Heritage
Ricola, thirteen herbs from Laufen
How a baker in Laufen created a herb drop in 1940 and built a global brand on Swiss mountain herbs.
In 1930 Emil Richterich, a baker in Laufen, near Basel, founded his own confectionery business. Its name, Ricola, comes from Richterich & Co., Laufen. In 1940 he created a blend of 13 herbs and the cube-shaped herbal drop that is still made to the same recipe.
Exports began in the 1960s and 1970s, and from 1970 the drops were sold in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States. From 1979 Ricola worked with farmers in Swiss mountain regions to grow its herbs, pioneering the systematic cultivation of herbs in Switzerland.
The company is still owned by the Richterich family and still based in Laufen, where its buildings by the Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron include the Ricola Herb Center of 2014, built from local clay, gravel and marl.
Timeline
1930
Emil Richterich founds the business in Laufen
1940
The 13-herb blend and the herbal drop
1970
On sale in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the US
1979
Herb growing with Swiss mountain farmers
2014
The Ricola Herb Center opens in Laufen
Ricola is No. 56 in the Swiss Lions 100.