HOCHDORF was founded in 1895 with the aim of “exporting sterilised milk in cans”. This goal was achieved in that very first year. HOCHDORF has had a sales office in London since 1896.

> 1908 saw the first production of “Bébé-Kindermehl” infant formula.
> 1954 marked HOCHDORF’s launch of the first global, adapted infant formula “Humana” onto the market.

Our freight routes...

> Each year around 11,500 lorries set off from
HOCHDORF with finished products.
> Around 20% of lorries loaded with HOCHDORF products are sea freight containers.

Our freight routes...

> Each year around 11,500 lorries set off from
HOCHDORF with finished products.
> Around 20% of lorries loaded with HOCHDORF products are sea freight containers.

Our employees...

> HOCHDORF employs people from 26 countries.
> In 2019, the HOCHDORF Swiss Nutrition ( HSN ) employees worked a total of 662,668 hours.
> At the end of 2019, HSN had 361 full-time positions, with around 24% held by women and 76% by men.

Our chocolate contribution...

> The first close collaboration with a chocolate factory began in 1905.
> Around 50% of the powder produced in the Dairy Ingredients division is used directly in the chocolate industry in the form of roller-dried whole milk powder.

Our imports...

> HOCHDORF imports raw materials from 26 countries.
> Around 280 different raw materials are imported annually and processed into high-quality products.

Our recycling...

> In Sulgen, HOCHDORF uses a CO2 recycling plant to filter almost 90% of the CO2 in the flue gas that is released during the production of infant formula.
> The gas produced in the company’s own waste water treatment plants is mixed with the purchased gas.

125 years as an export company

HOCHDORF was founded in 1895 with the aim of “exporting sterilised milk in cans”. This goal was achieved in that very first year. HOCHDORF has had a sales office in London since 1896.

The launch of condensed milk production after 1900 made it possible to produce and supply additional export markets, including Asia. Condensed milk exports reached a high point  between 1913 – 1920. Considerably higher Swiss milk prices led to Swiss milk producers losing their foreign markets in the 1920s.

After 1950, exports were revitalised with sterilised milk in cans and infant formula. The most important markets at that time were Austria, Iran, Thailand and West Africa. The export share was around 10% of overall sales. 125 years after its foundation, HOCHDORF is still recognised as an export company. While the focus stayed on products from the Dairy Ingredients division in the early years, today the export of infant formula is key. We supply healthy, Swiss-made infant formula to babies and young children across the globe.

Caption
Label for exported “CONDENSED SWISS MILK” from 1915 to 1930. (Image source: HOCHDORF archive)