Max Chocolatier Special Edition 2 Editorial

Dear Reader

The recipe for a good life calls for many select ingredients, which, if carefully mixed, lead to true happiness. That is why the Swiss travel magazine Transhelvetica continually searches for secret des- tinations, adventures, and other tips that lend life its special flavour. On one of our “expeditions” we discovered Max Chocolatier and their incred- ibly tasty chocolate. Wrapped with style and humour, the handcrafted chocolates not only look perfect, but also trigger a firework of different fla- vours on the tongue. This must be the taste of pure indulgence! And ever since we made this discovery, we cannot pass through Lucerne or stroll through

Jon Bollmann Zurich without giving in to temptation, stopping at Publisher Transhelvetica the chocolate boutique for a little escape from our daily routines. For our “Max” themed issue, we were granted a look behind the scenes at Max Chocolatier. The magazine sold out, so we’ve reprinted this story as a special edition. We hope you enjoy reading it – and perhaps we’ll even inspire you to discover Max Chocolatier for yourself!

Cover Paper cut by Maria Schneider Photographed by Tamara Janes, tamarajanes.ch

Editorial portrait Alex Wydler, alexwydler.com

3 4 ← A chocolate factory for a chocolate lover: Inspiration Max Max König takes pride in his very own chocolate factory.

Max & the Chocolate Factory A chocolate fairy tale from Lucerne

When Max König was a little boy, he had to work hard to keep up with the other chil- dren. Today, he is the proud owner of one of Switzerland’s best chocolate factories. Chocolate “river” included.

Text Jon Bollmann Whenever Max snacks on the sweet treats from his own not an accepted means of payment and the taste of the factory, his eyes start to shine and his taste buds dance unprocessed fruit did not appeal to European palates. like the coloured lights on a Ferris wheel. But to under- Only after people started to balance its bitterness with stand this flavourful magic, let us go back a few years – or the sweetness of honey and cane sugar, did the cacao even millennia. bean conquer our part of the world. Served as cocoa, it gained popularity in European high society. Soon, no The Discovery of the Chocolate Tree social event of any significance could do without the ex- The history of chocolate starts in Mesoamerica, where, quisite drink. 3000 years ago, the Olmecs discovered a tree with strange fruit. The pulp of these fruits was refreshing and their Chocolate Comes to Switzerland beans had a bittersweet aftertaste. The Olmecs must Since its ingredients were expensive, chocolate long re- have liked it; in any case, the fruit of the cacao tree soon mained a luxury item. Common people from the lower gained considerable significance in their culture. De- or middle classes only got a taste of the sweet flavour of claring its origin divine, they annually held a sacrificial Middle America when illness struck. Until the 19th cen- celebration in its honour. Not without reason, perhaps, tury, chocolate was seen as a tonic and healing potion. as the liquid cocoa they made from the beans of the It was therefore sold in pharmacies. With the advent of cacao tree had an intoxicating effect. Only the aristoc- industrialisation and the advance of global trade, how- racy and participants of important ceremonies, such as ever, chocolate became more affordable. As prices came priests and those destined to be sacrificed, were allowed down, its appeal spread beyond the affluent elites. In to drink it. Hernán Cortés, the most ruthless conqueror 1819, François-Louis Cailler founded Switzerland’s in Central America, observed that the best cacao beans first fully mechanised chocolate manufacture in Vevey. were not only processed to be consumed, but also served Others followed. Switzerland’s global reputation as a as currency (a good slave was worth about 100 beans). chocolate nation is in large parts due to three men: Henri He brought a few bags of the precious resource back to Nestlé, Daniel Peter – Cailler’s son-in-law who invented

Picture: Samatha Scott Europe. However, in the Old World, cacao beans were milk chocolate –, and Rodolphe Lindt. The latter pioneered

