Bad news especially for fans of "Mozart-Kugel", the mythical chocolate balls and pistachio marzipan on whose covers is a portrait of the famous Austrian composer.
For decades, Mozart balls were considered the (second?) Most worthwhile candy you can get from Duty Free (after Tobelron chocolate of course), but now their future is shrouded in mist.
The Corona plague has forced Salzburg Schokolade GmbH, which makes Mozart-Kugel under the Mirabell brand, to declare bankruptcy.
The company, which is owned by the global corporation Mondelez (which also owns the Oreo, Milka, Cadbury, Cote Dor brands and also, Tobelron), has been facing financial problems for several years, but it seems that the last year and a half have decided its fate.
Mozart Chocolate, Photo: Press
The quarrel ball
It should be noted that the right to use the brand name "Mozartkugel" (Mozartkugel), launched in 1890 as "Mozart-Bonbon" by the Austrian confectioner Paul First, has provoked quite a few volatile legal disputes over the years.
Since First did not patent his successful product, a number of Austrian and German companies began to produce similar chocolate-marzipan balls of their own.
However, Mirabell is still considered the largest industrial manufacturer of Mozart confectionery, supplying over 90 million pellets a year to more than 30 countries (pre-Corona period).
A good example of a battle for the ball is a competing German company called Reber, which also produces a similar product.
However, an agreement signed in 1981 between the governments of Austria and Germany stipulated that only Mozart balls manufactured in Austria may bear the prestigious title of "original".
Yes, that much.
Encore to Marzipan?
However, the closure of the sky, the lack of tourists from the streets of Austria, the rise in production inputs and the simple fact that during the plague people often stay at home and give each other less festive bonbonniere, have caused a steep decline in demand for Mozart sweets.
The debts of Mirabell, which employs about 150 people and produces additional sweets for the Austrian market, are estimated at tens of millions of euros.
Because of this she is expected to close its doors in bitter taste after 124 sweet years, unless a last-minute solution is found for her.
Two legal hearings have currently been scheduled to decide the fate of the company, and will take place on December 13 and February 7, 2022. In the meantime, the chocolate ball is in the hands of the court.
Mozart Chocolate, Photo: Press
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