HUG powered ahead in 2025 with sales revenue hitting a new record

HUG consolidated its growth momentum in 2025 and passed a new milestone, with sales revenue reaching a record CHF136 million. The DAR-VIDA brand did particularly well: the co-branding with Ovaltine proved to be its most successful launch to date. HUG also showed impressive progress in the biscuit market. After the repositioning of the brand, Wernli became the No. 1 biscuit brand in Switzerland. HUG’s Food Service section exceeded the previous year’s record, thanks largely to exports despite a  challenging economic environment.

Swiss consumers love Wernli biscuits and DAR-VIDA crackers, while culinary professionals have praised the high quality of HUG Food Service products. This has resulted in 2025 becoming the most successful financial year in the group's history, with 4% growth, evenly distributed between retail and Food Service. As far as retail is concerned, DAR-VIDA has once again proved the main engine for growth; its double-digit surge has enabled it to significantly strengthen its market share in the crackers segment. The launch of the DAR-VIDA Ovaltine brand was a huge success: the product has broad customer appeal, so it instantly established itself as one of the leading products in the range.

Wernli: Switzerland’s favourite biscuit brand

HUG has continued to expand in the biscuit market. In 2025, all HUG brand biscuits were brought together under the Wernli name. The purpose of this was to concentrate investment on a strong brand benefiting from increased visibility and targeted product and activation support. The Wernli brand is now present in seasonal segments too with gingerbread and Christmas products. Early results look highly promising, much to the delight of HUG Co-director Anna Hug, representing the fifth generation of this family firm, who commented: “Wernli has increased its market share significantly and become the No. 1 biscuit brand in Switzerland.” However, the Swiss biscuit market is a tough one, with retailers’ own brands and imported products continuing to expand their share of it. On top of that, a major hike in the price of raw materials is driving costs up and complicating matters for the whole sector, including Wernli.

Record sales revenue in Food Service - again

HUG set a new record in Food Service, in the catering and hospitality sector in 2025. Its sales revenue of CHF53 million topped the 2024 record which itself saw the company break the CHF50 million barrier for the first time. The main factor in this progress was export sales, despite tariffs, geopolitical tension and the strength of the Swiss franc complicating the environment. The greatest expansion was seen in European and newly-opened markets. Sales revenue was also slightly up in Switzerland, and several product innovations were successfully launched. “The concentration of the Swiss Food Service market meant we had to manage our range and innovation strategy particularly carefully,” stressed Andreas Hug, Chairman of the HUG Administrative Board.

HUG switches to IP-SUISSE sugar

HUG’s strategy is centred on sustainability and is implemented through seven areas of action. One of the most important ones involves raw materials. HUG has been an ardent supporter of Swissness since 2017 and is now one of Swiss agriculture’s biggest customers. And for more than 20 years now the company has been able to guarantee products made from natural ingredients thanks to a strict, voluntary charter governing raw materials. After a successful pilot project using sustainable whole wheat for DAR-VIDA, HUG is going a step further: from 2026 all its biscuits will use IP-SUISSE sugar, making the company the first major biscuit manufacturer to make this switch. “IP-SUISSE guarantees Swiss origin, farming methods that respect nature and bees, with no insecticides or fungicides, but with verified sustainability,” explained Marianne Wüthrich Gross, Co-director of HUG. This initiative is a concrete measure to help promote biodiversity.

Outlook

The two co-directors are optimistic about the outlook for this family firm that will soon celebrate 150 years of doing business. “Thanks to our dedicated team, we are confident we will be able to meet future challenges successfully, whether they be in the supply chain or related to geopolitical uncertainties,” they explained.

In 2026, HUG will be accorded “Certified Employer” status by the Swiss Arbeitgeber Award, a board that rewards businesses in Switzerland and Liechtenstein based on their attractiveness as an employer. Over the coming year, the company expects moderate growth in sales revenue and investments of CHF6.5 million.

The press release and other documents are available for download via the following link:

projekte/hug/medienorientierung/januar26

The visuals are available for download via the following link:

projekte/hug/factshee/januar26

About HUG

HUG AG employs 437 people at its sites in Malters and Willisau. Founded in 1877 as a bakery in Lucerne, HUG is still a family firm, five generations later. “We really put our hearts into preparing your everyday moments of pleasure,” say Anna Hug and Marianne Wüthrich Gross, who run the company jointly on the following three principles: humanity, entrepreneurship and care. Through its four brands - HUG, Wernli, DAR-VIDA and HUG Food Service - the company offers a wide range of products: from traditional Swiss biscuits such as Zwieback original, to Wernli specialities like Choco Petit Beurre and DAR-VIDA crackers.  In addition to retail products, HUG also offers a full range of high-quality bakery products such as HUG Tartelettes for the catering industry.