Cebon

Cebon is an Algerian food manufacturer founded in 1997 in Oran as a family business and incorporated as a société à responsabilité limitée, or SARL. The company is headquartered in Fouka, in Algeria’s Tipaza Province, and markets its food products principally under the El Mordjene brand. Although Cebon has a broader portfolio, its public profile has been dominated by El Mordjene hazelnut spread, which is sometimes informally described as an “Algerian Nutella.” The El Mordjene range includes spread products and other food ingredients or accompaniments, including honey, whipped cream, food coloring, vegetable fat, powdered sugar, and corn starch. The company’s spreads have reportedly been produced since 2021. In Algeria, the range received a notable consumer accolade when it was voted Product of the Year by a panel of Algerian consumers in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Cebon’s international visibility changed sharply in 2024. Videos and product reviews shared on TikTok and other social-media platforms, first by Algerian influencers and later by members of the Algerian diaspora and French influencers, helped create a viral wave of interest in El Mordjene spread. In France, the product was available through selected grocery stores and informal shuttle-trade channels rather than through a broad official distribution network. Demand quickly exceeded supply, with reported sellouts and substantial price increases in parts of the French market. The product’s cross-border popularity was subsequently constrained by European food-import rules. In 2025, French authorities banned the product, and the European Union prohibited the import of El Mordjene into EU territory. The stated basis for the restriction was the application of EU food-safety rules concerning the import of dairy products from Algeria. The decision became part of wider public discussion about Algeria-France relations. Some commentators also questioned whether commercial interests, including the dominance of Ferrero’s Nutella in the hazelnut-spread category, might have influenced perceptions of the ban; this remained a matter of commentary rather than an established finding. Cebon’s story therefore combines the development of a domestic Algerian packaged-food business with the rapid, largely social-media-driven international exposure of one flagship product.

Cebon was established in 1997 in Oran, Algeria, as a family-operated food business. It was incorporated as a société à responsabilité limitée, the Algerian form of a limited-liability company. The company later established its head office in Fouka, in Tipaza Province. Its commercial activity has centered on packaged foods sold under the El Mordjene name. Cebon’s product range extends beyond a single spread. The company produces or markets spreads, honey, whipped cream, food coloring, vegetable fat, powdered sugar, and corn starch. El Mordjene hazelnut spread became the company’s defining product in public perception. The spread has been produced since 2021 and developed a strong consumer following in Algeria. A panel of Algerian consumers voted the spread range Product of the Year in 2022, 2023, and 2024, providing repeated recognition in its home market. The brand’s most significant turning point came in 2024, when El Mordjene spread became the subject of a viral social-media trend. Algerian influencers helped introduce or amplify the product online, after which Algerian communities abroad and French influencers contributed to its visibility in France. The product was not broadly distributed through conventional French retail; instead, it appeared in selected grocery shops and through informal shuttle-trade channels. The combination of online attention, limited availability, and curiosity about an Algerian alternative to established hazelnut spreads created intense demand. Shops reportedly sold out, and prices increased in parts of the French market. The cross-border surge also exposed the limits imposed by food-import regulation. In 2025, the French Ministry of Agriculture banned the product, while the European Union prohibited the import of El Mordjene into EU territory. Authorities said the measure followed EU food-safety requirements relating to dairy products imported from Algeria. The ban became politically sensitive because the product’s popularity had linked an Algerian company to French consumers and diaspora networks. Public commentary included speculation that competitive concerns surrounding Nutella’s strong position in the hazelnut-spread market could have played a role, but the stated official rationale was regulatory compliance rather than a commercial action. Cebon’s documented history consequently has two distinct dimensions. Domestically, it represents the growth of an Algerian family food company with a diversified packaged-food range and repeated consumer recognition. Internationally, its profile was transformed by the rapid online circulation of El Mordjene content in 2024. The subsequent EU import restriction curtailed the product’s formal access to the European market and made Cebon part of a broader conversation about social-media commerce, informal distribution, food standards, and Algeria-France economic relations.

• 2025

  EU import restriction

  [1]Cebonen.wikipedia.org

  France bans the product and the European Union prohibits its import into EU territory, citing food-safety rules concerning dairy imports from Algeria.

• 2024

  Social-media virality drives French demand

  [1]Cebonen.wikipedia.org

  Influencer coverage and TikTok circulation make El Mordjene widely known among French consumers and Algerian diaspora communities, causing sellouts and price increases in limited retail channels.

• 2024

  Third consecutive Product of the Year recognition

  [1]Cebonen.wikipedia.org

  The El Mordjene spread range receives the same Algerian consumer award for a third consecutive year.

• 2023

  Second consecutive Product of the Year recognition

  [1]Cebonen.wikipedia.org

  El Mordjene is again voted Product of the Year by a panel of Algerian consumers.

• 2022

  El Mordjene is voted Product of the Year

  [1]Cebonen.wikipedia.org

  The spread range receives Product of the Year recognition from a panel of Algerian consumers.

• 2021

  El Mordjene spreads enter production

  [1]Cebonen.wikipedia.org

  Cebon’s El Mordjene spread products begin production, according to the company history summarized in the reference material.

• 1997

  Cebon is founded in Oran

  [1]Cebonen.wikipedia.org

  Cebon is established in Oran, Algeria, as a family business and incorporated as a SARL.

An Algerian packaged-food manufacturer with a broad pantry and confectionery portfolio, increasingly associated with the El Mordjene hazelnut-spread range and its strong domestic consumer recognition.

• Hazelnut spread · 2021

  El Mordjene hazelnut spread

  Cebon’s best-known product and the offering most closely associated with the company. El Mordjene is a sweet hazelnut spread produced since 2021 and informally compared with Nutella. It achieved repeated Product of the Year recognition in Algeria and became internationally visible after influencer-led social-media attention in 2024. Its availability in France was limited and was later affected by French and EU import restrictions.

• Honey

  El Mordjene honey

  Honey is part of the El Mordjene food range associated with Cebon. The available reference material identifies the product category but does not provide detailed information about varieties, packaging, distribution, or launch timing.

• Whipped cream

  El Mordjene whipped cream

  Cebon’s portfolio includes whipped cream under the El Mordjene brand. Publicly available reference material confirms the category but does not specify product formats, launch dates, or market-by-market availability.

• Baking and culinary ingredients

  El Mordjene food ingredients

  The wider El Mordjene range includes food coloring, vegetable fat, powdered sugar, and corn starch. These products place Cebon beyond confectionery spreads and give the company a broader position in household pantry and baking ingredients.

• 2024El Mordjene viral influencer trend

  Algeria · France · Algerian diaspora markets

  A largely organic social-media phenomenon involving Algerian influencers, diaspora communities, and French influencers brought El Mordjene hazelnut spread to wider attention. TikTok and product-review content helped turn a locally recognized product into a sought-after item in selected French shops and informal import channels.

  Outcome. The trend generated sellouts, elevated prices, and substantial international publicity, but it also preceded the product’s restriction from the French and wider EU import markets.

  Source

• 2025

  EU import restriction on El MordjeneOther

  Background

  After the product gained popularity in France through limited retail and informal import channels, French and EU authorities applied food-import restrictions to El Mordjene.

  Action taken

  France banned the product, and the European Union prohibited its import into EU territory. Authorities cited EU food-safety rules governing dairy products from Algeria.

  Aftermath

  The restriction reduced the product’s access to the European market and became part of public discussion about food regulation, Algeria-France relations, and possible competitive implications for the hazelnut-spread category.

  Source

1. 1Cebonen.wikipedia.org