Our story began when Master Konditor-Confiseur André Bollier dreamed of opening his own chocolate shop. Now the business is run by his grandson, Pastry Chef and Chocolatier René Bollier, who apprenticed under his grandfather and father, and trained in Switzerland.
Today, René and his wife Nancy continue to uphold the Bollier family tradition and have fully immersed themselves in the art of Swiss techniques and classic recipes. While honoring tradition, they are known for bringing their personal passion, ingenuity, and pride to create distinctive chocolate experiences for the community that has made André’s a Kansas City treasure for 70 years and counting.
We are dedicated to maintaining the tradition of Swiss confections and heritage of the Bollier family who for three generations have brought the same precision and beauty to chocolate making.
André’s is recognized in "The Book of Bests" as Best Domestic Boxed Chocolate. The books states, "André’s chocolates are not for the timid. The flavors are strong and rich. Exceedingly fresh and tender, they are worthy of any Swiss Confiserie".
The stable foundation that André built with his dedication to providing only the very best products and superior customer service continues to drive everything that the Bollier family, as well as the store's many long-time employees do.
What makes Swiss chocolate special? Its smooth and creamy texture is the result of extended conching which acts to evenly distribute cocoa butter within the chocolate while promoting flavor development through frictional heat, oxidation and the release of volatiles and acids.
The prolonged conching in our milk chocolate caramelizes the sugars, giving the chocolate a distinct caramel taste. In the darker chocolate, it helps to highlight the cocoa notes, creating a rich yet balanced flavor profile.
We work with partners who carefully select the best cocoa beans from around the world. Our partners work directly with cocoa farmers to ensure safe, fair and sustainable trading practices. The cocoa in our signature and single origin dark chocolate is non-GMO, fairly traded, ethically sourced and sustainably grown.
Our confiseurs expertly blend cocoa beans to produce chocolate products that showcase exceptional flavor and texture in every chocolate bar, chocolate almond, truffle, or other chocolate candy confection that we create. Whether its creamy milk chocolate or rich, dark chocolate, we create our products from the finest raw materials with a dedication to quality, innovation and tradition. We take the extra time to focus on the tiny details in the production process of every single one of our Swiss-style confections so that when you take a bite, you can taste the difference.
Read more about our chocolate here.
Three generations of the Bollier Family.
From left to right: Elsbeth Bollier (first generation), Brigitte + Kevin Gravino (second generation), Connie + Marcel Bollier (second generation), René + Nancy Bollier (third generation)
