As of this week, there are no plans to shift production, according to a Lindt & Sprüngli spokesperson in an email to Expana that mentioned tariffs only have a short-term effect and that the team is always reviewing production for efficiency.
“The US tariff increases on imports from Switzerland and other European countries have only a limited immediate impact on Lindt & Sprüngli. The vast majority of Lindt products sold in the US are manufactured locally at our production facility in Stratham, New Hampshire. Products produced in Europe represent only a small portion of our overall US sales volume. Less than half of our Lindt products sold in Canada are sourced from our US production facilities.
Regardless of the tariffs, we continuously work to improve the efficiency of our production and supply chains. This includes reviewing which products are manufactured at which sites and for which markets. There are currently no plans to shift production or the sourcing of products for specific markets,” said the spokesperson.
“At Lindt & Sprüngli, we uphold our values by offering premium chocolate products made from high-quality ingredients. Therefore, we will not adjust our recipes,” added the spokesperson when prompted about the use of less cocoa in chocolate products to offset high commodity prices.
As of last week, the Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli was considering a shift in production to the US to combat tariffs on exports from Germany and Switzerland, according to Bloomberg whose reporters wrote about a possible $10 million spend to swap German production of gold-wrapped chocolate Easter bunnies and Santas to the US.
While the US and European Union have locked in a deal at 15% tariffs, the US hit Switzerland with an unexpected 39% duty. For example, Lindt’s Lindor brand is made in Switzerland.
As of July 22, Lindt’s team experienced growth in North America which was behind expectations due to weaker consumer sentiment, according to the company’s first half of 2025 results.
The chocolate producer has had to increase prices (+16%) this year to offset recent record-high cocoa prices.
The chocolatier could weigh a manufacturing shift for products on the Canadian market to come in via Europe. Currently, products in the Canadian market come from a plant in Boston. However, a move from the US to Europe for the Canadian market may be aimed to circumvent retaliatory tariffs that Canada introduced on the US, reported Bloomberg previously. Lindt officials have been evaluating additional investments in the US for several years, but declined to comment on the specific plans, according to the article.
US chocolatier, Hershey also reported similar results in their recent earnings call, reported Expana (Customer access only). Most recently, Hershey has made changes to its leadership, the team announced.
Tariffs, weather worries, and high prices have put a strain on producers of cocoa-derived products. What’s more, there’s been no more mention of tariff exemptions for cocoa. Plus, the West African crop worries have compounded as Expana (and other market watchers) have revised 2025/26 crop production downward.
West African weather remains a concern as tariffs impact cocoa and chocolate. US chocolate manufacturers may be at a disadvantage importing cocoa (near all-time highs) and paying 15% tariffs. Mexico can import cocoa, use domestic sugar, and send chocolate to the US under the US-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA FTA)—although there have been conflicting reports. Another example: EU producers can get tariff-free cocoa and sell it to the US for 15%. However, there is still a question about who will pay these tariffs. Furthermore, the situation becomes more difficult if the European Union’s deforestation regulations (EUDR) are enacted—which would shrink the list of allowable cocoa producers.
If Lindt officials were ever to confirm the Bloomberg-reported shifts in production, one might assume a conservative and uncertain outlook on the current and future provisions of the USMCA FTA, according to Expana sources.
Adjacently, cocoa grinding statistics—a proxy for cocoa demand—in Q2 2025 were down across the board, reported Expana. (Customer access only)
Written by Ryan Gallagher
