Maestrani Schweizer Schokoladen AG, St. Gallen

Aquilino Maestrani (1814-1880), whose father was one of those Ticinese who emigrated from Lombardy around the middle of the 18th century to learn the chocolate trade, opened his first own chocolate factory in Lucerne in 1852. In 1859, Aquilino moved his business to St. Gallen and a few years later, in a magnificent building called the "Marmorhaus", offered not only chocolate but also other delicacies and tropical fruits, supported by his three sons. In 1875, the demand for Maestrani products exceeded the existing production capacity and he moved to a factory building in the east of the city of St. Gallen. In 1880 Aquilino Maestrani died, his three sons continued to run the company inherited from their father as the general partnership A. Maestrani & Co. and the upward trend continued. A former spinning mill was acquired as a production facility and the Maestrani brand became the epitome of good chocolate. In 1912, the company was given the name Maestrani Schweizer Schokoladen AG, which is still used today. The two world wars led to setbacks due to a shortage of raw materials, which continued in the post-war period. The road to today's success was cost-intensive and marked by structural changes, the purchase of the Munz chocolate brand and the installation of new machinery. Today Maestrani is one of the most modern chocolate factories in Switzerland.