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55-466: Toblerone ( / ˈ t oʊ b l ər oʊ n / TOH -blər-ohn , German: [tobləˈroːnə] ) is a Swiss chocolate brand owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods ). It is produced in Bern , Switzerland, and Bratislava, Slovakia. Toblerone is known for its distinctive shape as a series of joined triangular prisms and lettering engraved in the chocolate. The company

110-622: A Prime Ministerial candidate. She returned to politics in 1998. A triangular set of residences for students of the University of Manchester on the Oxford Road , Manchester, England, built in about 1975 are known as the Toblerones . The largest-sized Toblerone in production is used as a running gag in the 2017 Netflix series Neo Yokio . Swiss chocolate Switzerland is particularly renowned for its milk chocolate ,

165-528: A double first in 1996. After Cambridge, Schott got a job at the London advertising agency J. Walter Thompson where he was an account manager on the Nestlé Rowntree account working on Smarties , Kit Kat and Polo . After only four months he resigned to become a freelance photographer. Schott worked as a photographer from 1996 to 2003, specialising in portraits of politicians and celebrities. He

220-921: A 200g bar. In the past it was manufactured in other locations including Bedford in England, and Dundee in Scotland from the 1930s up to 1969. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was manufactured under licence in Yugoslavia by Kraš in Zagreb (now in Croatia ). Producer Mondelez planned to start additional limited production from the end of 2023 in a Slovak factory (known formerly as Figaro) in Bratislava . Swiss rules introduced in 2017 mandate that indicators of Swiss provenance such as packaging stating "Swiss" and showing images typical of Switzerland may not be used, so

275-598: A clock". In November 2018 his first novel, a pastiche Jeeves book titled Jeeves and the King of Clubs , was published by Little, Brown, and Company . It was written in homage to Jeeves creator P. G. Wodehouse , with the blessing of the Wodehouse Estate. Schott wrote a sequel titled Jeeves and the Leap of Faith that was published in 2020. For two years after the publication of the first Miscellany, Schott wrote

330-656: A factory in Turin (Italy) which would be used by Caffarel . On the other hand, Vevey, in the canton of Vaud, would become a major center of the Swiss chocolate industry. The first well documented chocolate production in Switzerland is that of Philippe Loup and Benjamin Rossier, who started manufacturing chocolate in 1767. Two years later, their production was mechanized using the water-powered Clergère mill. They also obtained

385-530: A few years, sixteen different sorts of chocolate with different packagings were proposed. Shortly after, in 1826, another Swiss chocolatier, Philippe Suchard , opened a chocolate factory in Neuchâtel where he developed a millstone machine to mix sugar and cocoa: the melanger , which is still used today. Before opening his factory, Suchard realized that a small tablet sold at a pharmacy was worth three days' wages. A few years later another chocolate factory

440-419: A first milk bar in 1896. The chocolate industry also expanded in the late nineteenth century with the establishment of new companies, such as Frey and Tobler . From these developments, Switzerland soon dominated the chocolate market. Production increased dramatically, and by 1905, the country was producing 15,000 tonnes (15,000 long tons; 17,000 short tons) of chocolate, a vast proportion of it exported. As

495-509: A lower cocoa content; milk is a widely available resource in Switzerland. As a consequence, Peter's recipe leaked to other nearby manufacturers: Cailler and Kohler . In 1898, Cailler opened its new factory at Broc , where milk chocolate began to be produced on a large scale. Peter also opened a larger factory at Orbe in 1901, before merging with Kohler. The same year, Suchard launched the Milka brand; Carl Russ-Suchard had previously developed

550-635: A result of the increasing popularity of chocolate, world cocoa consumption began to grow extraordinarily. To meet these demands, cocoa production expanded, notably in West Africa , where the Forastero variety began to be mass cultivated in the early twentieth century. Although considered inferior to the Criollo variety, the Forastero type bean is more suited for the manufacture of milk chocolate and

605-486: A running gag of his TV series. In 1995, it was revealed that the Swedish politician Mona Sahlin had misused her government-issued credit card for unauthorised purchases. Because she had bought, among many other more expensive items, two bars of Toblerone, pro-Sahlin journalists attempted to downplay her abuse of parliamentary financial privileges as the "Toblerone affair", but Sahlin was nevertheless forced to step down as

