Our region has talent: David, L'instant chocolat

Discover a world of chocolate with David, L'instant chocolat?

I’m originally French, and arrived in Switzerland 33 years ago. I did my first winter season in Evolène and in the end, I never left. I’ve moved around Valais, between Evolène, Sion and Verbier, and I’ve been in Crans-Montana for 29 years now. I particularly like the landscapes here, the walks, the permanent holiday atmosphere and its multinational aspect.

What are your interests? Are they closely or distantly related to your job?

Chocolate takes up most of my time. I consider it more of a hobby than a job. Besides that, I really enjoy the mountains and golf.

You work at David, L’instant chocolat. What led you to this business? What do you do, and what do you love about your job?

It’s been 15 years now since I took over what was originally a nougat business. Although my wife and I were set to work in the hotel industry, we’d just had our daughter, and we opted for a job that allowed us a better balance of our time as a family. After a year of working with nougat, we started our chocolate range, which allows me more creativity than nougat, and we ended up just making chocolate.
We were really well received and have had a lot of success in Crans-Montana. Then we ran out of space, and finally moved the laboratory down to Sierre, but we’ve still kept the shop in Crans-Montana.

What is special about your business, and what do you think sets it apart from others?

We work together as a couple, with 20 employees on 4 different sites. In Switzerland, very few companies specialize solely in chocolate like we do, as a lot of them are also bakers or confectioners. We also try to give our chocolates a personal and creative touch, and we never stop innovating.

What is the story behind your products?

The choconougat, one of our flagship products, was created by the former owner of the nougat business 30 years ago. Some Parisian tourists came into his shop, and one of them was allergic to almonds. So he offered to make them a nougat without this ingredient. When he saw that the runny mass wouldn’t hold without the almonds, he decided to roll it out thinly and coat it with chocolate. So this was the birth of choconougat, thanks to these tourists in Crans-Montana, and it’s become a real speciality, the name has been registered in much of Europe.

What are you trying to bring to your customers through your business and your products?

We aim to surprise and delight with original taste combinations and a fine selection of excellent quality products. And even with our existing products, we’re constantly improving.

How has this very peculiar Covid period been for you? How have you had to adapt?

When the first semi-lockdown fell on 14 March, we didn’t experience it very well. It was close to Easter, and we had to close our shops just when everything was ready. We had to react very quickly: we protected our employees and we set up a takeaway service. This period gave us the opportunity to question the way we were doing things, and adjust certain aspects. At Christmas for example, no more than two people could enter the shop at a time. There was a queue, but the quality of the service was better. In the end, it was an experience that led us to reinvent ourselves, and to do things differently.

What motivates you to work in Crans-Montana? In your eyes, what are its strengths?

In Crans-Montana we have the impression that we’re on holiday all the time, it’s a festive atmosphere. There’s also a real spirit of conviviality with the other traders and artisans. Our original idea was always to stay in Crans-Montana and if we’d had a plot of land to build our laboratory, we would still be there.

What’s your favourite place in Crans-Montana, your secret spot?

Hole n°7 on the Severiano Ballesteros golf course, that spot is incredible, and has a beautiful view.

What’s your best memory in Crans-Montana, something that has marked you?

In 2012, when Didier Cuche did his last downhill. We gave him a pair of chocolate skis on the podium. The atmosphere was incredible, and because of the amount of people there, it took us almost 30 minutes to transport the skis from the laboratory to the ice rink! Then the following year, I took part in the World Chocolate Championships in Paris, and I was very much supported by Crans-Montana.

What would you like to see develop in Crans-Montana?

Crans-Montana is a really complete resort, it has skiing, golf, hiking and cycling! But if one thing is missing, it would be a thermal centre, which would bridge the in-between seasons.

For more information on David, L'instant Chocolat and to discover his artisanal products, visit the website www.davidchocolatier.ch