Lindt Weighs Making Chocolate Bunnies in US as Trump Tariffs Hit

(Bloomberg) — Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Spruengli AG may shift production of its world-famous, gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US to sidestep import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

The plan would involve spending as much as $10 million to also make bunnies, Santas and other hollow chocolate figures in the US, according to people familiar with the matter. They are currently all made in Germany. The company declined to comment on the specific plans.

Shipments from Germany would incur US import tariffs of 15% under the levy imposed on the European Union by Trump. A surge in cocoa costs has already boosted the average price of Lindt products by 16% in the first half of this year, according to filings.

Lindt said it’s been evaluating further investments in US capacity for several years, and is expanding its site in Stratham, New Hampshire. In the US, the world’s largest chocolate market, the company grew by 4.9% to $843 million in sales last year, Lindt said in its annual report.

“We are continuously working to make our production and internal supply chains more efficient, taking into account the current situation around tariffs,” a spokesperson for Lindt said. “This includes reviewing which products are manufactured at which production sites and for which markets.”

The move highlights the nervousness of many companies in the European Union and Switzerland. The latter faces a potential hit to revenue after the US imposed a 39% tariff on Swiss imports, the highest in the developed world. Several companies are now looking at ways to lower the levy’s impact by shifting production or reducing output.

Lindt is also considering moving production for the Canadian market from its Boston plant to European facilities to avoid retaliatory tariffs Canada imposed on the US, the people familiar said, asking not to be identified as the matter is private.

The Swiss company already makes many of its products locally in the regions where it sells them, but some treats come from specialized facilities for the global market. Lindor chocolate bars are only made in Switzerland. France is a hub for Lindt’s dark chocolate brand Excellence, and Lindt’s nut creations mainly originate in Italy.

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