Toms
Danish chocolate and sweets maker founded in Copenhagen in 1924, known for Skildpadder and Guld Barre and made in an Arne Jacobsen factory in Ballerup.
- Founded
- 1924
- Founded by
- Hans Trojel, Victor Hans Meyer
- Company
- Toms Group
- Based in
- Ballerup
Pictures © Toms Group, from tomsgroupheritage.com.
Why it is renowned
Toms makes about 50,000 tons of chocolate and sweets a year for customers in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom.1 The Copenhagen Tourism souvenir guide names Toms' Skildpadder, the chocolate turtles, as a Danish chocolate to take home.2
Its export trade began after the Second World War, when baking masses from the Amager factory went to England until the early 1950s.3 In 1956 Anthon Berg marzipan went on sale on the Copenhagen–Landskrona ferry, and from there Toms, Ga-Jol and Pingvin also took a strong place in ferry, border and airport shops.3
The story
The pharmacists Hans Trojel and Victor H. Meyer registered Toms Fabrikker A/S on 30 January 1924. They already ran vending machines at stations and outside shops, and chose to make the sweets for them themselves.4 Their factory on Prags Boulevard on Amager opened in 1926 and made eating chocolate such as Tommelise.5
The wholesaler Victor B. Strand bought the company in 1942, added Anthon Berg in 1954, and in 1974 gave all the shares to a foundation, now the Toms Group Foundation, which still owns it.4 In 1962 production moved to Ballerup, to a factory designed by Arne Jacobsen; a third factory, in Nowa Sol, followed in 2019.5 The group also owns Galle & Jessen with Ga-Jol, Pingvin licorice and, since 2011, the German chocolate maker Hachez.1
Works
Guld Barre A 45 g chocolate bar from Toms, first sold in 1933 and relaunched later in the 1930s in cream (milk) and bitter (dark) versions.
Skildpadder Skildpadder are turtle-shaped Toms chocolates filled with rum cream and caramel; the best known is the large Kæmpe Skildpadde.
Tommelise Tommelise is a Toms eating chocolate, one of the varieties Danes could buy once Toms began making eating chocolate at its first factory in Amager in the 1920s.
Yankie Bar Yankie Bar is a caramel, nougat and milk chocolate bar made by Toms since 1946, named after the American soldiers it was created for.
What to know it by
- Skildpadder51948Chocolate turtles, filled with rum cream and, since 1967, caramel
- Guld Barre6Chocolate bar
- Yankie Bar1Bar of caramel, nougat and milk chocolate
- Tommelise5Eating chocolate from the first factory
Sources
- Toms International, Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, read 29 September 2026.
- Best Copenhagen Souvenirs: What to Buy (and Skip), Copenhagen Tourism. copenhagentourism.org, read 29 September 2026.
- The International Journey, Toms Group Heritage. tomsgroupheritage.com, read 29 September 2026.
- Ownership and Brands, Toms Group Heritage. tomsgroupheritage.com, read 29 September 2026.
- Machinery and Production, Toms Group Heritage. tomsgroupheritage.com, read 29 September 2026.
- Marketing over the Years, Toms Group Heritage. tomsgroupheritage.com, read 29 September 2026.
Checked 1 October 2026, against the maker's own pages.