Toblerone chocolate will lose the ‘Switzerland’ tag
Toblerone loses the label “of Switzerland” from the front of its packaging following the decision to open a production site for chocolate in Slovakia. The brand was founded in 1908 at the Tobler family factory in Bern. Triangular chocolate – reminiscent of Swiss Alpine peaks – has since been produced in the Swiss capital Bern.
Why is it being made elsewhere?
American confectionery giant Mondolez, owner of Toblerone, says it is opening a new production line in the Eastern European country “in response to increasing demand”.
The company told AFP news agency it would continue to invest in the original Bern plant. It said the launch of a production line in Slovakia would also unlock significant potential at the site in Bern. Mondolez already manufactures Milka and Suchard chocolates in Slovakia.
Mondolez said the move would eventually allow it to “make millions of additional bars.”
However, the fact that it will no longer be produced exclusively in Switzerland means that under Swiss law, the Toblerone can no longer describe itself as Swiss.
The company says it will change the wording on its packaging well in advance of a production shift from 2023. The new design would only say that the Toblerone originated in Switzerland.
Inspired by Swiss Landmarks
Toblerone produces seven billion chocolate bars annually, of which 97% of production is exported to 120 countries. It is commonly seen at airport duty-free shops all over the world.
The triangular shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss and Italian Alps is believed to have given Theodor Tobler the inspiration for the shape of the product. A bear, a symbol of Bern, is also depicted on the Toblerone logo.
The Tobler Company was independent for decades but eventually merged with Suchard and was purchased by Kraft Foods in 1990. It became part of Mondolez in 2012.
The change in size, which removed the peaks from the 400g and 170g bars, thus reducing their weight, caused outrage in the UK in 2016. A Scottish Parliament MP called for “government action”.
Toblerone has previously been made outside of Switzerland for extended periods in Britain and the former Yugoslavia. A similar version is still made under the product name Columbo at the Croatian factory that previously produced it.
RC/DJ (Reuters, AFP)
The Toblerone chocolate to loose ‘Switzerland’ tag first appeared on Deutsche Welle.
