The company was founded in 1981 by Mr. Jean-Willy Bihler. The company started its activities as a distributor of food products such as chocolates, biscuits and caramels. From the start, it collaborated with GOLDKENN, creator of the famous chocolate gold ingot. The firm is established in a former small bakery in Le Locle. As the premises quickly became too cramped, the company moved for the first time in 1985 and then built its first building in 1989. In 1993 the first extension was carried out and in 1998 the second for a total of 4500 m2.
The Douceurs des Cimes chocolate brand was launched in 1992, renamed SwissDream in 2011; in Switzerland an essential brand in the tourism sector.
In 1997, a co-packing/packaging unit was created which develops and packages all the group’s products. It specializes, among other things, in the manufacture of sachets of St-Nicolas, the Swiss market leader for almost 20 years.
On January 1, 2000, the company became a partner of Pfister Chocolatier SA.
It was in 2002 that a project for the packaging of baskets and furnished boxes was set up, which made the company the leader in Switzerland in this field of services.
In 2005, the Bibichoc brand of seasonal Easter and Christmas products for children was developed.
It was in 2006 that Jean-Willy handed over the chairmanship and general management of the group to his son Nicolas Bihler. The company built in Crêt-du-Locle an additional building of more than 4600m2 in 2007 to store more than 5000 pallets.
In 2010, the company finalized the acquisition of GOLDKENN. Today, it is the Swiss chocolate partner of prestigious brands such as Rémy Martin and Jack Daniel’s. From 2012 GOLDKENN opened its first 2 branches abroad and established itself in the United States and Asia in order to be able to develop these markets more closely.
On May 12, 2015, the Bihler family signed the acquisition of the prestigious Cafés La Semeuse company based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. With this acquisition, the Neuchâtel family group wishes to perpetuate the success of a company of more than 115 years and thus continue to strengthen its position on the market.
The group now employs more than 85 permanent staff and reaches 120 people during the Easter and Christmas production periods.