Toblerone will have to remove a famous Swiss peak from its packaging as the make of the popular chocolate bars prepares to move its manufacturing.
From July, Toblerone will be produced in Slovakia, rather than Switzerland.
That means the Matterhorn mountain peak seen on the famous labels will have to be removed, in line with “Swissness” rules.
“The ‘Swissness’ legislation strengthens the ‘Swiss Made’ designation and the Swiss cross,” the Federal Institute of Intellectual Property said.
“It provides clear rules for use of the Swiss indication of source when used for marketing purposes, which in turn contributes to preventing any wrongful use of the ‘Swiss Made’ brand. This ensures the long-term value of the label.”
The Matterhorn is on the border of Switzerland and Italy. Under Swissness rules, milk-based products that are not exclusively made in Switzerland cannot use national symbols, the BBC reported.
How long has the Matterhorn been on the Toblerone?
The Toblerone first hit the market in 1908, made from Swiss chocolate, and soon became wildly popular.
Its early packaging didn’t feature the Matterhorn, which was added in 1970.
There have been other changes to Toblerone’s packaging over the years. In 1920, an eagle that featured on the wrapper was replaced with a Bernese bear.
The bear was a nod to Toblerone’s roots in Switzerland’s capital, Bern. Chocolatier Jean Tobler established Fabrique de Chocolat Berne in 1899 along with his two sons. The bear is still seen hidden on the packaging today
The Guardian reported that the Matterhorn would be replaced by a more generic mountain after Toblerone’s production begins in Slovakia.
Mondelez, Toblerone’s parent company, told the BBC that the move abroad was to “respond to increased demand worldwide and to grow our Toblerone brand for the future”.
The statement also said the new packaging would not only include the signature of Tobler, the founder, but a new typeface and logo that “draw inspiration from the Toblerone archives”.