5 Max & the Chocolate Factory

a refining process, called conching, through which Rivers of Chocolate choco­late can be made palatable without the necessary Having found the right suppliers, Patrik König and his addition of honey and sugar. father took on board a young chocolatier who had won the 2nd prize in the World Chocolate Masters. The three Switzerland Is Hooked of them holed up in an atelier at the heart of Lucerne The most fervent advocates and best consumers of Swiss where they started to experiment with the painstakingly chocolate are the Swiss themselves; a third of the nation- collected flavours and explore different combinations. al production is consumed within the country. One of Though their laboratory offers fantastic views – over the the families contributing to Switzerland’s high per cap- lake promenade, the many swans and proud ships of Lake ita consumption is the König family. Like so many other Lucerne – the three chocolate innovators had no time Swiss, they can never get enough of good chocolate. So to revel in the beauty of their surroundings. Amidst the it is perhaps no surprise that Patrik König, who travelled rich smell of cocoa and rivers of white, brown, and black the world as a banker and watch retailer, sought out and Grand Cru chocolate, they worked tirelessly to create tried the best chocolate wherever he went. Driven by his new recipes. They would settle for nothing less than love for chocolate, he visited exquisite, small ateliers in chocolate that would enchant the city, the country, and Brooklyn and Paris, in Barcelona, Tokyo, and Brussels. at some point, the world. Little by little he realised that Switzerland, though it Once the recipes began to match the founder’s expect- produces excellent industrial chocolate, plays a minor ations, the enterprise needed a catchy name and the role in the production of handmade chocolate. Being a chocolates stylish packaging. Patrik König therefore chocolate aficionado as well as a gourmet with an aware- turned to his wife, Hilda Chédel. The native Salvadorian ness for Swiss quality and tradition, had many years of experience in Patrik König made the (for him) ob- marketing and an affinity for cacao. vious choice. He wanted to remedy Wherever she went, she spread that this shortcoming; Switzerland was to joy of life otherwise typical for the become the home of a manufacture home of the cacao tree. Soon, Hilda of unique, high-quality chocolate and had infused the chocolate atelier with handmade truffles – chocolate, the her Central American charm. She like of which Switzerland had never made sure – then as she does now – tasted before. And thus, the idea to that the little chocolate wonders are produce his own chocolate took hold presented perfectly and yet, with a and grew … dash of humour. Investing her energy not only into providing the truffles, Flavour Expeditions dragées, and chocolate bunnies with When the bookstore situated next appropriate “outfits”, but also into to his watch store in Lucerne closed, refining the recipes, she proved to be Patrik König seized the opportunity. Close: Max and Patrik König. a valuable asset for the young choco­­­ Together with his father, with whom late brand. he shared his passion for chocolate and for quality, he embarked on the adventure. Since the best chocolate can Max Chocolatier only be produced from the best ingredients, they started As the preparations for the opening of their very own by scouring the globe for high-quality resources. chocolate boutique were in full swing, there was one Someone who knows the high standards of the König fam­ thing the König family looked forward to in particular: ily is Heini Schwarzenbach, the owner of the Schwarzen- the festive unveiling of the large sign above the door, on bach specialty store in Zurich. There the Königs regularly the day of the opening. Everyone involved knew what it discover spices and order flavours from all over the world. would say. After all, the adventure had blossomed into In extensive tasting sessions with friends and specialists, a true family enterprise. And while there had been dis- these flavours are tested and the favourites chosen: cacao agreements and discussions about certain details of the beans from Latin America, vanilla from Tahiti, almonds new chocolate boutique – as there are even in the most from California, hazelnuts from Piedmont, alpine milk functional of families – there was something, or rather from Uri, and honey from the blooming meadows on the someone, they never fought about. Someone who could shores of Lake Lucerne. Another important partner is always bring them together and united them. That some- Max Felchlin’s company, one of the best producers of one is Max. Grand Cru couverture chocolate in the world. For the Max is Patrik’s son and the hero of the König family. Königs, Felchlin not only developed an exclusive cou- He has more than others, for he was born with an verture, the company also provides them with such rare additional chromosome. And though that renders his life specialties as wild cacao from the Bolivian jungle, or fine difficult at times, Max embodies what his family seeks to

cacao from Madagascar. stand for with their chocolate: honesty and contentment. Picture left: Samatha Scott / Picture right: Lee Jakob

6 A land of milk and chocolate: liquid chocolate flows from the faucet in the chocolate atelier. Artisanal: each chocolate is finished by hand with a cooled stamp.