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660-600: A series of anti-tank emplacements from World War II era, prevalent in Switzerland's border areas. The interior of the Tobler factory in Switzerland was the location where the title sequence of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was filmed. However, the majority of the film was produced in West Germany . UK comedy character Alan Partridge battled a longstanding addiction to Toblerones, which became

715-573: A ten-year Privilegium Exclusivum by the Bernese authorities. The cocoa beans were ground and blended with molasses . The hardened paste was then cut into cakes and delivered wrapped in a simple sheet of paper. Loup and Rossier would quickly face competition by numerous other chocolate producers in the region. By 1806, seven chocolate manufacturers were counted in the district of Vevey alone. Together, these seven companies produced about 450 (old) quintals of chocolate yearly (approx. 22 500 kg), of which

770-457: A weekend (or possibly overnight, according to other variants of the possibly apocryphal story). Upon returning to the device, Lindt recognised the final product to have different properties to conventionally produced chocolate at the time, with a less granular texture and greater shine than conventional chocolate at the time, which was generally gritty when solidified owing to the presence of non-ideal cocoa butter crystals . Lindt's invention made

825-680: A weekly miscellany column for The Daily Telegraph , and also produced special miscellany features on Christmas and the Olympics . For over a year he wrote a regular travel miscellany column for the UK edition of Condé Nast Traveler magazine . In 2005 and 2006 the Guardian featured special editions of G2 featuring extracts from Schott's Almanac. In 2008 Schott was appointed as a Contributing Columnist for The New York Times OpEd page. He also writes regular features for The Times . Schott publishes

880-671: A wide variety of shapes. The most common products are chocolate tablets (typically standard 100 g bars) and individual bars. These are either plain or made with other ingredients, such as hazelnuts and almonds, in more or less elaborated ways. Chocolate eggs, bunnies, or figurines are also made by most manufacturers during Easter and Christmas . Most of the chocolate produced is milk chocolate , followed by dark and white chocolate . Chocolate specialties like ganache and praline / gianduja are often used for filled tablets, combinations bars, truffles and pralines . In addition to being popular, hazelnut specialties (like gianduja) help minimize

935-657: Is a typical example. The Union libre des fabricants suisses de chocolat ("free association of Swiss chocolate manufacturers") was founded in 1901. It gave birth to Chocosuisse, the umbrella association of chocolate manufacturers in Switzerland. Swiss chocolate consumption increased dramatically from the beginning to the end of the 20th century, from about 1 kg to 12 kg per capita per annum. Although partly developed outside Switzerland, white and ruby chocolate were also invented by Swiss-based chocolate manufacturers Nestlé and Barry Callebaut , in 1936 and 2017 respectively. Chocolate produced in Switzerland can take

990-578: Is also composed of pyramids of hazelnuts and honey. Kraš was producing Toblerone under licence during the 1970s and 1980s. In July 2017, in response to Toblerone's 2016 reduction in size, UK variety store chain Poundland launched its own version of Toblerone called "Twin Peaks", which is larger than the modified Toblerone bar. The distinct pyramidal shape of the bar lent its name to the Toblerone line ,

1045-398: Is cheaper to produce owing to its higher yields. Conversely, milk became the critical ingredient. Unlike cocoa and sugar, milk spoils quickly, therefore it cannot be stored for long periods of time. This favoured the implantation of large factories (as well as new populations of workers) in the countryside, where abundant fresh milk supplies are readily available. The Cailler factory of Broc

1100-597: Is online. The idea for the first book originated in some cards that Schott made to send to friends, which contained booklets of what he considered vital but hard to find information. Schott typeset the book himself and had 50 copies privately printed by the Pear Tree Press in Stevenage. After sending copies out to his friends, he sent one to the CEO of Bloomsbury , Nigel Newton . Newton told The Boston Globe , "I

1155-550: Is widely available in the country, which has a long dairy farming tradition . Milk ingredients are complex and critical in delivering the properties and taste to milk chocolate. Milk-origin ( terroir ) and associated farming have become an important marketing topic. From the 19th century until the First World War and throughout the Second World War the Swiss chocolate industry was very export-oriented. After

