Mondelēz International and Lotus Bakeries are strengthening their strategic partnership for Belgium

5 May 2025 - 12.45 PM CET

Côte d'Or and Lotus Biscoff®, respectively market leaders in chocolate and cookies in Belgium, are joining forces to bring a combination of two authentic Belgian tastes to consumers. This collaboration reflects not only their shared roots, but also their joint ambition to accelerate innovation and growth in the snacking category.

The partnership between Mondelēz International and Lotus Bakeries has a dual focus: on the one hand, they are jointly developing new chocolate products that combine Mondelēz International's iconic chocolate brands such as Côte d'Or, Cadbury and Milka with the unique, crunchy Biscoff® taste and texture. On the other hand, the companies join forces to expand the Lotus Biscoff® brand in India and grow it through Mondelēz International's distribution channels.

The new Côte d'Or L'Original with crunchy pieces of Lotus Biscoff® is the first co-branded product in Belgium and an example of the strategic cooperation between the two companies following the successful introduction of Cadbury Biscoff® product in the United Kingdom earlier this year.

Mondelēz Benelux aims to achieve €1 billion in sales by 2030 and sees chocolate as a key category within that ambition, with Côte d'Or as its strategic flagship. To maintain its leading position in the snacking market, the company is focusing on targeted growth within its core segments, strengthening its existing assortment and continuously responding to changing consumer trends through continuous innovation.

Within the Belgian snacking market, the chocolate sector is an engine of growth. Over the past five years, the Belgian chocolate market has increased in value by some 22%, driven by both price increases and volume growth. Also, for Mondelēz Belgium, growth within snacking is mainly led by the chocolate category, which represents more than 70% of total growth. As the market leader, Côte d'Or plays a key role here. Today, Côte d'Or products are present in 70%1of Belgian households and the chocolate brand enjoys 96% awareness2. The brand aims to further strengthen its leading position with a penetration rate of 80% by 2030. Innovations, such as the successful collaboration with Lotus Biscoff®, strengthen this position and help build a future-proof portfolio.

"Worldwide, we see that some 91% of consumers snack daily, and as many as 61% eat two snacks a day.3The snacking market also continues to grow in Belgium, with a current increase of 2%4. Due to busy lifestyles and the need for convenience, health and indulgent moments, consumers are increasingly reaching for snacks during the day. By specifically responding to these changing needs, new opportunities arise for us as a company, which we are realizing in part through our partnership with Lotus Bakeries," explains Dirk Van de Put, CEO of Mondelēz International.

Lotus Bakeries' mission with its biggest strategic pillar Lotus Biscoff®, accounting for half of Group revenue by 2024, is to be present worldwide during consumers' favorite indulgence moments with the unique Biscoff® taste experience. The brand's universal taste and appeal are also the reasons why the Group aspires to become the world's No. 3 cookie with Lotus Biscoff®.

"The partnership with Mondelēz International and the addition of Lotus Biscoff® to their renowned chocolate brands such as Cadbury, Milka and Côte d'Or are important steps in that direction." said Jan Boone, CEO of Lotus Bakeries.

‌1 Yougov FY

‌2 Metrixlab - March 2025

‌3 Mondelez International State of Snacking report

‌4 Nielsen P3 2025

"Especially in our Belgian home market, where we have been producing Lotus Biscoff® since 1932 and have since achieved 93% brand awareness and 50% penetration5. The combination with Côte d'Or represents a logical and powerful step forward in realizing our global ambition."

With this launch, two beloved Belgian brands are literally and figuratively melting together. In Belgium, Côte d'Or is the favorite chocolate brand and the crunchy and unique Lotus Biscoff® cookie is a fixture. The brands can both boast impressive brand awareness. Moreover, 80% of Belgians recognize the taste of Côte d'Or and this even blindfolded6, while Lotus Biscoff® is present in 50%7of Belgian households. The new Côte d'Or L'Original with crunchy Lotus Biscoff® pieces brings together the best of both worlds: the intense flavor of Côte d'Or and the crunchy texture and unique taste of Lotus Biscoff®.

"By combining the unique taste of Côte d'Or l'Original with the crunchy Lotus Biscoff® cookie, we reinforce what is already good. Both Jan Boone and I grew up with these iconic products as Belgians, so it is a strongly Belgian-tinged realization that makes one dream of even more new and unique combinations," echoes Dirk Van de Put, CEO of Mondelēz International.

