Villars Maître Chocolatier Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Villars Maître Chocolatier SA
Factory building of «Chocolat Villars» in Fribourg (Switzerland)
ISIN	ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=CH0002609656 CH0002609656]
Industry	Food
Founder	Wilhelm Kaiser

A large painting by Serge Nidegger from 2021, celebrating 120 years of Villars chocolate.

Villars Maître Chocolatier SA is a famous Swiss chocolate company. It started in 1901 in the city of Fribourg, Switzerland. The building where they make chocolate has been used since 1901. It is considered a very important Swiss cultural landmark. Villars is well-known for its unique chocolates. These include chocolates with lots of nuts and almonds. They also make small, dark chocolate pieces called napolitains with 72% cocoa. These special products are very popular with tourists.

The Story of Villars Chocolate
Villars Culture and Advertising
- The Famous Villars Cow
Images for kids
See also

The Story of Villars Chocolate

The chocolate company was started by Wilhelm Kaiser in 1901. It began in a place called Villars-sur-Glâne. In 1904, the company officially became Villars AG. Over the years, Chocolat Villars won many awards for its delicious creations. They even received special titles from royal families. In 1915, Villars was the first company in Switzerland to give its workers two weeks of paid vacation. This was a big deal back then!

Changes Over Time

Wilhelm Kaiser passed away in 1935. In the same year, Villars started roasting coffee. They also launched their first chocolate bar filled with liqueur. The company stayed in the Kaiser family until 1969. After Wilhelm's son, Oliver Kaiser, passed away, a trustee took over. The company was then renamed Villars Holding.

In 1985, Villars Holding sold its chocolate-making part to another company, Cremo SA. Then, in 1995, a large international group called Soparind Bongrain bought it. This group later changed its name to Savencia in 2015. Today, Chocolat Villars is part of the Savencia Gourmet group.

What Villars Makes Today

Villars mostly makes milk chocolate bars. Some of their milk chocolate bars are called "terroir" bars. These use milk from specific regions in Switzerland. For example, they use milk from Vaud, Fribourg, Bern, and Lucerne. All these areas are near the Alps.

Since 2017, there are special rules for chocolate that says "Swiss" or has the Swiss cross. At least 80% of the ingredients must come from Switzerland. Also, the main steps to make the chocolate special must happen in Switzerland. Chocolat Villars uses this "Swissness" in its advertising. They say they use 100% Swiss milk, 100% Swiss sugar, and 100% Swiss alcohol. The company is also a member of Chocosuisse. This group helps protect the "Swiss" brand for chocolate.

Since 2009, Chocolat Villars has also offered products with stevia. Stevia is a natural sugar substitute.

Villars Employees and Milestones

In the 1920s, Villars had about 1,200 employees. After World War II, this number dropped to around 400. By the year 2000, there were about 100 employees. In 2021, the company had 210 people working at its factory in Fribourg. Stephan Buchser has been the company's manager since April 2018.

In 2021, Villars celebrated its 120th birthday! To mark this special event, a large mural was painted on their building in Fribourg. The artist was Serge Nidegger, also known as Serge Lowrider. The mural shows important products from the company's history using different symbols.

In December 2022, Villars opened a second shop called "La Fabrik." It is located near the company's main office. Starting in 2023, this new shop will offer cooking workshops. They expect about 50,000 visitors each year.

Villars Culture and Advertising

The Chocolat Villars factory building in Fribourg is a very important cultural site. It has been a chocolate factory since it was built in 1901.

The Famous Villars Cow

The "Villars cow" was a very famous advertising symbol for Chocolat Villars. An artist named Martin Peikert created this cow. For a long time, these cow figures were seen all over Switzerland. However, their number had to be greatly reduced. This was partly because of safety rules in Swiss traffic laws. One town, Bichelsee-Balterswil, even tried to keep its Villars cow. But it is no longer allowed to advertise Chocolat Villars.