s a sustainable and recyclable packaging material that can be modularly shaped in many ways and it’s a commonly used material for secondary packaging.
What makes the in-store Läderach experience unique? Are there any special rules or staff requirements?
We want customers to enjoy a consistent and memorable experience – whether they visit a chocolaterie in San Francisco, Zurich, or Shanghai.
We achieve this by our universal and instantly recognizable store concept across all locations. (Over the next few years, existing stores will gradually be redesigned to reflect this new look.)
Core elements include our signature FrischSchoggi open counter, a curated selection of hero products available worldwide, and – most importantly – our dedicated team, who share the joy of fresh chocolate with every customer.
And of course, there's always something to taste. Whether it's to sweeten your visit or dis-cover a new creation, you're warmly invited to try our chocolate in-store.
You’re growing internationally with your own retail stores. Where are you planning to open next, and what drives those choices?
It’s almost hard to keep up! In December 2024, we celebrated the opening of our 200th chocolaterie in London – and by May 2025, we’ve already added more than 20 new locations around the world. Exciting new markets include Japan and South Korea, where we’re launching our own stores, as well as new openings through franchise partners in countries like Turkey and Morocco.
We thank Mrs. Breier for the interview and look forward to announcing the best designs for Läderach packaging in Model Young Package 2024.
