Ghirardelli is owned by Lindt & Sprüngli (Switzerland, SIX: LISN), which acquired the brand in 1998.[1][2] Ghirardelli was founded in 1852 in San Francisco, California and was independent until 1998.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Ghirardelli was founded in San Francisco in 1852 by an Italian confectioner who had come for the gold rush, and it is one of the oldest chocolate makers in the United States. Lindt acquired it in 1998, and its square filled chocolates are its best-known product.
Lindt & Sprüngli is a publicly listed company headquartered in Kilchberg, Switzerland, founded in 1845. Brandtree records 6 brands under its control, and it is listed as SIX: LISN.
Lindt & Sprüngli traces to a Zurich confectionery shop opened in 1845 and to Rodolphe Lindt, who invented conching in 1879, the prolonged stirring process that gives chocolate its smooth texture. It is the largest premium chocolate company in the world and owns Ghirardelli and Russell Stover in the United States.
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,570 brands that began in the United States.
492 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Ghirardelli among them.
Lindt & Sprungli acquired the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company of San Francisco in January 1998, its entry into North America and, by the company's own account, the beginning of its expansion into the largest chocolate market in the world. Ghirardelli had been making chocolate since 1852, which makes it older than the Swiss company that now owns it. Only the month is documented here.
The parent company of Ghirardelli is Lindt & Sprüngli, a publicly listed company headquartered in Switzerland.
Is Ghirardelli American or Swiss?
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Ghirardelli originated in the United States in 1852, but it is owned today by Lindt & Sprüngli, which is headquartered in Switzerland. So Ghirardelli is an American-origin brand under Swiss ownership.
When did Lindt & Sprüngli buy Ghirardelli?
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Lindt & Sprüngli completed its acquisition of Ghirardelli in 1998. The price was not disclosed.
Who owned Ghirardelli before Lindt & Sprüngli?
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Ghirardelli was an independent company from its founding in 1852 in San Francisco, California until Lindt & Sprüngli acquired it in 1998.
Is Ghirardelli still owned by Lindt & Sprüngli?
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Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Ghirardelli is still owned by Lindt & Sprüngli. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
[1]Integrated Annual Report 2025 — Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG, Annual report, published 9 March 2026; retrieved 28 September 2026.
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