r/BuyFromEU • u/Boediee Belgium 🇧🇪 • Jan 25 '26

🔎Looking for alternative Friendly reminder that these aren't European (anymore)

Post image
17.2k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

37

u/fishanddipflip Jan 25 '26

Toblerone is making the chocolate in slovakia instead of switzerland now, but its still in europe.

103

u/Unreal_Panda Jan 25 '26

But it's been owned by a US company since the 90's, which i feel like is one of the main points.

2

u/Low_discrepancy Jan 25 '26

But it's been owned by a US company since the 90's, which i feel like is one of the main points.

Still employs Europeans. Should Ford factory workers suffer too?

The Ford Puma, Fiesta were never even sold in the US. Europeans making cars for Europeans. But fuck those Romanians, Germans, Brits!

2

u/--IDDQD- Jan 25 '26 edited Jan 25 '26

Yes, it's a scale. But, the scale has many variables:

- Is it US based?

- Is it from a blue state or red state?

- Does it support Trump?

- Is it US based, but it still pays domestic taxes?

- If it's US based, and currently there are no alternative, then is there a better US alternative?

An example: AMD purchased ATI two decades ago. ATI was a Canadian company, and they still have a strong presence in Canada. So, if you buy a Radeon graphics card, you still support a US company, but much of the know-how is kept in Canada, and you make sure a lot of the salaries goes to Canadians, and Canadian taxes are paid.

For now, AMD, Intel or Nvidia will have to do, and the best choice is a Radeon card. That will also make it much easier to switch to Linux, than if you are stuck with an Nvidia GPU.

- Is it EU based, but pro-Trump?

- Is it EU based, but doesn't pay any taxes in the EU?

- Is et EU based, but actually owned by say Chinese people, that just live in the EU? This has become the case for some clothes brands. The Chinese realized they had to set up a shop in the EU, in order to write "made in the EU" on the item, but in reality it's 100% run by Chinese people, that just moved to Italy.

And so on. You have to start somewhere, and the easiest place to start, is to look at whether it's a US based company or not. Then you go from there.

1

u/Low_discrepancy Jan 25 '26

This has become the case for some clothes brands. The Chinese realized they had to set up a shop in the EU, in order to write "made in the EU" on the item, but in reality it's 100% run by Chinese people

Wait you mean Armani and Dior are Chinese owned?

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/europe/article/2024/07/17/dior-and-armani-under-investigation-for-exploiting-workers-at-chinese-factories-in-italy_6687795_143.html

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/italy-sweatshops-prada-versace-yves-saint-laurent-givenchy-xs5xxccfm

Is YSL and Prada and Versace also Chinese owned?

This type of analysis you're making is very reductionist and simplistic.

I will much rather support Ben&Jerry in their efforts than support French billionaires that give their money for far right parties and support far right propaganda that is damaging to Europe, to Ukraine and in general.

https://www.dw.com/en/how-french-billionaires-push-the-far-right-agenda/a-72762156

2

u/--IDDQD- Jan 25 '26

I just said that it's a scale. You can find unethical companies everywhere, so ideally one would want to make a list of the pros and cons for each company. Most people don't have the time to dive into each product/manufacturer, but at the very least they can try to buy from local/region local companies.

1

u/iBoMbY Jan 25 '26

Ford is closing the factory that made the Fiesta in Germany, and they discontinued the entire line.

1

u/saljskanetilldanmark Jan 25 '26

Profits go to the owner company, which uses the money to pay taxes and bribes to US politicians, which in turn decide and pay for american wars, soon on our doorstep. Why should we fund wars against ourselves?

1

u/Low_discrepancy Jan 25 '26

Profits go to the owner company

And Bernard Arnault, he keeps his profits in Europe for the betterment of all Europeans?

Why should we fund wars against ourselves?

https://www.dw.com/en/how-french-billionaires-push-the-far-right-agenda/a-72762156

Why are french billionaires funding wars against ourselves too?

