Toblerone

What it is

Toblerone is a chocolate brand owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods). It was produced in Bern, Switzerland, except for some produced before 1970 in England and Scotland, until 2022, when Mondelez began producing some of it in Bratislava, Slovakia. Following the shift away from exclusively Swiss production, the labels were changed to say "created in Switzerland" rather than "made in Switzerland", and the graphic logo was changed to less resemble the Swiss peak Matterhorn. Toblerone is known for its distinctive shape as a series of joined triangular prisms inspired by the Matterhorn mountain and lettering engraved in the chocolate.

Key facts

What it is

trademark, food brand source

Made by

Mondelez International source

Owned by

Mondelez International source

Created

1908 source

Country of origin

Switzerland source

Origin and history

The Tobler chocolate factory was founded in 1899 by Emil Baumann (1880–1960) & Theodor Tobler (1876–1941) in Bern. At the time, the Swiss chocolate industry was expanding dramatically as recently invented milk chocolate became widespread. In 1908, Emil Baumann, the cousin of Theodor Tobler, created the unique recipe consisting of milk chocolate including white nougat, almonds, and honey.

How it is made

In the past it was manufactured in other locations including Bedford in England, and Dundee in Scotland from the 1930s up to 1969. Producer Mondelez planned to start additional limited production from the end of 2023 in a Slovak factory (known formerly as Figaro) in Bratislava. Swiss rules introduced in 2017 mandate that indicators of Swiss provenance such as packaging stating "Swiss" and showing images typical of Switzerland may not be used, so the bar labels were changed to say "created in Switzerland", and the image of the Swiss Matterhorn was replaced by a "modernised and streamlined mountain logo that aligns with the geometric and triangular aesthetic".

Fun facts

The distinct pyramidal shape of the bar lent its name to the Toblerone line, a series of anti-tank emplacements from World War II era, prevalent in Switzerland's border areas. The interior of the Tobler factory in Switzerland was the location where the title sequence of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) was filmed. However, the majority of the film was produced in West Germany.