Mondelez International announced Thursday that it plans to invest about 65 million Swiss francs — or nearly $80 million — into the Toblerone brand's flagship manufacturing facility in Switzerland.
Company officials said the spending would turn the Bern complex into the global “Center of Excellence” for Toblerone and marks one of its most important investments in the past decade.
The famed chocolate bar was created in the Swiss capital in 1908, and the site remains home to about 90% of its worldwide production.
“Toblerone is one of the most famous chocolate brands in the world with tremendous potential,” Iain Livingston, president, Toblerone and World Travel Retail, said in a statement. “Our center of excellence in Switzerland, from where we proudly bring our brand and chocolate expertise around the world, is key to the brand's growth ambition to win in the premium segment.”
A state-of-the-art production line is scheduled to go into operation at the Bern plant this fall. Mondelez also said it is "upscaling" chocolate and nougat production and investing in both logistics and infrastructure.
Mondelez says it hopes to become "the number one player in chocolate by 2030."
