Product type Confectionery | Owner Mondelēz International | |
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Country United States, Germany (Switzerland, origin) Introduced 1825 (192 years ago) (1825) Markets Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Serbia, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, United States. Previous owners Kraft General Foods (formerly known as, 1990-2012)
Jacobs Suchard AG (1982-1990)
Interfood S.A. (1970-1982)
Suchard S.A. (1825-1970) | ||
Milka is a traditional brand of chocolate confection which originated in Switzerland in 1901 and has been manufactured internationally by the US confectionery company Mondelēz International (formerly known as Kraft Foods) since 1990. For more than 100 years Milka has been primarily produced in Lörrach, Germany, producing about 140,000 tonnes of chocolate in 2012. It is sold in bars and a number of novelty shapes for Easter and Christmas. Milka also manufactures chocolate-covered cookies and biscuits.
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History
On November 17, 1825, Swiss chocolatier Philippe Suchard (1797–1884) established a pâtisserie in Neuchâtel where he sold a hand-made dessert, chocolat fin de sa fabrique. The following year Suchard expanded his company and moved production to nearby Serrières, where he produced 25–30 kg of chocolate daily in a rented former water mill. During the 1890s, milk was added to Suchard's chocolate. The product name was Suchard's tribute to soprano Milka Ternina (1863–1941).
In 1970, Suchard merged with Tobler to become Interfood. Interfood merged with the Jacobs coffee company in 1982, becoming Jacobs Suchard. Kraft Foods acquired Jacobs Suchard, including Milka, in 1990. In October 2012, Kraft spun off its snack food division, which was renamed Mondelēz International.
Advertising
The brand's symbol is a purple cow with a bell around her neck, usually in an Alpine meadow. During the 1990s, Peter Steiner appeared in Milka commercials.
Production locations
Milka chocolate is produced at a number of locations, including Lörrach, Germany; Bludenz, Austria; Belgrade, Serbia; Svoge, Bulgaria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Brașov, Romania; Costa Rica; Curitiba, Brazil; Jankowice, Poland; Trostianets, Ukraine; Belgium, Argentina, and Chicago.
Varieties
Milka is sold in a number of packages and flavors, according to where it is purchased: