No-one was injured in the incident that was triggered when cocoa beans in a roasting machine caught fire.
Smoking roasting machine
A spokesperson for Mondelez International told ConfectioneryNews.com that the machine began to emit smoke and firefighters were called to the scene.
The machine was hauled outside and production was disrupted for about an hour and a half.
Nothing else was damaged by the fire, but Mondelez has had to destroy around a ton of cocoa beans, she said.
Impact on production
According to the spokesperson, authorities are investigating the root cause.
Mondelez has commenced production in a nearby building where the chocolate and nougat for Toblerone are produced, but production in the building where the fire took place has been temporarily suspended.
Mondelez’s factory in Brünnen, Berne, Switzerland produces the world’s supply of Toblerone.
Toblerone is one of Kraft-Foods spin-off Mondelez International’s four priority chocolate brands along with Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Lacta.
Kraft acquired the brand from Jacobs Suchard in 1990.
For Mondelez’s globally chocolate strategy, see HERE.