Confiserie Sprüngli
Encyclopedia
Confiserie Sprüngli is a Swiss luxury confectionery
manufacturer founded in 1836 and internationally known for its signature macaron
s called "Luxemburgerli
".
.
In 1956, Richard Sprüngli took over the confiserie and positioned it as a luxury brand. A year later, Sprüngli sold the first Luxemburgerli
, a sort of macaroon invented by a Sprüngli confectioner from Luxembourg
; they are now the company's flagship product of which about 650 kilograms (1,433 lb) are produced daily. Since 1994, the family-owned company is led by the brothers Tomas and Milan Prenosil, sixth-generation descendants of Rudolf Sprüngli.
s and a range of 2,000 products, including ice cream and bakery goods. The company has 19 retail outlets, some of which also include restaurants. The main store is located on Bahnhofstrasse and Paradeplatz
, while smaller outlets are found elsewhere in Zurich
, as well as in Basel
, Bern, Winterthur
and Zug
. Sprüngli products are also delivered worldwide by air mail and are since 1961 produced in Dietikon
near Zurich.
The Sprüngli café
on Paradeplatz is a traditional meeting-place of the elderly ladies of Zurich's upper class. Local folklore has it that young men who attend the café alone may signal their availability to these well-to-do women by turning over their coffee spoons in their cups. But according to the company's director, this is a persistent myth reflecting Zurich's more puritanical past, when the Sprüngli café was one of the few places where upper-class women could talk to strangers without risking their reputation.
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
manufacturer founded in 1836 and internationally known for its signature macaron
Macaron
A macaron is a sweet confectionery made with egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring. The macaron is commonly filled with buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two cookies. Its name is derived from an Italian word "maccarone" or...
s called "Luxemburgerli
Luxemburgerli
Luxemburgerli is a brand name of confectionery made by the Confiserie Sprüngli in Zürich, Switzerland. Essentially a small macaron, they have a top and bottom sugar-based confection with a center cream filling...
".
History
The company was founded in 1836 when Rudolf Sprüngli bought a confectioner's shop in Zurich. He started producing chocolates, as David Sprüngli & Fils, in 1845 and opened the shop on Paradeplatz in 1859. In 1882, the chocolate-producing branch of the business split off from the confectionery and now operates independently as Lindt & SprüngliLindt & Sprüngli
Lindt & Sprüngli AG, more commonly known as Lindt, is a luxury Swiss chocolate and confectionery company.- History :The origins of the company date back to 1845...
.
In 1956, Richard Sprüngli took over the confiserie and positioned it as a luxury brand. A year later, Sprüngli sold the first Luxemburgerli
Luxemburgerli
Luxemburgerli is a brand name of confectionery made by the Confiserie Sprüngli in Zürich, Switzerland. Essentially a small macaron, they have a top and bottom sugar-based confection with a center cream filling...
, a sort of macaroon invented by a Sprüngli confectioner from Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
; they are now the company's flagship product of which about 650 kilograms (1,433 lb) are produced daily. Since 1994, the family-owned company is led by the brothers Tomas and Milan Prenosil, sixth-generation descendants of Rudolf Sprüngli.
Products and facilities
As of 2010, Sprüngli employs some 1,000 staff, has annual sales of more than 100 million Swiss francSwiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s and a range of 2,000 products, including ice cream and bakery goods. The company has 19 retail outlets, some of which also include restaurants. The main store is located on Bahnhofstrasse and Paradeplatz
Paradeplatz
The Paradeplatz is a square at the Bahnhofstrasse in downtown Zurich. The Paradeplatz tram stop is served by lines 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 13...
, while smaller outlets are found elsewhere in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, as well as in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Bern, Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
and Zug
Zug
Zug , is a German-speaking city in Switzerland. The name ‘Zug’ originates from fishing vocabulary; in the Middle Ages it referred to the right to ‘pull up’ fishing nets and hence to the right to fish.The city of Zug is located in the Canton of Zug and is its capital...
. Sprüngli products are also delivered worldwide by air mail and are since 1961 produced in Dietikon
Dietikon
Dietikon is the fifth biggest city of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, after Zürich, Winterthur, Uster and Dübendorf. It is the capital of the same-named district of Dietikon and part of the Zürich metropolitan area.- Geography :...
near Zurich.
The Sprüngli café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
on Paradeplatz is a traditional meeting-place of the elderly ladies of Zurich's upper class. Local folklore has it that young men who attend the café alone may signal their availability to these well-to-do women by turning over their coffee spoons in their cups. But according to the company's director, this is a persistent myth reflecting Zurich's more puritanical past, when the Sprüngli café was one of the few places where upper-class women could talk to strangers without risking their reputation.