yyymmmgoood -- Trip to the Chocolate Factory

While America is the number one chocolate producer, the Swiss consume more chocolate than anyone else. With the American Women’s Club, Mary Helen toured the Frey chocolate factorylast week. A double treat as we were encouraged to try more chocolate than anyone should consume in a month and were given a rare opportunity for a glimpse into the Swiss working world. The Frey Brothers began making chocolate in the 1870’s and in the early 20th century were bought out by Migros, the Swiss grocery conglomerate. Not surprising that we weren’t permitted to take photos, nor was the emphasis on hygiene. It was interesting to see the facility's tranquility; this is not the busy season but the early days of making chocolate for the 2007 Christmas season! The biggest chocolate season in Switzerland is Easter; Frey makes 30 million bunnies! Preparing for the Christmas season in March is necessary because so many workers take a month of vacation each summer. For quality control much of the work is still done by humans though there are new robotic arms for packing the candy boxes that are so speedy that the workers have had to significantly change their procedures to accommodate the robots.
The Swiss contribution to the making of chocolate includes the first milk chocolate and the “conching”, mixing and refining of the chocolate that gives it the smooth texture.
If all this makes you hungry for chocolate, you can find Frey chocolate at Target. It may not say Frey but if it says made in Switzerland and has only natural ingredients, it is Frey.