After the Schokowerk shutdown

The “real” balls now come from abroad

The Mirabell balls will no longer be produced in Salzburg in future.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Salzburg Mozartkugeln have no longer been rolling off the production line in Salzburg since last week. The golden balls from Mirabell are now being produced elsewhere following the closure of Salzburg Schokolade. However, the US company behind the move does not want to reveal exactly where.

Last week, the last Mozartkugel rolled off the production line in Grödig. The "real Salzburg Mozartkugeln" from Mirabell will be produced elsewhere after the end of Salzburg Schokolade. US company Mondelez had already awarded the license elsewhere before the KEX Group decided to close the chocolate factory in Grödig.

Where exactly the Mirabell balls will be produced in future will not be revealed. "We have found the best solution in our European network," says Mondelez spokesperson Laura Ecker-Sperlich. However, the "real ones" will no longer come from Austria.

Real, original, Salzburger or non-Salzburger? There are countless differences between Mozartkugeln.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

While the original Mozartkugeln from Konditorei Fürst are made in silver paper in Elsbethen, the golden chocolate products from Mirabell will probably come from a giant Mondelez factory in future. The group operates 18 factories in Central Europe. More than four million bars of chocolate are produced every day in Lörrach, Germany alone. Will Germany also be home to the Salzburg balls?

That's fine under trademark law. "The 'real Salzburg' Mozartkugel does not have to be produced in Salzburg," says Daniela Mutz from the Patent Office. This does not contradict findings from name disputes that took place years ago. These mainly revolved around the term "original". Only Fürst is allowed to use it. After all, confectioner Paul Fürst invented the Mozartkugel in 1890.