Toblerone Is Removing the Matterhorn From Its Packaging
Mondelez is making the change to comply with Swiss law as it moves some production outside of Switzerland
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Toblerone, the triangle-shaped chocolate bars that fill duty-free airport shops, is losing some of its Swiss look as more of the treats are made outside of Switzerland.
The Matterhorn, the famous mountain in the Swiss Alps that has been on Toblerone packaging since 1970, will soon be gone. In its place will be a “streamlined mountain logo,” said a spokeswoman for Mondelez International Inc., the snack company behind the chocolates.
Mondelez said it is making the changes to comply with Swiss law, which says that production of certain foods must be done in Switzerland in order to use the country’s symbols on packaging.
The company said it will be making some Toblerone bars in Bratislava, Slovakia, to keep up with rising demand for the chocolate treat. It will continue to make Toblerone in Bern, Switzerland, where the chocolate brand was founded 115 years ago. Mondelez said it has updated the Bern factory to produce 90 million more 3.5-ounce bars a year.
The chocolate’s recipe will remain the same, the Mondelez spokeswoman said. An outline of a bear hidden in the Matterhorn logo will also stick around, the spokeswoman said, and will appear in the new mountain logo.
Toblerone has been around since 1908, the invention of Swiss chocolatier Theodor Tobler and his cousin Emil Baumann. Its name is a fusion of Mr. Tobler’s last name and torrone, the Italian word for the honey-and-nut nougat used in the bars. The chocolate has a distinct triangular shape, with peaks that look like a mountain range.
In 2016, another Toblerone change upset fans. The amount of chocolate was reduced in some bars sold in the U.K. because of the rising costs of ingredients and production, Mondelez said at the time, causing the gap between the triangular peaks of chocolate to be wider apart.
Toblerone is sold around the world, but the golden triangle packages are hard to miss in airport stores, where giant sizes of the chocolates are available, sometimes weighing more than 4 pounds.
In an episode of “Friends,” Toblerone fan Joey Tribbiani stopped Ross Geller, played by David Schwimmer, as he rushed to the airport. “Ross! Ross!” Matt LeBlanc as Joey shouted. “If you’re going to the airport, can you pick me up another one of those Toblerone bars?”
In addition to the mountain logo swap, Toblerone’s new packaging will also remove references to being made in Switzerland and make an addition: the signature of Mr. Tobler, one of the chocolate’s founders.
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Monthly electric vehicle deliveries at NIO , XPeng , and Li Auto set a record in November. Things are looking even better for December.
EV demand isn’t an issue in China. Pricing, however, continues to be a struggle.
Sunday, NIO reported 20,575 deliveries for November, up about 29% from a year ago. Based on recent guidance, given with third-quarter earnings , NIO expects to deliver about 32,000 cars in December, a record, and up about 77% from a year ago.
Li reported 48,740 deliveries for November, up about 19% from a year ago. Based on recent guidance from Li’s third-quarter earnings , the company should deliver about 65,000 cars in December, up 29% from a year ago.
XPeng delivered 30,895 vehicles in November, up about 54% from a year ago. The midpoint of its fourth-quarter guidance, given on its third-quarter earnings report, was 89,000 cars, implying December deliveries of about 34,000 units.
December’s implied numbers would be a record for all three auto makers. EV demand in China is still solid. The bigger problem is competition. Citi analyst Jeff Chung recently wrote that the Chinese car market is still concerned about a “potential price war in 2025.”
He projects 2024 all-electric vehicle sales of 7.8 million units, up about 28% from 2023. Sales in 2025 should be up another 17% to 9.1 million cars. The problem: The industry has the capacity to make 28 million all-electric cars annually, according to Chung’s calculations. Capacity utilization that low typically isn’t great for profit margins.
At least there is demand. Combined, the three Chinese EV makers sold 100,210 vehicles in November. That’s a monthly record. December guidance implies about 131,000 cars sold, another record.
Coming into Monday trading, NIO stock was down about 51% this year while the S&P 500 was up about 26%. XPeng and Li shares were down 17% and 37%, respectively.
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Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
