A malfunction in the Lindt factory combined with strong winds led to the scattering of cocoa powder particles on a nearby town • The company offers a free wash for those whose vehicles get dirty
Chocolate flakes // Illustration photo: Getty images
Residents of the town of Olten in Switzerland were forced to rub their affairs as small brown cocoa flakes began to fall across the town and cover sidewalks, vehicles and trees in a thin brown layer with an intoxicating smell.
The surprised residents hurried to fill the social networks with pictures of the strange "natural phenomenon". But the source of the "snow" that fell on the heads of the residents was a nearby chocolate factory.
Cocoa rain in the Oltner industrial district: Ventilation plant is to blame https://t.co/O9Iorni5Iz pic.twitter.com/3LWZCsHeE0
- Olten (@olten) August 15, 2020
The plant, located in the northern industrial area of the city, experienced a severe malfunction in the ventilation system that caused a tremendous emission of ground cocoa powder into the air. Extremely strong winds carried the cocoa for miles.
The company stated that the cocoa flakes are not harmful to humans and the environment and offered all residents whose vehicles got dirty from the cocoa to receive an external wash for the vehicles at the company's expense.