Jan Boone, CEO of Lotus Bakeries: "The collaboration with Côte d'Or, the number one Belgian chocolate company for decades, is extremely valuable. This collaboration brings together two authentic tastes without losing their well-known and beloved individuality. This chocolate tablet is a great example of what two Belgian brands can achieve when they join forces."

The Côte d'Or L'Original with crunchy Lotus Biscoff® pieces is available exclusively in Delhaize stores

starting today and will be rolled out to other Belgian retailers later this year.

‌5 Kantar 2024 & HHP data 2024 6Côte d'Or survey of 2,200 families 7 HHP data 2024‌

About Mondelēz International

Mondelēz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ) encourages people to snack the right way in more than 150 countries around the world. With net sales of approximately $36.4 billion by 2024, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar and Tate's Bake Shop cookies and baked snacks, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard & Poor's 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Mondelēz International has strong roots in Belgium and allows consumers to enjoy iconic brands: Côte d'Or, LU, Prince, TUC, Milka and Philadelphia. Belgium is also the birthplace of local brands such as TUC, Prince, Côte d'Or, Pims, Bastogne, LEO....

In Belgium, Mondelēz International is the leader in the chocolate, biscuits, and cream cheese category. Mondelēz International employs about 1,900 people in Belgium and, in addition to the headquarters in Mechelen, has 2 production facilities: a cookie and chocolate site in Herentals (LU & Milka) and 1 cream cheese plant in Namur. The cookie factory in Herentals is one of the largest cookie factories in Europe with an annual production of 70,000 tons of cookies.

Visit https://www.mondelezinternational.com or follow the company on X at https://www.twitter.com/MDLZ.

About Côte d'Or

For more than 140 years, Côte d'Or has been indulging chocolate lovers. It all began in 1883, when Charles Neuhaus, master chocolatier, created the Côte d'Or brand, referring to the Gold Coast, present-day Ghana that supplied some of the cocoa beans. Since then, the story of the fledgling chocolate tablet has grown into a saga with over 100 products and flavors. Côte d'Or has undoubtedly become a global brand by staying true to its uniquely intense flavor, explained by its craftsmanship and successful product innovations. Côte d'Or is part of the global snacking company Mondelēz International, In Belgium, Mondelēz International is the market leader in cookies, chocolate and cream cheese. Its portfolio includes major brands such as Côte d'Or, LU, Milka, Oreo,

Philadelphia and TUC.

Press Contact

Annick Verdegem

Senior Corporate Affairs Manager Benelux, Mondelēz International annick.verdegem@mdlz.com

Tel: +32 15 74 38 88

Lotus Bakeries in a nutshell

Lotus Bakeries, founded in 1932operates worldwide in the indulgent and natural snacking segment with brands including Lotus®, Biscoff®, nākd®, TREK®, BEAR®, Kiddylicious®, Peter's Yard®, Dinosaurus®, Peijnenburg® and Annas®. Headquartered in Belgium, Lotus Bakeries is a dynamic and internationally oriented company with production facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, South Africa and the United States. A third production facility is currently under construction in Thailand and will be operational by 2026. It has 23 own sales organizations in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. Lotus Bakeries also works with commercial partners in approximately fifty countries worldwide. Lotus Bakeries has around 3,360 employees and achieved a revenue of EUR 1,232.0 million in 2024. The shares of Lotus Bakeries are listed on Euronext Brussels. The majority of shares are owned by the Boone and Stevens family.

Visit https://www.lotusbakeries.comor follow Lotus Bakeries on LinkedIn.

Lotus Biscoff® in a nutshell

Since 1932, Lotus Biscoff® has been delighting consumers' taste buds with its delicious caramelised taste and crunchy texture. Originally from Belgium but now loved all over the world, Lotus Biscoff® cookies were first brought to market by Jan Boone Sr., who created a caramelised cookie using only natural ingredients. This unique recipe and cookie remain the basis of our three hero products: the original Lotus® Biscoff® cookie, the Lotus® Biscoff® sandwich cookie and the Lotus® Biscoff spread. This broad portfolio enables us to always indulge consumers. Whether they are enjoying them at home, on the go, at the office or on a flight, Lotus Biscoff® provides everyone around the world with a unique moment to truly enjoy!

Press Contact

Emma Van Praet

Corporate Communications Manager, Lotus Bakeries corporate@lotusbakeries.com

Tel: +32 9 376 69 20