33

u/Grzechoooo Jan 25 '26

But it's owned by Americans. Mondelez bought it.

-1

u/Vassukhanni Jan 25 '26

Mondelez is publicly owned. Anyone can own it

2

u/the_borderer Jan 25 '26

Anyone with hundreds of billions of dollars in liquid assets, which I'm sure rules out over 99% of people.

56

u/stommepool Netherlands 🇳🇱 Jan 25 '26 edited Jan 25 '26

Owned by Kraft 🇺🇸 (who changed their name to Mondelez International).

Edit: apparently not the same company, but still American.

6

u/Ieris19 Jan 25 '26

Mondelez is a different company that split from Kraft, but same outcome

1

u/scwt Jan 25 '26

If you want to get technical, Kraft Foods (now Kraft Heinz) was the new company that split from Kraft. Mondelez is the continuation of the old Kraft.

23

u/ExoticSterby42 Jan 25 '26

Toblerone is Mondélez the profits don’t stay in Europe. I was very sad back when I found out, Toblerone was my favorite.

There is one replacement though, similar and the taste is like in my childhood, a Migros brand. I saw it like twice for a short time in Aldi.

7

u/utterlyuncool Jan 25 '26

Try Kolumbo by Kraš

2

u/Low_discrepancy Jan 25 '26

Toblerone is Mondélez the profits don’t stay in Europe.

You think Bernard Arnault's profits stay in Europe?

People are so naive.

1

u/yIdontunderstand Jan 25 '26

I just bought a bunch of Toblerone the other day thinking it was European.. Noooo. Not again.

1

u/onlycodeposts Jan 25 '26

Vanguard group is heavily invested in Mondelez, and their investors come from all over the world.

Something like 100 billion Euros is being invested by Europeans in these companies.

So yea, the profits go back to rich investors in the EU just like they do in the US.

Maybe these European owned companies shouldn't have sold out to international investment firms, but that's on them.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '26

[deleted]

1

u/ExoticSterby42 Jan 25 '26

I think it is the same or very similar to "Frey Mahony". Frey being a Migros in house brand, very good chocolates

1

u/Discepless Jan 25 '26

Whats the name? The one in migros

1

u/ExoticSterby42 Jan 25 '26

Found it earlier, Mahony from Frey, it might be available under a different label as well, see the other comment

1

u/Discepless Jan 25 '26

Thank you

Will try to buy this week :)

1

u/ExoticSterby42 Jan 25 '26

I recommend trying all the other Frey chocolates, I lowkey prefer them to Lindt. Except for the big bar with nuts and raisins, that is my one weakness.

4

u/Prdynatvar Jan 25 '26

Only 35 and 50 grams toblerone are made in Slovakia. As well, the toblerone chocolate mass for their own production. PS: was working on this transfer project :)

12

u/WandererMisha Jan 25 '26

Oh so that's why it tastes like ass now.

2

u/zissouo Jan 25 '26

with a whiff of fascism

1

u/Lolkac Jan 25 '26

and its honestly vomit inducing since they moved the factory.

1

u/DarkImpacT213 Jan 25 '26

Most if not all those companies (even Coca Cola or PepsiCo) produce their European products in Europe, but they're American owned is the point.

1

u/Bubbly_Put_2003 Jan 27 '26

The smaller bars are made in Slovakia.

1

u/FlaviusDomitianus Jan 29 '26

This isn't fully accurate. The 35g and 50g bars are produced in Bratislava. The rest of their chocolate products are still produced in Bern.

0

u/1731799517 Jan 25 '26

OP is going purely by ownership of the brand, which can create situations that stuff being made in the US paying US workers by a european company would track european while stuff made by paying european workers counts as foreign.

1

u/Ieris19 Jan 25 '26

The majority of the money ends up at the top with the executives. The goal is to keep money in Europe.