What if chocolate only had Swiss name…? That’s what happens to Toblerone, that world-famous, triangle-shaped candy bar. The American group Mondelez, which owns the brand, has decided to relocate part of the production to Slovakia. It doesn’t change the taste of chocolate. But that changes everything for the image of Toblerone, which is closely linked to Switzerland.
With our correspondent in Geneva, Jeremiah Lance
When Theodor Tobler invented Toblerone in 1908, he did not think for a single second that its pyramidal shape could evoke the Matterhorn, the most famous summit of the Swiss Confederation. But the idea is gradually gaining ground. Until the mountain was systematically displayed on the packaging, thus contributing to its success.
Manufacturing in Bratislava
So when the Mondelez group announced that next year the little chocolate triangles would be made in Bratislava, some people in Switzerland cringed. That doesn’t mean that the main factory in the Bern region won’t be making any more. But Toblerone could lose the right to be called Swiss chocolate.
And an American Gruyere?
This is not the first time that a product formerly stamped made in Switzerland is actually made very far from the Alps. Milka chocolate has not been produced in Switzerland for a very long time; there are Ovaltine factories in Shanghai, Bangkok and Melbourne. As for Gruyère, American justice has considered since the beginning of the year that it can be produced in the United States.
►Also read: The Swiss government announces that it wants à la carte negotiations with the EU