Swiss chocolate manufacturer for private label, branded products, couvertures and semi-finished products for industry and trade.
Chocolat Bernrain AG / Chocolat Stella SA (Stella Bernrain)
Kreuzlingen (CH) · Giubiasco (CH)New on Amplifa
About Stella Bernrain
Stella Bernrain is an independent, globally oriented family business comprising the companies Chocolat Bernrain AG in Kreuzlingen and Chocolat Stella SA in Giubiasco. The company develops and produces chocolate specialties for customers all over the world: alongside its own Bernrain and Stella brands, above all private label products, which account for around 85 percent of production. Industrial and trade customers are also supplied with couvertures and semi-finished products. Production covers all process steps, from mixing the raw materials through rolling, conching and tempering to moulding and packaging on automated systems. Over 3'000 recipes also cover niches such as organic, Fair Trade, Demeter, kosher, Halal, vegan, lactose-free and sugar-free products. The chocolates are delivered to more than 50 countries, from Japan to Brazil.
- Site
- Kreuzlingen, Schweiz
- Processes
- Mixing chocolate raw materials (kneading into a homogeneous paste), Rolling the pasty mixture (rolling mills), Conching chocolate mass, Pre-crystallising chocolate (tempering at 28–32 °C), Moulding chocolate (tablets solid/filled, bars, Napolitains, pralines, seasonal items such as, Packaging chocolate (automated packaging machines, among others paper-based flow packs), Production of couvertures and semi-finished products for industry, confectioneries and, Recipe development / private label product development (OEM)
- Materials
- Chocolate / couvertures, Milk chocolate, Dark chocolate, Vegan chocolate (lactose-free), Sugar-free chocolate, Coconut sugar, Cocoa-free chocolate alternative based on sunflower seeds (ChoViva), Cocoa / cocoa butter
- Founded
- 1928
- Industries
- Food retail (private labels), Confectioneries and bakeries/patisseries, Industrial and trade customers, Seasonal and promotional items
- 01
Recipe and product development
- 02
Mixing raw materials
- 03
Rolling the pasty mixture
- 04
Conching
- 05
Pre-crystallisation (tempering)
- 06
Moulding
- 07
Packaging
Ingredients and Product Groups
Milk chocolate
Classic couverture, among others also available as a lactose-free recipe.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolates, among others refined with flakes of the dried cocoa fruit (Cocoa Fruit Crunch).
Vegan, lactose-free chocolate
Produced since 2014, among others based on coconut sugar.
Sugar-free chocolate
The first sugar-free chocolate in Switzerland, developed in 1928, goes back to Dr. Franco Vanotti (1960).
Cocoa-free chocolate alternative (ChoViva)
Alternative based on sunflower seeds.
Cocoa / cocoa butter
Main raw materials of chocolate production, partly from long-standing Fair Trade cooperatives.
Nuts, sultanas
Additions for bars, snack bars and specialties.
Coconut sugar
Alternative sweetening for vegan and organic products.
Locations
Kreuzlingen
CHHeadquarters, production, factory store with café
- Materials
- Chocolate, couvertures, semi-finished products
- Mixers
- Rolling mills
- Conches
- Pre-crystallisation/tempering systems
- Moulding lines
- Automated packaging machines
Giubiasco
CHProduction, factory store
- Materials
- Chocolate, couvertures, semi-finished products
- Mixers
- Rolling mills
- Conches
- Pre-crystallisation/tempering systems
- Moulding lines
- Automated packaging machines
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixing chocolate raw materials (kneading into a homogeneous paste)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Cocoa mass, Cocoa butter, Sugar, Milk products |
| Rolling the pasty mixture (rolling mills)Plastics | Particle size < 20 µm | – | – | – | Chocolate mass |
| Conching chocolate massPlastics | – | – | – | – | Chocolate mass |
| Pre-crystallising chocolate (tempering at 28–32 °C)Plastics | Reheating to 30–32 °C | – | – | – | Chocolate, Cocoa butter |
| Moulding chocolate (tablets solid/filled, bars, Napolitains, pralines, seasonal items such asPlastics | – | – | e.g. 50g format (military chocolate) | – | Chocolate, Nuts, Sultanas, Fillings |
| Packaging chocolate (automated packaging machines, among others paper-based flow packs)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Paper, Film |
| Production of couvertures and semi-finished products for industry, confectioneries andPlastics | – | – | – | – | Couvertures, Semi-finished products |
| Recipe development / private label product development (OEM)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Chocolate, Organic, Fair Trade, Kosher, Halal, sugar-free, lactose-free, vegan |
| Production of organic and Fair Trade chocolate, functional products, without added sugar, kosher andPlastics | – | – | – | – | Organic chocolate, Fair Trade chocolate, Coconut sugar, Sunflower seeds (ChoViva alternative), Dried cocoa fruit |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixers | – | – | – | – | Kreuzlingen / Giubiasco |
| Rolling mills | – | – | – | – | Kreuzlingen / Giubiasco |
| Conches | – | – | – | – | Kreuzlingen / Giubiasco |
| Pre-crystallisation/tempering systems | – | – | – | – | Kreuzlingen / Giubiasco |
| Moulding lines (moulding of tablets, bars, pralines, hollow figures) | – | – | – | – | Kreuzlingen / Giubiasco |
| Automated packaging machines | – | – | – | – | Kreuzlingen / Giubiasco |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1928
Achille Vanotti founds Chocolat Stella.
- 1932
Heinrich Weibel founds the Bernrain chocolate factory in Kreuzlingen.
- 1947
Walter and Karin Müller establish their own chocolate business.
- 1950
Karin and Walter Müller purchase Chocolat Bernrain.
- 1955
Production of Switzerland's first private label chocolate for the Lebensmittelverein Zürich.
- 1956
Construction of a modern chocolate factory, switch to industrial production.
- 1960
Dr. Franco Vanotti develops Switzerland's first sugar-free chocolate.
- 1980
Heat recovery system saves 98 % of fresh water consumption; sale of Chocolat Stella to Chocolat Bernrain.
- 1991
Development of one of the first Fair Trade chocolates (El Ceibo) and the first organic chocolate for Pronatec AG.
- 2003
Development of a milk chocolate recipe for people with lactose intolerance.
- 2007
Monica Müller takes over the management of the company.
- 2011
CO2-neutral production with myclimate; biodegradable film packaging.
- 2013
Chocolat Stella moves into new production premises with a heat pump; photovoltaic system in Kreuzlingen.
- 2014
Launch of the first vegan and lactose-free chocolate with coconut sugar.
- 2015
Thurgau Apple Prize and Swiss Packaging Award.
- 2019
Launch of a Demeter chocolate.
- 2021
Occupation of the new building in Kreuzlingen with production, Café Stella and SchokoLaden.
- 2023
Paper-based flow pack packaging.
- 2024
New Quality & Diversity line with Limited Editions “ChoViva & Cookies” and “Cocoa Fruit Crunch”.
- 2025
Relaunch of the STELLA brand (“Swiss Chocolate with Character”); Limited Editions “ApriCoa” (Top 10 Anuga Taste Innovation Show) and “Cocoa Booster”.