Cadbury’s owner enters ‘snowball fight’ with vegan chocolate maker

Cadbury’s owner enters ‘snowball fight’ with vegan chocolate maker It comes a week after Toblerone sued a vegan chocolate company from Sussex - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Cadbury’s owner has sent another legal letter to a small vegan chocolate company demanding that they stop using the word “snowball” to describe their product. Mondelez International wrote a legal letter to a family-run Devon-based chocolate brand called Moo Free, accusing it of trademark infringement by selling its White Choccy Snowballs, which are gluten-free biscuit-flavoured rice balls covered in dairy-free white chocolate. The brand reportedly registered use of the word Snowball and Snowballs for use in chocolate confectionery as a trademark in 2001. A spokesperson from Mondelez International said: “Cadbury Snowballs are one of our most popular Christmas products, enjoyed by households across the UK. No legal action has been taken, but we have been in touch with Moo Free to make them aware of our trademark. We are open to reaching an amicable resolution.” Moo Free’s products are sold in a number of major supermarkets and online; it told The Guardian it had been selling its Snowballs for about two years before Mondelez demanded it immediately remove the items from sale just before Christmas. Mike Jessop, who co-founded Devon-based Moo Free in 2010, told the paper they began selling online before being picked up by Waitrose and then other supermarkets. He told the Guardian that he had “never even heard of” Cadbury Snow Balls and was lactose intolerant so couldn’t try one. Questioning whether the brand could even trademark as generic a term as “snowball”, he told the paper: “It’s a snowball, it is not like we are making a Freddo,” referring to Cadbury’s famous frog-shaped bar. Moo Free reportedly wrote in a letter to customers: “Moo Free takes intellectual property concerns seriously. However, we do not accept that any infringement has been established and have responded accordingly … We are disappointed to find ourselves in this position, and we stand in solidarity with Catherine’s Originals as it addresses its own situation. We hope to resolve these matters appropriately.” It’s not the first time Mondelez has taken a smaller vegan company to court, after it filed papers at the high court in London this month accusing Catherine’s Originals of trademark infringement over its O’bar. Writing on her website, Catherine Dodd said it was “frightening” for her small business, which she founded as a teenager in 2021, and strongly disagreed with the claims made against her brand. She said the shape of her bars reflected the O for Originals, and the business had no commercial affiliation with Toblerone or Mondelez. The Independent contacted Moo Free for comment. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments [Image text:] Cadbwry MINI SNOW BALLS 74g Moo R Free treats you can trust + white choccy *snowballs * free from dairy,gluten,nuts & soya TOF 14 white cocoa covered biscuit flavour rice balls