1926: Schwedenbombe (“Swedish Bomb”) Chocolates

Born in 1906, Walter Niemetz came from a confectioner’s family; his father Edmund had founded a café-confectionary in Linz in 1890. Walter also became a master confectioner, completing his training at the Café Rumpelmayer in Paris. In 1926, Walter Niemetz, together with his wife Johanna, came up with the idea for a new creamy foamy sweet. In order to implement and achieve a flavourful version of their “chocolate kiss”, Walter Niemetz took the advice of a good friend. Together they developed a light airy candy of egg-whites and sugar on a wafer base coated with chocolate. In gratitude for the support, the new candy was named “Schwedenbombe” (“Swedish bomb”) because Niemetz’s friend was a Swede.

In 1930, the confectionary manufacturer Niemetz was founded in Vienna’s Aspangstrasse (3rd District) and in 1934, the Schwedenbombe was patented in the Austrian trademark registry. The candy quickly became a success. Production was interrupted during the Second World War and was not resumed until 1952. Walter Niemetz used the potential of television advertising early on for his successful Viennese delicacy. Following his death in 1992, Walter’s daughter Ursula Niemetz took over the company. Due to financial difficulties, bankruptcy proceedings were initiated in 2013. A solidarity campaign was immediately formed on social media, “Save the Niemetz Schwedenbombe”. Finally, the company was sold to Heidi Chocolate AG, which kept the old employees and promised to maintain the production of traditional Viennese sweets in Austria.