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1210-769: The Maestrani's Chocolarium in Flawil . Schott%27s Food %26 Drink Miscellany Ben Schott (born 26 May 1974) is a British writer, photographer, and author of the Schott's Miscellanies and Schott's Almanac series. Ben Schott was born in North London , England, the son of a neurologist and a nurse . He has one brother, also now a neurologist . He went to school at University College School , Hampstead . Schott went to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge , where he read Social and Political Sciences. He took

1265-635: The 7/8 was exported abroad, essentially in other Swiss cantons but also in France and Germany. In 1819, Swiss grocer and chocolatier François-Louis Cailler , inspired by the Ticinese chocolatiers, founded Cailler and opened a sophisticated and water-powered chocolate factory in Vevey, which allowed him to produce solid chocolate that was molded into tablets . He is sometimes credited for their introduction, although those had probably been made earlier. After

1320-607: The Cailler family, first successfully combined cocoa mass , cocoa butter , and sugar with condensed milk , recently created by his neighbour and friend Henri Nestlé , to produce milk chocolate. However, it is only after many years of fine-tuning that the original formula was developed and, in 1887, the Gala Peter brand was finally launched. Daniel Peter called his product 'Gala' after the Greek word meaning 'milk'. Meanwhile,

1375-704: The Original Miscellany with three sequels: Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany , Schott's Sporting, Gaming, & Idling Miscellany and Schott's Quintessential Miscellany . While the first two were best-sellers (Schott had two books simultaneously in the Sunday Times top ten), sales did not match the success of the first book. The first edition of Schott's Almanac was published in Britain in 2005, followed by yearly editions published in Britain, America , and Germany until 2010. The Almanacs shared

1430-590: The Second World War Switzerland began to outsource production due to commercial restrictions. Today most Swiss chocolate is consumed by the Swiss themselves (54% in 2000), and Switzerland has the highest per capita rate of chocolate consumption worldwide (11.6 kg (25.6 lbs.) per capita per annum). In 2004, 148,270 tonnes of chocolate were produced in Switzerland. 53% of this was exported (20% to Germany , 11% to France and Great Britain and 13% to North America ). The gross income of

1485-459: The Swiss chocolate industry in 2004 was 1.37 billion CHF (814 million from the local market, 551 million from exports). Since the expansion of the chocolate industry following the invention of milk chocolate, Swiss chocolate has been heavily advertised using images of Alpine sceneries (often with the Matterhorn ) and dairy farming traditions. This replaced the typical colonial imagery that

1540-435: The amount of cocoa, historically an expensive ingredient, in the finished product. The Branche , a praline-filled bar, is a typical example of a combination of chocolate and hazelnuts. The primary ingredient, cocoa , is not grown in Switzerland; only anecdotal quantities of chocolate using fully indigenous ingredients have been made to date. Cocoa is essentially imported from West Africa. The other common ingredient, milk ,

1595-525: The bars will be labelled "created in Switzerland", and the image of the Swiss Matterhorn will be replaced by a "modernised and streamlined mountain logo that aligns with the geometric and triangular aesthetic". Ingredients in a traditional Toblerone bar include sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, honey (3%), milk fat, almonds (1.6%), emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), egg white, flavouring, cocoa solids (28%) and milk solids (14%). By 1920,

1650-414: The chocolate industry was again revolutionized by another Swiss chocolatier, Rodolphe Lindt from Bern, who developed conching in 1879. The conching process allowed the production of a chocolate with superior aroma and melting characteristics compared to other processes used at that time. The Lindt chocolate company states that Lindt (perhaps mistakenly) allowed a mixer containing chocolate to run over

1705-577: The cousin of Theodor Tobler, created the unique recipe consisting of milk chocolate including white nougat , almonds , and honey . Theodor Tobler came up with the distinctive triangular shape and packaging. The product's name is a combination of Tobler's name and the Italian word torrone (a type of nougat). The triangular shape of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps / Italian Alps is commonly believed to have given Theodor Tobler his inspiration for

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1760-690: The interests of Swiss chocolate producers. The "Convention chocolatière" focused on the quality of the chocolate and sought a uniform price strategy. In 1994 the Convention was disbanded. Several factories have also become tourist attractions as they include guided tours and chocolate museums. Some of the largest are the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg , the Maison Cailler in Broc and

