Camille Bloch facts for kids
Camille Bloch is a famous Swiss chocolate company. It is located in a town called Courtelary in Switzerland. The company was started in 1929 in Bern by Camille Bloch, who was a chocolatier (someone who makes chocolate). In 1935, the company moved to Courtelary, where all their chocolate has been made ever since.
This family-run business had about 180 employees. In 2016, Camille Bloch made around 3,500 tons of chocolate! This brought in sales of about 60 million Swiss francs, which is the money used in Switzerland.
The two most famous chocolate bars made by Camille Bloch are Ragusa and Torino. Ragusa is a rectangular bar with a creamy hazelnut filling and whole hazelnuts, covered in chocolate. Torino is a round chocolate bar with a delicious almond and hazelnut cream inside. 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 caramelised white chocolate version.
History of Camille Bloch
The company began in 1926 in Bern. It was first called "Chocolats et Bonbons Fins Camille Bloch." In 1929, it officially became a company. Then, in 1935, the company moved to Courtelary and changed its name to "Chocolats Camille Bloch SA."
After Camille Bloch passed away in 1970, his son Rolf Bloch took over the company. Later, in 1997, Rolf Bloch's two sons, Daniel and Stéphane, started running the business. Daniel Bloch became the managing director and later the president of the board. Stéphane Bloch became the sales and marketing manager.
In 2004, a special book was released to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary. It was called "Camille Bloch - 75 years of sweet delights." In 2017, the company opened a visitor centre where people can learn about chocolate and see how it's made. Over 100,000 people visited in the first year! Also, in 2018, the company bought land in Georgia to grow their own hazelnuts. This helps them make sure they have the best ingredients for their chocolates.
Chocolats Camille Bloch SA makes all its chocolate specialities in one place: their factory in Courtelary, Switzerland. They do everything from roasting the cocoa beans, hazelnuts, and almonds to making the finished chocolate bars.
Delicious Chocolate Products
The most popular product from Camille Bloch is the Ragusa chocolate bar. It was first created in 1942 during World War II. At that time, there wasn't much chocolate available. So, they invented Ragusa with a special hazelnut filling between two layers of chocolate.
Today, the Ragusa bar makes up more than half of all the company's sales! In 2008, a darker version called "Ragusa Noir" was launched, which has 60 percent cocoa. In 2014, "Ragusa Blond" came out, made with light-coloured chocolate and a light praline cream.
Besides Ragusa, the company also makes other chocolate brands, like the Torino bar and other chocolates under the Camille Bloch name. Since 2020, they also sell roasted hazelnuts and almonds covered in chocolate, under the brand name "So Nuts."
