Toblerone chocolate bars featuring the Matterhorn mountain (back) and Geneva Common (front). The Swiss peak of the Matterhorn will be removed when part of the chocolate production is moved from Switzerland to Slovakia and replaced by a more generic mountain under strict “Swiss” rules.
Fabrice Coffrini | Afp | Getty Images
Toblerone chocolate packaging no longer features Switzerland’s famous Matterhorn mountain as its US owner. Mondelez part of the production will be transferred to Slovakia at the end of this year.
The company is also removing the reference to Toblerone as “Swiss chocolate”, instead announcing it as “founded in Switzerland in 1908”.
This is due to Swiss legislation that has been in effect since 2017, requiring any product that uses “Switzerland” to advertise a good or service to meet the product launch criteria. Milk-based products must be produced only in the country.
Lawmakers say it’s a way to protect the reputation associated with Swiss-made products. Signs of “Switzerland” can include the flag, references to cities like Geneva, or in this case, a famous mountain in the Alps known for its neat pyramid shape.
Mondelez has confirmed that it will be changing its packaging due to Swiss legislation as it moves some production overseas.
The Swiss flag flies near the Matterhorn mountain on January 7, 2022 near Zermatt, Switzerland.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
It says the redesigned band features a “modernized and simplified mountain logo that matches the geometric and triangular aesthetic” and retains the subtle outline of the bear on the mountain’s face. The coat of arms of Bern, the administrative capital of Switzerland, depicts a bear.
Mondelez is also changing the Toblerone font and brand logo, which includes the signature of Theodore Tobler, the founder of the unique nougat, almond and honey-filled chocolate bar.
Mondelez said Toblerone bars would continue to be made in Switzerland and invested in the Bern factory to increase production of 100g bars to 90 million a year.
This year’s changes, it said in a statement to CNBC, will help it respond to increased demand and “strengthen the Toblerone brand for the future.”
