Germans have been eating "gummy candies" for 102 years.

Gummy candies are a childhood snack familiar to many young people. These colorful gummy candies, shaped like animals, are made from a mixture of sugar and syrup. Their sweet taste has captivated generations of students, and even adults enjoy them. Furthermore, these candies are suitable for vegetarians or those adhering to dietary restrictions of certain religions.

Germany is the country where the first gummy bears originated. Here, the candy is called Gummibär or Gummibärchen. The first gummy bear products were produced in 1920 by the Bonn (Germany) manufacturer Hans Riegel Sr. (Haribo company).

The first batches of candy

In 1920, Hans Riegel Sr., a German confectioner, founded the Haribo company, an abbreviation derived from his name and hometown (Bonn). In a small, cramped kitchen with a few copper pots, a pair of pins, and a stove, the first experimental batches of candy were produced.

A year later, Hans hired his first employee, his wife Gertrud. Her job was to cycle around the city delivering and marketing the new product to customers. Hans busied himself in his small kitchen preparing a brand new candy: gummy bears.

"We've heard the story of Apple being born in a small garage. The gummy bear candy had a similar beginning. Riegel wanted to make a difference with little capital and virtually no chance of making money," said Christian Bahlmann, Vice President of Communications at Haribo.

The original flavor of gummy candy.

Although Riegel was the first to create gummy bears, the history of these gelatin-based candies predates his invention. According to Beth Kimmerle, author of four books on the American confectionery industry, gummy bears were the precursors to chewing gum, Turkish Delight, and liqueur gum (a type of British hangover remedy).

"I think the real precursor to gummy candies was jams or jellies, which were fruit preserves cooked with pectin or starch. Japan is the country that originated this type of fruit jelly," Kimmerle said.

Susan Benjamin, a confectionery historian, author, and owner of True Treats Historic Candy in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, says the earlier candies already had a "pre-set" recipe. Riegel simply refined it and added the cute bear shape.

Riegel wasn't the only candy entrepreneur active in the early 1920s. Fred W. Amend, an American, created Chuckles, a type of sugar-coated jelly candy. Meanwhile, Henry Heide, a German immigrant to the United States, created Jujubes and Jujufruits.

But Riegel made his mark thanks to his business acumen, applying new advances in flavoring and coloring techniques “because he understood that the essence of candy is form and texture,” Kimmerle said. “He used the latest coloring technology combined with confectionery flavors, then applied them thoroughly to create his chewy bears.”

The evolution of gummy bear candy

During the 1930s, Riegel's company grew to 400 employees and introduced many new types of gummy candies. The creator of the gummy bear named his company "Haribo makes children happy."

After its peak in the 1930s, World War II devastated his company. Riegel himself died in 1945 at the age of 52, leaving his wife, Gertrud, to run the company. The couple's sons took over leadership of Haribo the following year, with Paul overseeing production and Hans Jr. managing marketing and sales.

"They were practically forced to shut down production, so they really started from scratch after the war ended," Bahlmann said.

In 1950, the Rigel brothers transformed their father's estate into a massive candy factory. The number of employees grew from 30 to 1,000. As Haribo continued to grow through the 1950s and 60s, executives leveraged television as one of the most modern marketing tools of the time.

"This was one of the first brands in Germany to advertise on television, and that's what really made Haribo famous," Bahlmann shared.

The key to Haribo's success lies in the consistency and quality of its products and its marketing efforts. Another strength is Haribo's legacy, which continues to expand and is owned by the Riegel family, now in their third generation making candy. Paul passed away in 2009, while Hans Jr. died in 2013, leaving his grandson Hans-Guido to run the company.

On the other hand, Bahlmann believes that the company's long-term success lies in the childhood memories preserved in each gummy bear. Haribo has a wide variety of products, distributed in countries with diverse cultures. However, it is the excitement and nostalgia of tasting the sweet candy, transporting us back to our childhood, that customers worldwide cherish.

Anh Thi