Lisa Graf writes about successful Swiss chocolate "Lindt & Sprüngli - two families from completely different backgrounds"

She has been writing all her life, but Lisa Graf's breakthrough as an author came in her early 60s when she published a trilogy about Dallmayr. Now she is devoting herself to a new, internationally renowned family business - this time from Switzerland: Lindt & Sprüngli.

In the past, Lisa Graf's family mainly snacked on chocolate from Milka or Suchard, as the author recalls in an interview with blue News. Only on special occasions did a box of Lindt chocolates appear on the table.

But today Graf, who was born in Passau, Germany, has dedicated herself to the world-famous Swiss chocolatier. Or rather, she has written a historical novel about the story behind Lindt & Sprüngli.

She did a lot of research for it, spending a long time in the Zurich City Archives, the Central Library and the Burgerbibliothek Bern. "I was completely moved when I arrived at the city archives. I had registered for the reading room and the librarian had asked me in advance by email what exactly I was interested in. When I arrived, the books, magazines and archive documents were piled up at my desk," says Graf.

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She was overwhelmed by the willingness to help. "During my lunch break, I bought a small gift for the librarian. Frankly, I wasn't used to that from Munich, the city archive and the state library."

"I always put off writing until later"

Graf had her big breakthrough with a trilogy about the Munich coffee and delicatessen empire Dallmayr. The author originally devoted herself to crime novels, but then discovered a new genre for herself. "I came to the historical novel before the pandemic and I'm sticking with it now as long as I and my audience enjoy it."

"The usual female biography" was the trigger for her to concentrate fully on her life as an author: Marriage, two children, raising children, country life.

Graf always put off writing until later, but never gave up on the idea. "After the abrupt end of my first marriage, I started writing crime novels in a personal crisis situation. We already know the rest."

There is always a bit of crime fiction behind family businesses

The first part of Graf's new three-part saga will be published on October 2. "Lindt & Sprüngli - two families, one passion" tells "the story of a family business that was founded in the 19th century, found its way to success through all the failures, obstacles and setbacks, survived wars and economic crises and is still successful on the market today".

What fascinates Graf most about the careers of family businesses such as Lindt & Sprüngli or Dallmayr is that sometimes "a thriller is added": "Because neither in families nor in companies are there only saints and upright people, and the paths to success are often crooked."

In the first part of "Lindt & Sprüngli", Graf sheds light on the career of Rudolf Sprüngli, who dreamed of making chocolate one day. The author notes: "Incidentally, he was the first in German-speaking Switzerland, and he actually achieved this in 1845."

At the time, Sprüngli still managed to do this on a modest scale and under primitive conditions, as well as in constant conflict with his father, who was more in favor of the traditional and not something as new-fangled and expensive as chocolate.

Two families from completely different backgrounds

What fascinated Graf most when researching her novel about Lindt & Sprüngli? "Behind it are two families from completely different backgrounds."

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On the one hand, there are the "classic" Sprüngli artisans from Zurich, whose progenitor David Sprüngli started from practically nothing, as he was a penniless orphan. Then on the other side: the "aristocrat" Lindt from Bern, whose father was a pharmacist and grandfather a doctor.

The author says: "You can imagine the tensions that arose."

There are practically no records of women

Graf mainly stuck to the facts when writing. "I research as much as I can and my backgrounds should be correct."

But: "I invent characters, especially the female ones, because there are practically no records of them." From the family trees, you can only conclude that if there are sons, there must have been a woman involved, namely their mother. But apart from names and dates of birth, there is nothing about them that anyone has recorded.

"However, as I don't want to tell purely male stories, I bring the women out of their imposed hiding place and give them the roles they deserve," says Graf.

The same applies to employees, apprentices, millers and so on.

Lindt & Sprüngli is still reviewing the first part of the saga

Graf considers the fact that the Sprüngli family split up in 1892 - one branch is still behind the confectionery, another behind the chocolate factory - to be a "wise decision" by Rudolf Sprüngli: "The elder son Rudolf inherited the chocolate factory, the second son David was a gifted confectioner like his grandfather and was given the two Sprüngli confectioneries in Marktgasse and Paradeplatz. That worked out well and the separation has remained the same to this day."

And how does Lindt & Sprüngli feel about Graf writing a novel about the background to their company? "They're still looking into it," admits the author. Her publisher has sent them the manuscript of the first volume as well as the Dallmayr books. "So they can see what I've done so far."

Lindt Germany forwarded the submission to Lindt Kilchberg. Unfortunately, Graf does not know which person is currently receiving it. But after all, it is not a commissioned work for Lindt, but an independent literary work.

Lisa Graf gets weak at Lindt chocolate

Today, Graf does get weak at Lindt chocolate. "But I don't like it quite so sweet anymore." The writer prefers dark dark chocolate.

Lindt is available everywhere these days: "I can find the chocolate in Germany just as easily as on La Palma, where I often spend two weeks writing in late fall." Graf is already looking forward to that again.

Graf thinks it's a good thing that she no longer writes crime novels. Because now she "doesn't have to kill anyone" in a novel. Her new "salt in the soup" is family secrets, silence where there should be talk, minor and major malice, competition and envy. "It happens in the best families," says the author.

For the future, the 65-year-old hopes to stay healthy, fit in the head and curious. Graf also adds: "That I don't lose my passion for storytelling and that my audience remains loyal to me."

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