8 Max & the Chocolate Factory

Bean to Bar Coupled with a little stubbornness, and lots of diligence. Max works daily to improve his speech and his manners. Fresh from the Tree His goal is to become an important contributor to his Once ripe, the fruit of the cacao tree, the so-called pods, are har- family’s chocolate venture. And to reach that goal, no vested. They are then cut open with machetes and the sticky white pulp, which contains the beans, is scooped out. obstacle is too high, no burden too heavy. Because his love for chocolate is greater than any of the challenges he Taking the Heat faces. In fact, there are few things Max loves more than The beans and the pulp are wrapped in banana leaves and left to ferment at temperatures of up to 45 – 50 degrees Celsius (113 – 122 chocolate. And for that reason, Max’ face lit up and he degrees Fahrenheit). During this process, the pulp evaporates or couldn’t stop smiling on the day of the opening, when he drains away, and the beans undergo a short period of germination read the sign above the door: “Max Chocolatier,” it said before the rising temperatures and the acidity kill off the beans’ ger- mination capacity. While the germination is crucial for achieving the in pretty letters. desired taste in the end product, killing off the germination capacity preserves the beans for transport, trade, and further processing. First Tastes As the cell walls break down and the cell sap spreads in the bean, the fermentation process alleviates the bean’s bitterness and gives Once the brand name was decided, the last few details rise to the chemical compounds that will later develop into the typi­ were arranged. A Scandinavian design studio was tasked cal chocolate flavours. with drawing up the company’s graphic presentation. After five to six days, the fermentation process is completed and the beans are spread out to dry in the tropical sun. This once again Meanwhile, a family member took charge of creating a increases their storage life and further develops the desired fla- fitting shop interior: Patrik König’s sister is an architect. vours. Once water content has decreased from around 60% to 5%, Her elegant design, which uses granite from Vals and the beans are ready to be shipped to the chocolate factory. locally grown oak, provided a suitable environment for Welcome to the Chocolate Factory the finely crafted chocolates. By using robust local ma- Arriving at the chocolate factory, the beans are thoroughly cleaned. terials, she wanted to reflect the warmth, and the respect Depending on the variety, the desired quality and taste, the beans are roasted for 15 – 60 minutes at temperatures of 100 – 140 de- for nature and for tradition that are so important to this grees Celsius (212 – 284 degrees Fahrenheit). During the roasting enterprise and its founders. And since natural mater­ials process, the beans turn the typical chocolate colour and fully de- are full of secrets and surprises, they are a little bit like velop all of their over 400 flavours. As a next step, crushing the beans or slinging them against a metal plate cracks the shells, Max. And like Hilda. With her lively manner, she makes which are then separated from the pieces of the broken beans. sure a warm welcome is extended to all who visit this These resulting cocoa nibs still contain a few unwanted flavours realm of sweet temptations. Visitors who want to learn which will later be eliminated through conching. more about the ingredients, the production, or the reci­­ Grinding Tasks pes of the brand’s exclusive creations can open the many As the nibs are ground, their cell structure is broken down and drawers in the boutique; they contain answers and many cocoa butter is released. The heat caused by the friction melts the cocoa butter which envelops the increasingly smaller nibs. The dry a sweet surprise – all in keeping with the motto of the cocoa nibs thus turn into a liquid paste, the so-called cocoa liquor. Lady of this realm: “Always surprise the customer!” Mixed with sugar, milk, and spices, this paste already tastes like Those who linger to explore the boutique and its tempt- chocolate, though it still has a sandy texture on the tongue. ing contents a little more in depth may suddenly find Smooth It Out that they are being offered a coffee – and thus linger To achieve a soft, silky texture, the chocolate paste is ground once even longer. again, until the solids in the paste are tiny. This process has a sig- nificant effect on the flavour of the finished product, since it turns On 27 September 2009, the time had come: after years the nibs into tiny, rugged, porous particles and separates the solids of preparation, Max’ very own chocolate boutique opened from the cocoa butter. its doors to the public at Schweizerhofquai 2 in Lucerne Stir It Up – on the birthday of Max’ grandfather. Whenever Max To once again assure an even distribution of the solids within the now visits his “chocolate factory”, it is not without pride. cocoa butter, the liquid chocolate is then conched. Conching is a “He’s the boss,” the employees say and anyone new at process that involves heating the chocolate mixture to about 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) and stirring it for hours the company is introduced to him personally. And when, until it becomes a smooth, silky liquid with a moisture content of with shining eyes, he reaches for a piece of his own choco­ less than 1%. At the same time, some flavour compounds of the late, it becomes obvious what – or who – inspired the cocoa butter attach themselves to the sugar, giving rise to a more harmonious taste. Undesirable flavour compounds, on the other brand promise: “experience chocolate for the first time.” hand, are eliminated during conching. For Max carefully opens the box, chooses a chocolate, turns and admires it, before smelling and, finally, tasting A Cool Finish As it comes out of the conch, the chocolate is too liquid to be it with closed eyes. A content smile spreads over his face further processed. The mixture is therefore seeded with fat crys- as a symphony of flavours seems to spellbind his whole tals and slowly cooled down, following a very specific temperature body. Max enjoys every single bite as if he was experi- curve, to about 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit). This process, called tempering, prevents the cocoa butter from crystal- encing the taste of chocolate for the first time. lising at the surface of the chocolate and forming a thin, whitish layer. Though this layer does not affect the taste, it makes for a less Taking Root appealing finish. If done correctly, tempering the chocolate should result in a shiny finish and a crisp snapping sound when the choco- A year later, the chocolate boutique had become a fix-

