Tantalising the young and old alike, the chocolate industry has seen a massive rise over the past several years with sales projections exceeding $98 billion in 2016 globally. Within this wide market, one brand that has been captivating sweet lovers for generations is Sprüngli. Indulging customers with melt-inyour- mouth confectionary for almost two centuries, Sprüngli possesses an inimitable legacy of delivering exquisite taste, a delectably refined sensory experience and quality par excellence that none can compete with. Tracing Sprüngli’s history, Chairman Milan Prenosil says: “Sprüngli is a family-owned company founded in 1836. Rudolph Sprüngli, second generation, was one of the pioneers in Swiss chocolate making in the 19th century. My brother Tomas Prenosil and I are the sixth generation. We are continuously adapting to market changes through innovation. In 2008, Sprüngli Middle East was established as a freezone enterprise in Dubai – a elatively difficult time for businesses
marked by the global financial crisis. As a result, our growth was initially slower than expected but we believe in long-term strategies. Thus after having observed the UAE market for a long time, we decided to open our first Boutique & Café outside of Switzerland in Dubai in 2014.”
Elaborating on the company’s wide MARC WIRTH, MANAGING DIRECTOR range of luxurious offerings and titillating delights, Managing Director- Sprungli Middle East, Wirth further explains: “Our main products are pralines and truffles as well as our famous macarons known as ‘Luxemburgerli’.
Besides these, our Boutique & Café also offer the Sprüngli signature cakes, hot chocolate, coffee, other
specialities and seasonal products. For this upcoming Ramadan and Eid, for example, we again have interesting products and packaging designs for our corporate clients as well as our customers in the boutique.”
It is not untrue to claim that business success entails longevity and consistency in quality – two assets Sprüngli is proud to posses. When asked to define success, Milan Prenosil says: “Success is not just about monetary gains. Sprüngli in Switzerland has a legacy of 180 years with ongoing operations and expansions. Now that is success! However, it is also a challenge because our strategy and products have to continuously adapt to the ever-changing market trend and consumer demand.”
He further remarks: “Success for Sprüngli in Dubai is building up brand awareness and making people
understand that our chocolates are a niche product for consumers who enjoy the ‘finer things in life’. Success is also that we have managed to bring our products to Dubai with almost no quality difference compared to the products in our home market and being able to serve the local community a truly Swiss product.”
The secret to Sprüngli’s success is in constant evaluation of quality from start to finish, Wirth explains:
“We have our own production unit in Switzerland, direct logistics and stores. We do not franchise and, therefore, have 100 per cent control of the products right from acquiring the raw material to production, packaging, distribution and delivery. It is a strict commitment to maintain certain high standards and
achieve uniformity of a product. We achieve this benchmark by using only the best raw ingredients, which remains our core philosophy. All our products are still handcrafted in Switzerland with very limited use of machines.
“Quality of our products and services comes with passion and dedication from our employees who deliver their best day in and day out. There is a lot of work behind each and every single product and we can achieve consistency only when we act as one world throughout the company,” he says.
“Companies have smaller marketingbudgets this year. However, chocolate is an affordable luxury. Who can resist it? But on a more serious note, we do of course feel the uncertainty in some sectors and the competition is also huge. In Dubai, we compete with amazing chocolate and confectionary brands from around the world. It is challenging. But competition is also good for the consumer because there
is always something new in the market. We can talk so much more about the exquisiteness of our
products but the best way for one to experience Sprüngli products is surely to visit our Boutique & Café in Dubai,” he concludes.
Sprüngli is a much loved confiseur that is consistently satisfying millions by offering unmatched perfection through its handcrafted premium confectionary and raising the bar in terms of variety and taste.
