It makes sense to advertise chocolate from Switzerland with the Alpine panorama. In future, however, the Matterhorn logo may no longer be emblazoned on the Toblerone packaging.
Bern – Whoever bites into a piece of Toblerone also enjoys a piece of Switzerland. The chocolate manufacturer from Bern leaves no doubt about this marketing concept. Starting with the peak shape of the milk chocolate, through the “of Switzerland” seal to the proud symbol of the Alpine Republic in the logo; the Matterhorn.
In the future, however, the company will probably have to reconsider its marketing strategy. Because with the partial relocation of the production facility to Bratislava, the product no longer meets the strict Swissness criteria, which state that only where Switzerland is inside, Switzerland can also appear on the label. However, since some Swiss chocolate will be manufactured in the Slovakian capital from autumn of this year, this is no longer entirely the case. This means that the Matterhorn logo has to give way.
Toblerone has always been close to home: “Milk chocolate from Switzerland” as a quality feature
The beige packaging of the world-famous Swiss chocolate undoubtedly has recognition value. While other chocolate manufacturers are sending purple cows into the marketing race, Toblerone has always advertised with a connection to its homeland. In the early days, in 1867, the packaging showed the factory in Bern, but the Matterhorn was not added until 1970. A gentle redesign of the mountain logo followed in 2000.
Already knew?
Since the logo was gently redesigned in 2000, another emblem has been emblazoned on the packaging. Hidden in the Matterhorn, the heraldic animal of Bern is emblazoned with a bear standing on its hind paws. Incidentally, “Toblerone” is a play on words from the name of the founder Jean Tobler and “Torrone”, the Italian name for honey-almond nougat.
Source: toblerone.de
Since the introduction of the Swissness criteria in 2017, national symbols such as the Matterhorn, folk hero Wilhelm Tell or Swiss crosses have only been permitted on product packaging under certain conditions. According to the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), at least 80 percent of the raw materials must come from Switzerland, in the case of milk and dairy products even all of it. And: the essential processing step must take place in Switzerland, informs the authority on their website.
No more traditional logo: Toblerone relocates production abroad – and thus loses the Matterhorn
It has been known since the summer of 2022 that the group, which is now in US hands, is partially outsourcing production. The smaller Toblerone products in 35-gram and 50-gram formats are then to be manufactured outside of the Alpine Republic. Not because the manufacturer had to file for bankruptcy. But because the factory in Bern-Brünnen is reaching its capacity limits; also because Mondelez International wants to increase production. In the future, the parent company from the USA is aiming for an additional 90 million 100-gram chocolates a year.
In the future, instead of the brand suffix “of Switzerland”, the note “established in Switzerland” (founded in Switzerland) will be emblazoned under the Toblerone lettering. And the Matterhorn summit is also disappearing. What the new packaging should look like is not yet clear. It is also unclear whether the new packaging will then only apply to the smaller formats produced in Bratislava, such as the Schweizer Zeitung View reported.
Meanwhile, politicians are discussing the external impact of unhealthy food on society: Federal Food Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) calls for a far-reaching ban on advertising sweets, fast food and the like in Germany. (rku)
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