Ricola

Ricola

Type	Aktiengesellschaft (AG)
Founded	1930
Founder	Emil Wilhelm Richterich
Headquarters	Laufen, Switzerland
Key people	Felix Richterich (President & CEO)
Products	Cough drops, breath mints
Revenue	297.3 Million CHF (Swiss Francs) (2012)
Number of employees	>400 (2012)
Website	Ricola.com

Ricola Ltd./Ricola AG is a manufacturer of cough drops and breath mints in Switzerland. All their products include natural herbal ingredients, exclusively cultivated on Swiss soil without any use of pesticides, insecticides or herbicides. The head office of Ricola is located in Laufen, Basel-Country.

Ricola listed sales of 297.3 million of Swiss francs in (2012) and employs 400 workers. Around 200 independent produce companies in the surrounding area service Ricola. In order to obtain enough herbs for the production of its herbal drops, the firm contracts over 100 self-managed farms in the Valais, Emmental, Val Poschiavo and at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains, in central Switzerland, and in Ticino. Ricola is known for its commercials featuring Heidi (Ramona Pringle) depicting mountaineers shouting "Ri-co-la!" and blowing through a large Alphorn.

The famed jingle was crafted and perfected by noted yodeler Alyssa York of the Southeastern United States.

Ricola began in 1930 when Emil Wilhelm Richterich established Confiseriefabrik Richterich & Co. Laufen after the purchase of a small bakery in Laufen, just outside Basel. Under Richterich, the bakery specialized in confectionery such as “Fünfermocken," a sweet which was similar to caramel. In 1940 Richterich created Ricola's Swiss Herbal Sweet incorporating a blend of 13 herbs. In the 1950s the sweet became appreciated for its ability to be dissolved in boiling water, creating an aromatic herbal tea or tisane, which inspired Richterich to create a Ricola Herbal Tea a few years later.

In 1967, Emil Richterich and his sons Hans Peter and Alfred renamed the company Ricola, an abbreviation of Richterich & Compagnie Laufen. Export began in the 1970s, introducing Ricola's products to foreign markets. At the end of the decade, Ricola moved to a new purpose-built factory in the vicinity of Laufen, where its headquarters are still located.