- A defect in the ventilation system of the Lindt & Spruengli factory released cocoa powder into the town of Olten.
- The factory offered to help clean up the mess, but no one has taken them up on the offer so far.
Sometimes, the streets of Chicago smell like freshly baked brownies. It’s a rare phenomenon, and I remember it happening most in the winter. Sometimes when I left my apartment in the morning, I’d be immersed in the smell of chocolate. It felt impossible and magical. It’s chiseled out a perfect memory in my mind, the way scent does. I can perfectly recall the December light, my frozen cheeks, and salt-crusted sidewalks.
The source of the smell was, in the end, not so magical. It came from the Blommer chocolate factory. And I may have been one of the last Chicagoans to experience it. A nearby condo association complained to the EPA that the chocolate smell violated the Clean Air Act. Blommer fixed the oversight which allowed cocoa to drift into the Chicago wind.
Nothing sucks the magic out of a situation like a condo association.
A Very Swiss Factory Malfunction
Lucky residents in a small Swiss town experienced a similar phenomenon this week. A factory malfunction caused a fine dusting of cocoa powder to coat the village, which sounds like something that should happen in Switzerland at least once a week. The chocolate factory, The Lindt & Spruengli, assured town residents that the cocoa powder wasn’t harmful, but offered to pay for any cleaning necessary from the malfunction.
A defect in the ventilation system cooling line for the cocoa nib roasting processor sent the powder out into the atmosphere. It didn’t take them long to repair the malfunction and get up and running again. The Associated Press reported the cocoa powder covered a single car.
Anyone who bakes knows getting covered in flour, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar comes with the territory. It’s annoying, but it won’t wreck your day. It’s nice that the Swiss took such a chill approach to the cocoa-snow and didn’t–like certain condo associations-cry foul over the EU’s version of the Clean Air Act.
Cover More Stuff in Chocolate
We could all use a little more magic in our lives this year. Even if that magic is just brownie-scented air or a light sprinkling of cocoa powder. There’s nothing like a worldwide pandemic to illustrate the fragility of the entire system. And the importance of taking pleasure in the little things.
For the rest of the year, let’s hope for more delightful, harmless malfunctions.