Toblerone, Gruyere and champagne hmmm

 

When I opened my flat door after work, my normally lethargic Japanese chin Albert was racing around, jumping up and down.

I was at a new job in Switzerland.

The dog eventually settled down to just pacing. 

I went to bed. A few minutes later, RB2, my flatmate, knocked on the door. "How is Albert?"

 Only when I said, "Weird," did he confess that Albert had gone into his bedroom and ate all of his Toblerone. The dog lived.  

The candy bar was created by Theodor Tobler and produced in Berne, Switzerland since 1908  I do not know if the name came from the military rocks shaped like the Toblerone candy bar or vice versa.  

The candy's logo was the Matterhorn mountain with a bear, one of Bern's symbols subtly in the mountain. 

The company was bought by Chicago-based Mondelez. Because of costs and price differences, the decision was made to move production to Slovakia.

Whoops. Problems arose.

The Matterhorn which is 4,478 meters or 14,690 feet means the their are marketing restrictions and cannot be used on products made outside Switzerland. Toblerone used the mountain's shape on its packaging since forever. Because of law, there will be a redesign and the words "Switzerland" will be replaced by "Established in Switzerland."

As a Swiss, I'm not sure how I feel about that. I can understand the marketing and margin considerations. But there's something that feels like theft of a national symbol.

I am sure that Pierre, Gunther, Rolf, Johnny, Mary, Judy or whomever in another country won't care unless the taste they like and expect is different.

At the same time the  U.S. 4th Circuit of Appeals in Richmond, VA ruled that American-made gruyere is a generic name and the Swiss Gruyere makers could not register it as a trade name in the U.S. despite that Swiss makers of the cheese have to follow strict rules in the manufacturing that the Americans do not. That can reduce the quality of the true cheese -- or maybe improve it. But it does dilute the quality of the product.

 

Gruyère is a town in the Fribourg Canton of Switzerland.

Then again when only champagne made in the Champagne region in France was given the right to use the name Champagne in its product under a variety of brand names by Le Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne. 

Anywhere else producers of champagne had to use terms like sparking wine or method champagne including the Swiss wine made in Champagne, Canton Vaud, Switzerland. 

The little town of Môtiers produced an excellent method of champagne Mauler & Cie.This was the village where I first lived and when I had people of dinner, it was nice to wander down to the abbey/cave and do a tasting as an apèro. 

Companies have a right to protect their product, brand name and image, but when Disney tried to sue a California elementary for showing Lion King as a part of a fund raiser, it seemed over the top. Later Disney apologized and added to the $800 raised and didn't charge the licensing fee it did seem over the top. It is not good public relations to discourage one's main customer base.

A Chinese restaurant in Switzerland had to change its name which started when Mc was in front of its name. Guess which company went after them. We are talking one small restaurant under ten tables. 

I guess I hate to see my country lose jobs, although it is nice for the people who will work for Toblerone in Slovakia. 

I know I like authentic anything. Products that seem to be one thing culturally that are a cheap copy do not interest me. I want real no matter what the product is or what mountain is on the label. 

Silly me.