Since his childhood, Elias Läderach has been fascinated by the world of chocolate. Now, as the reigning World Chocolate Master and Head of Innovation and Production at Läderach, he brings his passion to the fore in his profession. Every day, he crafts exceptional chocolate creations, both at competitions and during product development, that embody the company’s philosophy of fresh, artisanal and exquisite products of the highest quality.
“CHOCOLATE IS FAMILY”
Elias Läderach’s journey took him from the canton of Glarus in Switzerland to the international chocolate scene. As the son of the chocolate family Läderach, Elias was born with a zeal for chocolate – he even lived above the chocolate production facility in Ennenda, Switzerland, for the first 12 years of his life. But his success is mainly down to his talent, enthusiasm and passion for his craft.
“Chocolate was part of my childhood. It’s like family to me. Our grandfather and our father both took us to the bakery when we were little. One of my first memories is of when we made our own chocolate Easter bunnies together,” Elias Läderach recalls. But he didn’t always want to be a chocolatier. “I loved animals as a child, so I wanted to be a gamekeeper or forest warden,” he laughs. Fortunately, he followed a different career path, and his fervour for chocolate-making won. In 2006, he completed his professional training as a confectioner and worked for several renowned confectioneries in Switzerland.
SUCCESS FOR SWITZERLAND
Elias has demonstrated his creativity and talent with successes at various confectioner competitions. This includes the bronze medal as a member of the Swiss team at the World Pastry Team Championship in Nashville in 2008, the title of Swiss Chocolate Master in 2017 and the honour of World Chocolate Master at the 2018 World Chocolate Masters in Paris.
Elias’ victory at the World Chocolate Masters remains his most significant victory thus far. The young father and family man invested months of practice, diligent planning and work during his preparation for the competition. And it paid off – he took first place ahead of 19 other international chocolatiers, becoming the first Swiss national to take the overall title.
But he doesn’t let the success go to his head: “Of course, I’m proud. I was overjoyed to win. It was a wonderful, very emotional moment. And naturally, I was happy for the whole of Switzerland – the land of chocolate!”
SUSTAINABLE FRESHNESS
The theme of the competition in Paris was Futropolis – what will the taste experiences of the future be during times of globalisation? This was the question that Elias Läderach spent many hours pondering. The jury praised his creations for their symbiosis between refined simplicity of the textures, intense flavours and sustainability.
Sustainability is also something that is of great importance to Elias in the family company. The fresh taste of Läderach chocolate begins in the rain forest and in the Swiss Alps. Läderach is one of the few chocolate manufacturers that monitors the entire production process from the cocoa bean all the way to the shop counter.
All Läderach chocolate is manufactured in Switzerland in the canton of Glarus. This holistic view allows the Swiss chocolatier to guarantee its cocoa’s sustainable, premium quality, using it to make exquisite chocolate. This, in turn, is used to make Läderach’s tenderly smooth, melt-in-themouth chocolate creations.
AUTHENTIC ARTISANAL SKILLS
Two of Elias Läderach’s prize-winning ideas are available in the Läderach product range: the Masters Tablet Caramel and the Masters Bonbon Mandarine. These creations lead palates on an inspiring journey into the future of chocolate, full of exotic flavours and sensuous textures.
But inspiration is not just limited to the Masters Collection – every single chocolate product created by Läderach is a miniature masterpiece made with select raw materials. Läderach’s chocolatiers are continually developing new varieties, products and seasonal creations. “We believe in authentic craftsmanship and are extremely passionate about what we do. We still make many of our products by hand,” says Elias.
The premium Swiss chocolate products are made and sold by a team of more than 1,300 employees from 47 different countries. These beautiful, delicious works of chocolate art are sold in over 130 Läderach chocolateries with sales sites in 15 countries and in the company’s online shop at laderach.com.
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