The story (and the marketing) behind Suchard

In Italy, my country of origin, Suchard chocolate turrón is not the star of Christmas. Different traditions, different flavours, different brands dominate there. I discovered Suchard during my first years in Spain, when I began to realise that here Christmas doesn’t start on December 24th, but much earlier… usually when supermarkets decide it’s time.

And among polvorones, emotional TV ads, and family tables, one classic comes back year after year: Suchard chocolate turrón. A product that is not just eaten, but remembered. It carries nostalgia, childhood, and ritual. Yet it is also a fascinating example of how a popular product can, almost without us noticing, turn back into a luxury item.

Because in recent years, something has changed. The Suchard we know is still there, but its price has changed. Driven by rising cocoa prices and higher production costs, what was once an affordable treat has become an increasingly expensive indulgence. In a complex economic context, this turrón seems to be returning to its origins. And that is not a metaphor.

At the beginning of the 19th century, when Suchard was founded, chocolate was an elitist product.

So exclusive that a small bar, sold only in pharmacies for the upper classes, could cost the equivalent of three days’ wages. It wasn’t a sweet. It was a status symbol.

This is where Philippe Suchard enters the story. Born in 1797 in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, he was a restless entrepreneur from a young age. He started as an apprentice in his brother’s confectionery shop in Bern, where he learned the value of craftsmanship and, above all, commerce. But his ambition went much further. Before succeeding with chocolate, he failed in several ventures: a shipping company, a silkworm farm for making scarves, even an attempt to establish a Swiss colony in New York.

The innovation

That trip to America, however, gave him something far more valuable: direct exposure to industrialisation. Upon returning to Europe, he opened a confectionery shop in Neuchâtel and, just a year later, founded his own chocolate factory. That was the beginning of the real transformation.

Suchard understood a key point: to democratise chocolate, you had to change the process, not just the product. By harnessing the hydraulic power of the Rhône River, he developed the famous Melangeur, a mill using heated granite plates and rollers. This innovation revolutionised chocolate production by improving quality and, crucially, reducing costs. Technology applied to tradition. Industrial marketing existed before the term even existed.

Still, the early years were tough. The company survived on the edge until 1842, when everything changed thanks to a large order from Frederick William IV of Prussia. It was not only a financial boost, but also a reputational one. Suchard became “the king’s chocolate”. And in marketing terms, that always helps.

European expansion

Awards at the Great Exhibition in London (1851) and the Paris World Fair (1855) further consolidated the brand. In 1860, Karl Ruhs joined the company to drive international expansion. Under his leadership, production was further mechanised and factories opened outside Switzerland. Suchard became Europe’s leading chocolate manufacturer.

In this expansion phase, when patent protections were still weak, Suchard replicated a key innovation by Daniel Peter: milk chocolate. To commercialise it, the company created a dedicated brand: Milka. Purple packaging, a cow as an icon, and a brand identity designed to last for decades. And it worked.

The Spanish route

In 1909, Suchard arrived in Spain, opening its first factory in San Sebastián. It played a key role in the region’s industrial development and stood out for something unusual at the time: a strong female workforce and better working conditions than many other local industries. During World War I and the Great Depression, the company successfully diversified into sugar confectionery with the launch of Sugus, ensuring its survival.

After World War II, the chocolate business flourished again. And in Spain, in 1960, Suchard made a brilliant strategic move: launching a “special” product for Christmas. It leveraged the tradition of turrón, while introducing chocolate, something few brands had dared to do until then. A major advertising campaign, strong ambition and a recipe that has barely changed over the decades.

The result was immediate. Suchard turrón became an intergenerational classic. A product that needs no explanation. Just presence.

Until we reach the present.

Since 2020, according to studies such as those by FIT Store, the price of Suchard turrón has increased by 88%, reaching €5 per bar, while its weight has been reduced by more than 11%. More expensive and smaller. The full textbook case of shrinkflation. Consumers are paying almost double for less product, often without clear communication.

On social media, criticism has been swift. The so-called “turrón gate” is not just about prices; it is about the perception of abuse. About breaking the emotional contract with consumers.

It is true that cocoa is going through a severe crisis. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, responsible for 55% of global production, have been hit by the El Niño phenomenon and by diseases that have devastated crops. But it is also true that in many recipes, sugar represents up to 50% of the ingredients. Blaming cocoa alone oversimplifies the story.

Today, more than six decades after its launch in Spain, Suchard turrón remains a tradition. But its price escalation raises an uncomfortable question, highly relevant from a marketing perspective as well:

Can a brand live forever on nostalgia without adjusting expectations, perceived value and its narrative?

Because history reminds us of something important. Suchard was born as a luxury, became a mass product thanks to innovation… and may now be turning back into a luxury again. The difference is that today consumers know it, compare it and question it.

And that changes the rules of the game for any brand.