People in Switzerland have begun to buy chocolate once again, but figures are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report published by the Association of Swiss Chocolate Manufacturers (Chocosuisse). Swiss consumers are choosing not to buy as much Swiss-made chocolate as they used to, with many consumers buying chocolate imported by international companies from abroad instead.
The turnover of Switzerland’s major chocolatiers was around 1,7 billion Swiss francs in 2021, which is an increase of almost 12 percent compared to the year before. Despite this increase, the number of people consuming chocolate in Switzerland has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Turnover of the major chocolate manufacturers is still 4 percent lower than in 2019.
Germany, France, Canada, the US and the United Kingdom are the countries that imported the most Swiss chocolate in the last year. Exports of Swiss chocolate in 2021 rose by 10,8 percent, totalling more than 900 million Swiss francs.
Over the same year, Switzerland imported a large amount of chocolate from abroad, despite stagnation in the domestic market. Foreign chocolate made up around 42 percent of the chocolate sales in 2021, which has jumped from 34 percent in 2011.
It appears as though, in recent years, people in Switzerland are consuming less Swiss chocolate and instead opting to buy chocolate from abroad. The consumption of imported chocolate has jumped from 4 to 4,7 kilograms per capita, while the consumption of Swiss-produced chocolate has dropped from 8 to 6,6 kilograms per capita over the past 10 years. However, this means citizens and residents in Switzerland still eat around 11,3 kilos of chocolate a year per person.