Our business model
The Lindt & Sprüngli business model describes the pursuit of our mission and purpose – to create premium chocolate and related confectionery for the global market, and to enchant the world with chocolate. It considers our impacts on the environment, society, and economy, as well as our endeavors to make our business more sustainable.
Click to explore
Our Guiding Principles
Our Guiding Principles
We enchant
the world with
Our purpose is deep-rooted in our company and we strive for it every day.
We passionately create premium chocolate and related confectionery for the global market. We continuously identify and meet consumer preferences and cooperate with our partners along the value chain to contribute to a sustainable tomorrow.
Input
Financial capital
Lindt & Sprüngli has a track record of delivering stable, long-term, organic growth. We allocate our financial resources to affirm our growth-oriented corporate strategy. This drives sustained growth, both in revenue and in EBIT, whilst maintaining a healthy balance sheet position, and robust cash flow generation. It prepares us for market changes and positions us to take advantage of new opportunities to further develop our business success and financial strength.
CHF 301.8 million*
Capital expenditures in fixed assets
CHF 943.3 million*
Net debt
54.2 %*
Equity ratio
CHF 4,257.6 million*
Shareholders’ equity
High-quality commodities and resources
As a premium chocolate producer, we do not compromise on quality. We use fine ingredients and rely on a steady commodity supply, prioritizing the responsible sourcing of our raw and packaging materials. Our responsible sourcing approach applies to both direct and indirect sourcing and considers social and environmental issues.
12 priority raw and packaging materials defined in our
Responsible Sourcing Roadmap
CHF 29.8 million
Cocoa sustainability investments in 2023
Human expertise and know-how
We encourage an entrepreneurial culture. With this, we aim to empower our employees to reach their full potential in an enabling and motivating working environment that is defined by integrity, responsibility, and respect. We foster excellence, innovation, and collaboration, underpinned by our commitment to sustainability. Our success in this is based on a strong company culture, deeply rooted in the Lindt & Sprüngli Guiding Principles.
CHF 1,026.5 million*
Personnel expenditures
Total number of employees per region (headcount)
4,326
North America
8,721
Europe
2,461
Rest of the World
15,508
Total
Production and distribution sites, equipment, and technology
Our chocolates have a strong global presence and are produced at our twelve production sites in Europe and the USA. Our products are sold by 36 subsidiaries and branch offices, in around 520 of our own shops, through our e-shops, as well as via a network of more than 100 independent distributors worldwide. To enable this, we source services such as distribution, logistics, production equipment, and technology.
CHF 278.8 million*
Investments in property, plant and equipment
Brand assets and innovation
We aim to maintain and develop the reputation of our brands to continue inspiring trust and loyalty in our consumers, customers, and other stakeholder groups. We attach great importance to key factors that shape the brand awareness we enjoy in the premium chocolate sector. These include investments to achieve excellence in our marketing, Global Retail, and product innovation. The Lindt Master Chocolatiers exemplify our integrated approach. They form part of our global Research and Development team and are dedicated to blending innovation and exclusivity in the creation of our chocolate products.
CHF 460.3 million*
Net intangible assets (Brands & IP) as at December 31, 2023
Stakeholder network
At Lindt & Sprüngli the foundation of our work rests on cultivating long-term, trust-based relationships with business partners, communities, customers, investors, and other stakeholders. That is why upholding business integrity and human rights is fundamental to how Lindt & Sprüngli operates. Our Compliance Policy is the overarching policy of our Compliance Organization and establishes the governance and organization, mandate, strategyand reporting of Legal Compliance to Group Management and the Board of Directors. Our Supplier Code of Conduct (Supplier Code) demands adherence to social and environmental standards by our partners throughout our supply chain. Our Human Rights Policy articulates our commitment to respecting human rights.
Examples of multi-stakeholder partnerships: Sustainable Cocoa Platforms (ISCOs), World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI), Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF)
Our value chain
Sourcing
We are committed to responsible sourcing of our raw and packaging materials. Our focus is on our most important raw material, cocoa, as reflected by the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, established in 2008.
Transportation
Raw and packaging materials are traded, stored and then transported to our production sites.
Production
The production process starts in our in-house cocoa mass production sites, where cocoa beans are processed into cocoa mass. Cocoa mass is the defining ingredient for our chocolates, which we mold, refine and pack in our chocolate production sites. The packaging for our products follows our sustainable packaging principles.
Retail
We sell our products to consumers through our own shops, online, and via our retail partners.
Consumption
We provide our consumers with premium chocolate products and anticipate trends. We take care to fulfill consumer expectations, creating responsible and transparent marketing material that reflects our values and helps consumers make informed choices about their buying and consumption habits.
Output & Outcome
For more than 175 years, Lindt & Sprüngli has produced premium chocolate, with a focus on quality and excellence. We cooperate with our partners along the value chain towards our sustainability goals. By building our sustainability strategy around our purpose pillars, we seek to improve our social impact and reduce our environmental footprint. For a detailed explanation of our Sustainability Plan 2025 and purpose pillars, please refer to the Sustainability strategy and governance section.
