Camille Bloch facts for kids
Camille Bloch is a well-known Swiss chocolate company. It is based in a town called Courtelary, Switzerland. The company was started in 1929 by a chocolatier named Camille Bloch. He first opened his business in Bern. Then, in 1935, the company moved to Courtelary in the Bernese Jura region. This is where all their chocolates have been made ever since. It is a family-run business. In 2016, Camille Bloch made about 3,500 tons of chocolate. This brought in sales of around 60 million Swiss francs.
The most famous chocolates from Camille Bloch are the Ragusa and the Torino bars. Ragusa is a rectangular chocolate bar. It has a special hazelnut filling called gianduja. It also has whole hazelnuts inside and is covered in chocolate on two sides. Torino is a round chocolate bar. It has a creamy filling made from almonds and hazelnuts. Both Ragusa and Torino come in small individual sizes and larger 100-gram bars. You can find them in classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and even a caramel-flavored white chocolate version. Camille Bloch also makes other chocolates filled with different kinds of liquor.
How It All Started
The company began in 1926 in Bern. It was first called "Chocolats et Bonbons Fins Camille Bloch." In 1929, it officially became a stock corporation. This means it was set up as a business that could sell shares. In 1935, the company moved to Courtelary. Its name then changed to "Chocolats Camille Bloch SA."
Growing the Business
After Camille Bloch passed away in 1970, his son, Rolf Bloch, took over the company. Later, in 1997, Rolf Bloch's two sons started running the business. Daniel Bloch became the managing director. He has also been the president of the board since 2005. His brother, Stéphane Bloch, became the sales and marketing manager. He also joined the board of directors.
In 2004, a book was released to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary. It was called “Camille Bloch - 75 years of sweet delights.” In 2017, Camille Bloch opened a special visitor center. Here, people can learn about chocolate and see how it's made. The managing director, Daniel Bloch, said that over 100,000 people visited in the first year! In 2018, the company bought land in Georgia. They did this so they could grow their own hazelnuts for their chocolates.
Chocolats Camille Bloch SA makes all its chocolate treats in one place. This is at their factory in Courtelary, Switzerland. They do everything themselves. This includes roasting the cocoa beans, hazelnuts, and almonds. They then turn these ingredients into finished chocolate bars.
Delicious Chocolates
The company's most popular chocolate is the Ragusa bar. It was created in 1942. This was during World War II, when there were not many ingredients available. So, they had to be clever with what they had. The Ragusa bar has a rich hazelnut filling between two layers of chocolate. Daniel Bloch, the managing director, says that Ragusa makes up more than half of all their sales.
In 2008, a new version called “Ragusa Noir” was launched. This one has 60 percent cocoa, making it a darker chocolate. In 2014, “Ragusa Blond” came out. This bar uses light-colored chocolate and a light praline cream.
Besides Ragusa, Camille Bloch also makes other chocolate brands. These include the Torino brand and the Camille Bloch brand. Since 2020, the company has also been selling roasted hazelnuts and almonds. These are coated in chocolate and sold under the name “So Nuts.”