1815-415: The international languages Esperanto and Ido . The Tobler company was independent for many years. In 1970, it merged with Suchard , the makers of Milka , to become Interfood. After the Tobler & Suchard merger it was decided to create a new and single source for marketing & exporting the various products manufactured by both companies worldwide, Multifood. Max E. Baumann, the son of Emil Baumann,

1870-404: The mass-production of chocolate bars more practical, eventually replacing chocolate beverages as the primary means of mass chocolate consumption. The new conching technique and the success of Gala Peter in particular opened a breach into which all the manufacturers rushed. Not only did milk soften the bitterness of chocolate and refined its taste, but it also lowered its production cost due to

1925-516: The most consumed type of chocolate. In 1875, a Swiss confectioner , Daniel Peter , developed the first solid milk chocolate using condensed milk, which had been invented by Henri Nestlé , who was Peter's neighbour in Vevey . In addition to milk, a wide variety of ingredients other than cocoa are used to make the most popular chocolate bars. They notably include nuts (mostly hazelnuts and almonds ) and dried fruits ( raisins ). The 17th century saw

1980-507: The patenting. Toblerone was thus the first patented milk chocolate bar. It is probably also one of the oldest candy bars using milk chocolate , although not the first one; the Branche , another iconic product of the Swiss chocolate industry, had been launched a few years earlier. A Toblerone version made of dark chocolate was launched in 1969. A white version was launched in 1973. Some early advertisements for Tobler chocolate appeared in

2035-475: The peaks, which reduced the cost of making the bars by cutting the weight by about 10%, to 360g and 150g, while retaining the same package size and retail price. Other sizes were unaffected. The change was not well received, with one MSP calling for "government action" by the Scottish Parliament over the change. In 2018 the bar reverted to its original shape, and the 170g/150g bar was replaced by

2090-603: The photo above right. An outline of a bear, the symbol of Bern, is also depicted on the mountain on the packaging. Theodor Tobler applied for a patent for the Toblerone manufacturing process in Bern in 1909. The Toblerone brand was trademarked the same year, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property in Bern. Albert Einstein , who was working at the institute as a clerk, might have been involved in

2145-525: The popular Toblerone recipe already faced competition from other manufacturers, for instance from another Swiss manufacturer, Cailler , who launched the Chocmel tablet that year. Another comparable chocolate made in Switzerland (in this case both for the ingredients and shape) is Mahony, produced by Frey . A similar product is the Croatian product Kolumbo, made by factory Kraš from Zagreb. This chocolate

2200-625: The production of chocolate in Switzerland, for instance the Schermenmühle in Bern around 1750. However, most of the chocolate made at the time was mainly the work of Italian and French migrant artisans, active in Ticino ( Val Blenio ) and Vaud . A company was founded in 1767 in Vevey (see below), another one in 1788 in Morges . Two were founded in Lausanne in 1792. At that time, chocolate

2255-538: The same look and feel as the Miscellanies – but were substantially longer and larger. Each edition was different, although some content was shared or adapted. The British edition had sections on The World; Society; Media & Celebrity; Music & Movies; Books & Arts; Science & Technology; Parliament & Politics; Form & Faith; The Establishment ; Sport; and an Ephemerides section that contains traditional almanac information on dates, moon phases, and

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2310-415: The season. The Sunday Times called Schott's Almanac "a social barometer of genuine historical value"; The Boston Globe called it "One of the oddest and most addictively readable reference books in print". Schott introduced the 2006 Almanac with a quote from Ben Hecht : "Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of

2365-590: The shape of Toblerone. However, according to Theodor's sons, the triangular shape originates from a pyramid shape that dancers at the Folies Bergère created as the finale of a show that Theodor saw. Another source of inspiration could have been the similar triangular packaging of the Delta Peter brand. Nevertheless, a silhouette of the Matterhorn appears on the modern Toblerone packaging, as seen in

2420-542: The sizes and number of peaks for Toblerones are as follows: For the yearly Toblerone Schoggifest , a special oversized bar is created to celebrate the bar's anniversary. The bar's weight represents the years of Toblerone, with the first bar in 2008 weighing 100 kg. Since the 1970s, other variants of Toblerone have been produced. These include: In 2016, the 400g and 170g bars in the United Kingdom were modified to have two peaks removed and larger gaps between