The Lindt & Sprüngli Group incorporates the brands Lindt, Ghirardelli, Russell Stover, Whitman’s, Pangburn’s, Caffarel, Hofbauer and Küfferle. The Lindt brand is present globally with its key franchises Lindor, Lindt Excellence, and its seasonal range including the Lindt Gold Bunny. Ghirardelli enjoys increasing popularity in the North American market with its chocolate bars and Ghirardelli Squares, while Russell Stover continues to be a market leader in sugar-free chocolates. The Group’s more local brands – Whitman’s, Caffarel, Hofbauer, Küfferle and Pangburn’s – have a strong presence in their core markets with iconic, well-established chocolate products, such as the Küfferle chocolate umbrellas. We have also integrated our quality standards into product lines across all brands with a variety of flavors inspired by local cultures and specific innovations. These take into account current trends and changes in consumer demand and include non-dairy and sugar-reduced options.
Key Outputs
Financial
CHF 5.20 billion*
Group sales
CHF 813.1 million*
EBIT
CHF 476.8 million*
free cash flow
CHF 23,958.3 million*
Market capitalization (2023)
897.5 million* dividend + buyback
Shareholder return (from the net financial position) in 2023
116.1 million*
Tax expenses
781.7 million*
Wage and salary expenses
Sales per segment
CHF 2.11 billion*
North America
CHF 2.41 billion*
Europe
CHF 0.68 billion*
Rest of World
Environmental
3.7 million tons CO2 equivalent
Total GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3)
+17.3 %
Change in GHG emissions in 2023 compared to our 2020 levels
116,273 metric tons
Total weight of packaging in all production sites
89.7 %
Percentage of packaging designed to be recyclable
8 %
Reduction of municipal water withdrawal in 2023 compared to our 2019 levels
72.3 %
of cocoa (cocoa beans, powder, butter, and chocolate mass; in volume) sourced from farmers covered by a No-Deforestation & Agroforestry Action Plan
Social
35.1 %
women in senior leadership positions
58.1 %
sourced volumes of raw and packaging materials bearing significant sustainability risks covered by a sustainable sourcing program
72.3 %
cocoa sourced through sustainability programs
100 %
cocoa beans sourced through sustainability programs
131,000
farmers in seven origin countries participate in the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program
50
school facilities in cocoa origins built or renovated since start of Farming Program
9,700
children benefiting from school facilities
27
on-site sustainability assessments in Asia (initial and follow-up) focused on social and working conditions
Outcome
Consumers
Our chocolate and brands are loved around the world by a loyal consumer fan base. A key contributor to this outcome is our comprehensive quality management system, ensuring that our chocolate meets our high quality standards worldwide. Additionally, our transparent and responsible communication avoids advertising to children, encourages responsible consumption, and provides clear nutritional information via our labeling in line with legal and regulatory requirements.
Economies and society
We contribute to economies and society through the taxes we pay. The companies of the Lindt & Sprüngli Group pay taxes in the countries in which they operate their respective business. Lindt & Sprüngli fully complies with both national and international tax laws and regulations, including the OECD standards.
Employees
Our organization is built on a foundation of passionate and talented employees who contribute to our growth. We endeavor to be an attractive employer, fostering a stimulating work environment. Our commitment extends to offering fulfilling and fair career prospects, ensuring equal employment opportunities, and providing a combination of educational opportunities alongside other employee benefits.
Investors
Strategic choices and ambitious growth targets will continue to drive Lindt & Sprünglis financial performance moving forward. Our financial strategies have generated growth and value creation and will continue to do so. Lindt & Sprüngli is well positioned to capture the growth opportunities of increasing demands in premium products. Our sustainability strategy contributes to risk reduction and long-term business sustainability, while promoting good governance.
Natural environment
We are committed to reducing negative environmental impacts through our Sustainability Plan. Our science-based targets align with the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit a global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. We have defined ambitious action plans to reduce our emissions throughout our value chain and operations as well as interventions to support the conservation of biodiversity and natural ecosystems. We are working on improving the sustainability of our packaging materials, designing for recyclability, and striving to reduce material use. The appropriate handling of waste and water within production processes is another priority for Lindt & Sprüngli, in order to avoid, or to reduce, negative environmental impacts at a local level.
People in the supply chain
One of Lindt & Sprünglis focus areas is supporting the improvement of the livelihoods of people within our supply chain, including farmers and their families, our employees, and communities we engage with. To achieve this, we have implemented a responsible sourcing approach which considers social, economic, and environmental aspects of our direct and indirect sourcing. Our own Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program for cocoa aims to increase the resilience of farming households and reduce the risk of child labor.
Suppliers
We aim to have a positive presence in the lives of our suppliers and supply chain partners, while highlighting our responsible sourcing approach. This is achieved through fostering long-term partnerships with our suppliers, collaborating closely to discover common and sustainable solutions, and being a reliable business partner.
*Figures from Lindt & Sprüngli’s audited Financial Report (Annual Report 2023)
Unless otherwise stated, the business model shows 2023 data.