Picture: Lee Jakob late bar is broken into pieces. ture for the locals. The elegant boxes with their delicious

9 Pictures: Lee Jakob

The moulds are filled, then closed with chocolate ganache. After 12 hours, the chocolates have cooled and the moulds can be tipped over. To create the “SchoggiPlättli”, chocolate couverture is flavoured, e.g. with coconut flakes, spread out and, as soon as it starts to harden, cut into little squares. As the silicone mat from underneath is pulled off at a 45 degree angle, it leaves an imprint of the brand logo in the chocolate. The almonds are caramelised in a copper pot, then covered with chocolate in the so-called “tumbler”. In the final step, the dragées are transferred to a sieve and coated with cocoa powder. As long as the original packaging isn’t opened, the almond dragées keep for several months. The finishing touches on the chocolates include a brush of gold powder, lavender blossoms, or a few grains of fleur de sel. Max & the Chocolate Factory

contents were sure to delight and enchant – whether as calamondin chocolates, for example, or the ginger cherry a birthday present for a good friend or as a sweet ones. Luckily for us – and for our blood sugar levels – the treat for a beloved spouse. Yet, the chocolate lovers little gems have a production time of about four days. On at Max Chocolatier wanted to go further; they wan- the first day, the filling is mixed, then left to cool and set. ted to conquer all of Switzerland with their product. On the following day, the mixture is cut into little squares So Hilda Chédel quit her previous job and brought her which, once again, are left to rest and set in their new passion and skill to the management of the young com- shape. Immediately covering them with chocolate would pany. Lining up project after project, she is determined lead to little cavities between the filling and the choco­ to lead the start-up to success through steady progress. late coating which might then crack. When the little jelly One of her projects is the Chocodor. Realising that even squares finally do get their chocolate dressing, they once business people like to take a break from studying their again need time to cool before they are ready for the files, and indulge in a little sweet something, she con- final touches – be that a little chocolate flourish from the sulted a cabinet­maker to create a sort of humidor for piping bag, a chocolate stamp or, for the most extrava- choc­olates. The stylish wooden desktop box makes sure gant pieces, a brush of gold dust. On the fourth day of that the chocolates inside are perfectly tempered and production, the little edible masterpieces are carefully conserved. And with a weekly refill, the sweet treats are put into elegant boxes – their “little home,” as Hilda calls never in short supply. it. Finally, a silk ribbon completes the packaging – which can be further adorned by the customer with little tags Time for Quality that carry various messages. The product range, too, is constantly being improved and developed. Every few months, the boutique surprises Eternal Favourites customers with new, seasonal creations. For Trans­ At first, Hilda and Patrik planned on something unheard helvetica, the König family organised a degustation and of in the chocolate industry: they wanted to switch the we were allowed to try the 2017 summer collection ahead