2475-448: The start of chocolate processed in Switzerland. In the 18th century chocolate was only produced in a few areas, such as Ticino . The early 19th century saw the first mechanized chocolate factories, all in western Switzerland. Among the pioneering industrials were François-Louis Cailler , Philippe Suchard and Charles-Amédée Kohler . In the second half of the 19th century, Swiss chocolate started to spread abroad. Closely linked to this

2530-500: The year", sales increased, and within weeks Schott's Original Miscellany was at No. 1. Robert McCrum said of the book in The Observer : "Originality is like charisma. It's hard to define, but we know it when we find it ... Schott's Original Miscellany is, without doubt, the oldest, and possibly merriest title you will come across in a long day's march through the shimmering desert of contemporary publishing". Schott followed

2585-720: Was commissioned by a range of editorial and commercial clients, including The Independent , The Sunday Times , Sunday Business , Reader's Digest , and the Institute of Directors . A profile by Tim Teeman in The Times said "his subjects included John Prescott , who was rude, and Sir Roy Strong , who had "the most wonderful, doleful eyes" and told him: "You must realise I'm awfully photogenic." Teeman noted that " Tony Blair asked Schott if he would like to see then-baby Leo ; Cherie barked at him not to take too long as they were about to have lunch." His photographic portfolio

2640-422: Was completely bowled over when it arrived on my desk. It was a work of striking originality, and it was remarkable to receive an unsolicited submission like this in the mail. I immediately passed it to one of our editors, who signed it up." Schott's Original Miscellany was published with little fanfare in 2002, but after an article in the Guardian , in which the book was described as the "publishing sensation of

2695-419: Was essentially consumed as a drink and transport of cocoa beans was slow and difficult, therefore making the product very expensive. It is unclear when chocolate bars meant for raw consumption were made for the first time. It is known, however, that chocolate was also eaten in the form of barks or pastilles (instead of being grated into drinks) by the end of the 18th century. In the early 18th century, chocolate

2750-543: Was founded by Charles-Amédée Kohler in Lausanne: Chocolat Kohler . One of the main specialties of the company was hazelnut chocolate, made since the beginning in 1830. Hazelnut chocolate was the precursor of all combination chocolate bars. The Kohler company is also the creator of the Branche , which ultimately became one of the most popular candy bars on the Swiss market. In 1875, the Swiss entrepreneur Daniel Peter , based in Vevey and related to

2805-504: Was independent from 1899 until 1970, then merged with Suchard , then with Jacobs as Jacobs Suchard, then acquired by Kraft Foods , then by Mondelez International in 2012. The Tobler chocolate factory was founded in 1899 by Emil Baumann (1880–1960) & Theodor Tobler (1876–1941) in Bern . At the time, the Swiss chocolate industry was expanding dramatically as recently invented milk chocolate became widespread. In 1908, Emil Baumann,

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2860-511: Was made director of this new division. Tobler & Suchard companies merged with the Jacobs coffee company in 1982 to create Jacobs Tobler & Suchard. Kraft Foods Inc acquired the majority of Jacobs Suchard, including Toblerone, in 1990; in 2012, it was spun off (alongside several other brands) to Mondelēz . Bar sizes range from ten centimetres to nearly one metre, all similarly proportioned. According to Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany

2915-681: Was still an artisan product. The chocolatiers ( cioccolatieri ) of the Val Blenio , in Ticino, are a particularly notable example. They migrated throughout Europe and created a network of small shops and cafés, where chocolate was sold and could be consumed. In the early 20th century, the Cima Norma Factory would be founded by returning emigrants. Earlier, in 1819, a chocolatier from the Val Blenio, Giovanni Martino Bianchini, founded

2970-401: Was the invention of milk chocolate by Daniel Peter in Vevey and the invention of conching by Rodolphe Lindt . Most large chocolate factories were founded in the 19th and early-20th centuries. Brought from Central America to Europe by Hernán Cortés in 1528, cocoa beans and chocolate finally reached Switzerland in the 17th century. In the 18th century, hydraulic mills were already used in

3025-629: Was used before. Alpine themes eventually became widespread among international chocolate manufacturers. In 1901, Swiss chocolate producers created the Union libre des fabricants suisses de chocolat . In 1916, this was divided into the Chambre syndicale des fabricants suisses de chocolat and the Convention chocolatière suisse . The former "Chambre syndicale" (today the Chocosuisse ) protects

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