Lindt & Sprüngli started out in 1845 as a small Zurich confectionery Sprüngli & Son. In 1899 it acquired the Bern-based Rodolphe Lindt company. Lindt was the inventor of the conching method, which ensures that chocolate melts in the mouth. It completely changed the modern chocolate making process. Lindt currently has eight production sites worldwide and is present all over the world. Lindt also owns Italy's Caffarel and the San Francisco-based brand, Ghirardelli. It employs more than 7,000 people and in 2006 net sales reached SFr2.6 billion ($2.1 billion).