Mondelēz, the company behind Toblerone, has taken a small vegan chocolate maker to court in London. The dispute is about the O’bar by Catherine’s Originals from West Sussex, a 200-gram bar made of rounded segments. Mondelēz says it infringes its trade mark rights in the Toblerone shape. Founder Catherine Dodd disagrees: the shape is an “O”, she says, not a triangle.
There is no ruling yet. So far, the allegations are only the claimant’s view and have not been tested in court.
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What Mondelēz alleges.
The claim was filed at the High Court in London in October 2026 by Kraft Foods Schweiz Holding GmbH, part of the Mondelēz group. According to Catherine’s Originals, it rests on three points:
- The O’bar infringes the trade mark rights in the Toblerone shape.
- Shoppers could believe there is a commercial connection to Toblerone, which British law calls “passing off”.
- The bar takes unfair advantage of Toblerone’s reputation.
Speaking to British media, Mondelēz called the Toblerone shape one of the most recognised product designs in the world and a hallmark of the brand since 1929. The company says it has a responsibility to protect its trade marks and that it spent several months trying to reach an agreement with Catherine’s Originals, without success.
What Catherine’s Originals says.
Catherine Dodd started the business in 2021, aged 18, with a stall at the Brighton Christmas Market and chocolate made in her parents’ kitchen. Today the family business runs its own factory in Sussex. Most of its sales go through its own online shop, the rest through independent stores and markets.
On 26 October, Dodd told her customers about the claim on the company blog, before the press picked it up. Her position is clear: the company strongly disputes the allegations and has no commercial affiliation with Toblerone or Mondelēz. The “O” comes from “Originals” and runs through the whole range, from the “Milky O’s” pralines to the custom O tin. The rounded segments and colourful stripes on the wrapper are part of that world.
Dodd also writes that she finds the claim frightening and feels pressured to give in. She respects the right of businesses to protect their intellectual property, but says small businesses must be able to defend what they have built. Catherine’s Originals plans to fight the claim.
The O’bar in detail.
The O’bar comes in more than ten flavours, including milk, white, 57 percent dark, coconut, mint and seasonal ones like Pumpkin Spice. It is based on a plant-based “milk” chocolate, and the original contains vegan honeycomb pieces and almonds. According to the maker, the chocolate is also gluten-free and palm-oil-free. Prices start at £9.20 for 200 grams.
Put next to a Toblerone, the format has things in common: long, narrow, split into pieces. Toblerone has sharp triangles, the O’bar has rounded arches. Whether that is enough for confusion is now up to the court. British IP lawyers point out that shape marks are often interpreted fairly narrowly.
Not the first fight over the Toblerone shape.
Mondelēz has defended its triangles for years. In 2017, the British discount chain Poundland wanted to launch a bar called “Twin Peaks” with double peaks. After Mondelēz objected, Poundland delayed the launch, and the bar later reached stores with a changed shape and packaging.
In Switzerland, the company went after the Bern start-up Swissone from 2020. After several rounds in court, both sides settled in 2024, and Swissone has made its bar less angular since.
Is Toblerone vegan?.
No, which makes the case a little absurd. Classic Toblerone is milk chocolate with a nougat made of almonds, honey and egg white. That rules it out three times over, as we explain in detail in Is Toblerone vegan?. Mondelēz does not sell a vegan Toblerone.
So vegans looking for this kind of bar never reach for the original anyway. That gap is exactly what small makers like Catherine’s Originals fill. For more everyday products and their animal ingredients, see our Is it vegan? A to Z.
The animal ethics angle.
Every classic Toblerone contains three animal products. For milk, cows are inseminated again and again so they give birth and produce milk, and the calves are usually separated from their mothers shortly after birth. Egg white comes from laying hens, whose brothers have no place in egg production. And honey is the bees’ winter store, which beekeepers take and often replace with sugar water.
A vegan bar needs none of that. The fact that such a bar is now in court does not change this, but it shows how uneven the fight is: a global group with brands like Milka, Oreo and Cadbury against a family business making chocolate without animal products.
What you can do.
The O’bar is mainly sold through the Catherine’s Originals online shop in the UK, with some independent stockists. If independent makers matter to you, check the back of the pack next time you shop. Many well-known chocolate brands belong to a handful of large groups. Small vegan labels don’t.
How we researched this
Our main source is Catherine Dodd’s statement on the Catherine’s Originals blog of 26.10.2026, which names the claimant and the allegations. The Mondelēz statement comes from British media reports of 29 and 30.10.2026. We have not seen the claim itself. Product details and prices come from the maker’s online shop (as of 30.10.2026). Details on Poundland and Swissone come from press reports from 2017 and 2024. We checked Toblerone’s ingredients for our article “Is Toblerone vegan?”. We have no business relationship with Catherine’s Originals or Mondelēz.
Toblerone, Milka, Oreo and Cadbury are trade marks of the Mondelēz group, O’bar is a trade mark of Catherine’s Originals. They are named for reporting purposes.
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