profession: pilot career: actor - Jet Aviation

The Richterich family had known Herzog
& de Meuron before they were famous
and had commissioned them to build
a warehouse in Laufen in 1987 and then a
packaging and distribution plant across
the border in France in 1993. These
structures became two of the most visited
industrial buildings in Europe and helped
to launch the architects’ international
careers. Ricola recently had them design
another building, a glass marketing
facility across from the management buil-
ding.
Ricola’s administration buildings are
filled with artwork. The company, and
the Emil und Rosa Richterich-Beck
Foundation that it subsidizes, support
Swiss art. They do so by buying artwork,
offering an annual prize for art history,
and supporting galleries and art projects.
When the company buys a piece of art,
it buys books about the artist and
puts them in a library accessible to
employees. Together with the foundation
the company also supports various
charitable causes. Emil Richterich
believed that a company had a responsibility
to society, and Ricola continues to
take this responsibility seriously.
This attitude can be seen in the way the
company treats its employees. It offers
good benefits and profit sharing, and
it regularly organizes events for its staff.
Ricola has also committed to keeping
its business in Laufen, and recently
purchased additional land next to its
production facility. Keramik Laufen,
Ricola’s next-door neighbor at this site
and the largest employer in town, was
purchased by a Spanish company in
1999. The Richterich family not only
kept Ricola Swiss, but has also kept
Ricola independent of banks and outside
shareholders. This allows the family
to make its own choices and focus on
long-term business.
Ricola is competing in an international,
rapidly consolidating market. One of the
ways the company remains competitive is
by continually increasing its product
offering. The company now sells teas and
has increased its candy selection to
include flavors such as cranberry, cherry
and verbena. The combination of new
tastes and established recipes, as well
as a reputation for quality, has kept the
company successful.
In Switzerland customers buy the teas
and appreciate the new flavors. The
original recipe, however, remains the
most popular. It is the chunky brown cube
that carries the taste of home.
Most Swiss grew up
with the herb candy
in the yellow wrapper
Selling Swissness
Part of Ricola’s success can be attributed
to an effective advertising campaign.
At the beginning, the focus was strongly
on Swissness. There were alphorns,
mountain fields, and happy cows chewing
brilliant green grass. This served to
associate the candy and its herbs with a
traditional and natural environment.
The company also put humor into its ads.
There was one with an unlikely group of
rappers turning to Ricola. There was also
an alpine herb picker who was constantly
being deterred from getting the 13th herb
he needed, whether by a hungry goat or
an aggressive hunter.
In 1998 the company started its “Who
invented it?” campaign. In these spots, a
Swiss comedian, Erich Vock, pops up in
countries such as Finland, Australia and
China to point out that the beloved cough
drops are not local, but rather made in
Switzerland. The message is clear:
Switzerland represents quality, and Ricola
is very Swiss.
Outlook 02/2008
49