Toblerone chocolate maker drops iconic Matterhorn design due to rules on ‘Swissness’

The maker of Toblerone removed the image of Switzerland’s famous Matterhorn and the Swiss flag from its chocolate milk packaging when it moved some of its production to Slovakia.

Mondelez International of Deerfield, Ill., which owns the Swiss-born brand, said it is in the process of adapting the packaging of Toblerone products to comply with strict rules in Switzerland on how products qualify for the coveted “Swissness” nickname – perceived. by some as a quality standard.

“The packaging redesign introduces a modernized and streamlined mountain logo that is consistent with the geometric and triangular aesthetic,” Mondelez spokeswoman Livia Kolmitz said in an email.

In June, the company announced plans to outsource the production of some Toblerone chocolates later this year to Bratislava, the Slovak capital – where wages and the cost of living are lower than in rich and expensive Switzerland.

The packaging change af fects 35- and 50-gram bars that will be made in Slovakia: larger, 100-gram “tablets” will still be produced in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, the company said.

The law on the “Swissness” of products was adopted in 2017 and aims to protect the cachet of Swiss manufacturing. When it comes to food, two criteria must be met: At least one-fifth of the raw materials that go into the product must come from Switzerland, and the processing that gives the product “important characteristics” must take place in Switzerland.

The chocolate bar, made from honey and almond nougat, is distinctive for the shape of the triangular “peak” that creates the mountains and the corresponding triangular packaging – sold in many countries and duty-free shops around the world.

Toblerone has been produced in other countries – especially at the end of the last century. This treat was invented 115 years ago by the Swiss confectioner Theodor Tobler, with the brand name combined from the family name and the Italian word “torrone” – nougat.

Mondelez has experienced blowback from changes to Toblerone in the past: A move last year to widen the gap between the top chocolate bar – reducing the weight of the bar but keeping the price the same, known as “shrinkflation” – was very angry in Britain, where the change is usually take effect.