complete product range every season. However, Max ob- of time. After 25 different flavours, our taste buds were jected and there are now at least two delicacies that are hyped like a four-year old after a two-hour fireworks dis- always available: the “Gugelhöpfli” cakes, made to an play. The Königs, however, just seemed to be warming up old, secret family recipe, and the “raspberry branchlis”, and asked their master chocolate maker for more sam- fruity truffles that look especially big with their elon- ples. Perhaps they all fell into a big pot of chocolate when gated bar shape and have therefore found particular they were children, and have subsequently developed favour with Max. But it is not only Max who loves them. chocolate superpowers and preferences. Shortly before Should we ever realise our dream of owning a Choco- we were overwhelmed by all these flavours, however, we dor, we too will be sure to always have them in stock. managed to jot down some of our favourites: the basil Thank you Max! ●

Chocolate: Facts & Figures

4,200,700 tons of cacao were harvested globally in 2014/2015. White chocolate is, technically speaking, not chocolate because it contains no cocoa, but only cocoa butter and sugar. The biggest producers of cacao are the Ivory Coast and Ghana, followed by Indonesia and South America. The fridge is not a good place to store your chocolate; instead, it is best kept at 16 degrees Celsius (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit). Switzerland annually imports about 1 % of the global cacao harvest Processing takes place at about 29 – 31 degrees Celsius (84 – 88 (in comparison, Germany imports approximately 10 %). degrees Fahrenheit). For best results and a glossy finish, chocolate products should be cooled slowly after processing. The Swiss love their chocolate. The national per capita consump- tion is 11.7 kg per year (including sales to tourists and cross-border Many of the nutrients in chocolate, such as proteins, carbohy- commuters). drates, but also trace elements, mineral nutrients, and vitamins, are essential for a balanced diet. Thus, chocolate is good for you!

12 Treasure boxes: after four days, the chocolates have received their finishing touches. Picture Lee/ above: below left: Sebastian Jakob Doerk / Picture below right: Samantha Scott Max’ favourites: the raspberry branchlis. Pure pleasure: Max enjoys every bite of his chocolate. STORES CONTACT

Boutique Lucerne Sales Schweizerhofquai 2 +41 (0) 41 418 70 97 6004 Lucerne [email protected] Switzerland Marketing & PR +41 (0) 41 418 70 90 +41 (0) 41 418 70 98 [email protected] [email protected] Mon: 1 pm – 6.30 pm Tue – Fri: 10 am – 6.30 pm Tastings & Makings Sat: 10 am – 5 pm +41 (0) 41 418 70 95 [email protected] Boutique Zurich Schlüsselgasse 12 8001 Zurich Switzerland +41 (0) 44 251 03 33 [email protected]

Tue – Fri: 10.30 am – 7 pm Credits Sat: 10 am – 5.30 pm Text: Jon Bollmann, Design: Fabian Leuenberger, Editor: Nicole Naville, Translation: Claudia Walder, Translation editor: Amanda Blair, Printed by: Köpflipartners AG, Online Shop Circulation: 1000, Paper: PlanoSpeed® (has been awarded the www.maxchocolatier.com/en/shop ecolabel EU Flower). This article first appeared in issue No. 33 of the Swiss travel magazine Transhelvetica. Transhelvetica is a product of Passaport AG. transhelvetica.ch

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