Swiss President Guy Parmelin on March 11 helped inaugurate a new Toblerone production line in Mondelez’s Bern, Switzerland, factory, part of a CHF 65 million ($83 million) investment by the American firm in the facility.
The full investment is intended to create a global Center of Excellence for Toblerone in the city the chocolate brand was founded in 1908. The investment increases Toblerone’s production and innovation capability to accelerate the brand’s global growth ambition in premium chocolate.
The expansion has been a year in the works; it’s one of the largest investments in Mondelez International’s chocolate production network in the past decade.
President Parmelin, who also is Minister of Economic Affairs, said in his speech, “If there is one product that represents Switzerland worldwide, it is chocolate. And Toblerone has a very special place among Swiss chocolates. It is more than just chocolate. It is a piece of Swiss history. I am particularly pleased that approximately 90% of Toblerone production continues to be produced here in Bern on this new production line.”
The iconic triangular chocolate was invented in 1908 by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann and has developed over decades into a bestseller from Switzerland. It’s already exported from Switzerland to more than 120 countries. Mondelez hopes to grow it into a leader in the premium chocolate sector, capitalizing on its strong global awareness and uniqueness.
Mondelez explained the product name: Tobler of course comes from its creator Theodor Tobler, and Torrone is the Italian name for honey-almond nougat, a key ingredient in the Toblerone.