Toblerone History

More than 100 years of endearing edges.
Toblerone is known for its distinctive shape, a series of joined triangular prisms.
And lettering engraved in the chocolate.
An aged picture of a building, with the year 1868 in red next to the picture.

1868 Sweet Tooth

Can you imagine an apprenticeship more fun than working in a confectionery? 
Well, neither could Jean Tobler, and that’s exactly what the Swiss did as a teenager. 
By 1868, Tobler was producing his own sweets in Bern, made with chocolate sourced from other Swiss chocolatiers.

An aged picture of a man, with the year 1899 in red next to the picture.

1899 - A Delicious inheritance

Tobler, now 68 and a master chocolatier himself, established Fabrique de Chocolat Berne in 1899 with his sons Theodor and Emil. By 1900, the business was theirs; Theodor was so invested that he built a house for his family next door to the factory. Chocolate on tap? Don’t mind if I do.

An aged picture of a man, with the year 1908 in red next to the picture.

1908 - Triangular Instinct

Toblerone hit the market in 1908, mountain-shaped and deliciously made from Swiss milk chocolate with honey and almond nougat. Where some called it difficult to eat, Theodor saw a marketing opportunity—and in a cool vindication of his triangular instincts, Toblerone’s popularity exploded: by 1919, the company had an annual revenue of 100 million+ francs.

A picture of the Toblerone logo with the year 1920 in red.

1920 - Bear-ly ther

The eagle is removed from the Toblerone wrapper and replaced by the Bernese bear, the Swiss capital’s four-legged icon. It still lives on Toblerone packaging today—but can you spot it?

A picture of a Toblerone with the year 1969 next to it in red.

1969 - Calling dark chocolate lovers

For the first time, Toblerone became available as dark chocolate, a little more bitter but just as tempting. 
The forest green packaging was later reinvented in black.

A picture of 3 bars of Toblerone with the year 1970 next to it in red.

1970 - Moving mountains

You thought Switzerland’s most iconic mountain had always been synonymous with Toblerone? 
Think again—the Matterhorn’s jagged silhouette debuted on the packaging in 1970.

An aged picture of a factory with the year 1985 in red.

1985 - More, more, more

As chocolate lovers around the world fell for the nougaty, tough-to-eat charms of Toblerone, a new factory was opened in the capital of Bern to keep sweet tooths happy.

A picture of a woman mixing chocolate with the year 2014 in red next to it.

2014 - Lifting the curtain

For those curious to see how Toblerone’s uniquely tasty blend of milk chocolate, nougat, and honey comes together, we opened the doors of our factory in the short film Anna Makes Chocolate.

An aged picture of a boy, with the year 2021 in red next to the picture.

2021 - The importance of being triangle

We reached back into Theodor Tobler’s history and came up with a rebranding concept that celebrates the importance of keeping true to your unique self in today's world. Be More Triangle champions the triangles that are to be defined by their edges and quirks and inject premium chocolate with some much-needed edge (three, in fact).

A personalized Toblerone with the year 2022 in red next to it.

2022 - This time around, it's personal

Through our redesigned Direct to Consumer platform, we went all in on personalisation, allowing Toblerone lovers to customise everything from the bars flavours to the messages printed on its sleeve. We’ve also created all sorts of bespoke designs for occasions like Easter and Father’s Day, so you can celebrate the triangles in your life all year long.