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Swiss ‘Branchli’ chocolate test: where does your favourite rank?

Caillier chocolate production at the Caillier factory in canton Fribourg.
Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Big differences in flavour and composition: Coop, Migros and Nestlé at the bottom of the rankings.

Known as Branchli, Schoggistängeli, or Prügeli, these round, nut-sprinkled chocolate bars are a nostalgic favourite across Switzerland. Large retailers tempt shoppers daily with brightly coloured packaging—usually red, green, or yellow—which makes these sweets even more irresistible, says consumer behaviour expert Professor Frank Hannich of ZHAW.

Sprüngli Branchli Milch-Nuss
Chocolaterie La Cour Branche Classic
Chocarré Suisse Branches Classic
Volg Branche Classic
Spar Branche Milchschokolade
Munz Haselnuss Branche
Denner Branches
Coop Naturaplan Bio Branche Lait
Frey Milk Branches
Halba Branche Classic
Cailler Branches Originales

Five-member expert jury

Swiss public television, SRF, enlisted a professional jury of five chocolate experts, including tasters, producers, and confectioners, to sample and score eleven popular chocolate bars. Led by chocolate taster Patrick Zbinden, the team applied a rigorous approach to the tasting.

Nadia Koller – Confiserie Roggwiller AG, 1st place Swiss Skills 2022 in the baker-pastry chef-confectioner category, top ten at World Skills 2024 in Lyon, France
 
Michelle Aebischer – confectioner at Mürner one, with “World Champion Pâtissier” Rolf Mürner
 
Giuliano Sargenti – confectioner and master chocolatier at Läderach
 
Maren Gnädinger – Sensory scientist and owner of the chocolate speciality shop “Xocolatl”

Laura Schälchli – Co-founder and managing director of the chocolate manufacturer “Laflor”

Several well-known chocolates—such as Minor, Munz, and Ovomaltine—were excluded due to distinctive features that would make them recognisable during a blind taste test.

Balancing nut and chocolate

The jury awarded top marks to only one of the eleven Branchli: Sprüngli’s Stängeli scored 5.1 with an overall rating of “good.” At CHF10 ($12) per 100 grams, it’s also the most expensive in the test, but the jury praised its harmony between chocolate and nut flavours.

Results: sweetness masks flavour

In general, jury members criticised most Branchli for excessive sweetness, which masked the chocolate flavours. “The balance between hazelnut and chocolate is essential,” explained sensory expert Patrick Zbinden.

‘Classics’ fail to impress

The Branchli from major brands Coop, Migros, and Nestlé did not convince the jury, which found them “floury” and too sweet, with unimpressive nut flavours. The “Branches Originales” from Cailler received a disappointing rating of 3.8.

Similarly, Coop’s “Branche Classic” from Halba also scored 3.8, and Frey’s “Milk Branches” from Migros slightly edged them out with 3.9. Although these popular brands are generally liked by consumers, they failed to meet the jury’s standards.

Handmade beats mass-produced

Seven Branchli ranked in the “satisfactory” range, with scores between 4.1 and 4.5, though prices varied from CHF1.74 to CHF4.06 per 100 grams.

For a unique look at handmade chocolate, SRF filmed the process at “Patrizias Schoggiparadies” bakery in Riehen, canton Basel City. While included in the tasting out of competition, this handmade Branchli offered a quality that would have won the test, just behind Sprüngli’s.

Nestlé / Cailler: “Our ‘Branches Cailler originales’ are an iconic product that many imitators have tried to copy. Our Branchli have been well known and extremely popular for over 100 years. Unfortunately, the result of this 5-person test does not seem to match the opinion of Swiss consumers.”

Coop / Halba: “We take the results of the tasting very seriously. That’s why a panel of experts tasted the offending batches of both products again. There were no complaints about either the ‘Halba-Branchli’ or the ‘Naturaplan-Branchli’. The results are therefore incomprehensible to us.

Halba-Branchli are among the most popular items in our chocolate range. Our customers particularly appreciate the flavour and quality. Their popularity is also reflected in the ratings on Coop.ch.”

Migros / Frey: “The rating is surprising, as our internal tests show no negative results. No deviations were found when the tested batch was checked either. The product has remained unchanged for years and is very popular with our customers. Its popularity is also reflected in the numerous Migipedia reviews of the Frey classic. With over 300 ratings and a score of 4.7 on a scale of 5, the product is rated very highly.”

Denner / Denner: “The Denner Branchli, with its creamy praline filling as a contrast to the chocolate coating, are very popular with customers and always score well in regular tastings. Our own experience is therefore not the same as the test result, but we will incorporate the comments into our regular product testing.”

Translated from German using DeepL/amva

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