He is also reportedly affiliated with the anti-abortion March for Life organization. Johannes Läderach, his father, Jürg Läderach, and head of procurement Walter Mannhart all serve on the board of directors, Jürg Läderach as president. Top-level Läderach employees hold leadership roles in Christianity for Today, a spokesperson confirmed. That boycott never took off and In-N-Out remains popular.
In 2019, there was pushback to Chick-fil-A’s plans to open in Redwood City and at the San Jose International Airport, but both locations ultimately opened.Ĭalifornia burger favorite In-N-Out has been previously called out for its anti-LGBTQ politics, and a $25,000 donation to the Republican Party in 2019 led to calls for a boycott. Chick-fil-A has faced boycotts, lawsuits and pushback from elected officials for the fast-food chain’s anti-LGBTQ beliefs. It’s not unusual for companies with controversial political stances to flourish in the U.S. The spokesperson couldn’t say whether the backlash negatively affected sales, but pointed to Läderach’s “aggressive” expansion in the wake of it as evidence to the contrary. Swiss Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Läderach was recently asked and plans to place a bid to supply the airline with its chocolate again, the spokesperson said. Last year, Swiss Airlines stopped serving its chocolates on flights, though a Läderach spokesperson said this was unrelated and that the company’s contract ended as originally agreed upon. Läderach has since faced protests and calls for boycotts in Switzerland. But in Switzerland, its owners made headlines in late 2019 and early 2020 for being affiliated with Christianity for Today, an evangelical group that lobbies against abortion and same-sex marriage.
In the U.S., the owners’ controversial stances haven’t attracted attention. Läderach opened its second Bay Area store at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto in October. growth in part to “high e-commerce demand” for their chocolates, according to a press release. Nathanael Hausmann, president of Läderach North America, has attributed the company’s U.S. Just a few months later, the chocolatier signed a deal with Simon Property Group, a major real estate firm that runs shopping malls across the country, to open 15 additional stores. Läderach opened in New York City in 2019, and in February of this year, the company announced it was taking over 34 Godiva locations across the country. All three sell chocolate made in Switzerland Läderach is best known for large slabs of chocolate bark studded with nuts and fruit sold by the pound, as well as truffles and chocolate bars.