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The Birth of Haribo
For anyone born in Britain in the past few decades, you might be familiar with the sugary candies brand named Haribo; the ‘Bo’ is pretty obvious (the German confectionery company was named after the city of its birth), and ‘Ha’ and ‘Ri’ are pretty easy, too. But what’s that ‘i’ at the end? Well, they were just named after Hans Riegel Sr, a man from the German town of Bonn (after whom the company was named) — they’re using the initials of the city as shorthand: he was ‘Ha-ns Ri-egel, Bo-nn’. Bonus fun fact! Riegel was an entrepreneur; after being apprenticed to his father and named the master confectioner at only 14 years old, he went out on his own and registered the company as Haribo in 1920. It’s easy to read.
The Invention of Haribo Gummy Bears
But Haribo’s fortunes began in earnest in 1922, when one of its founder Hans Riegel’s first gummy products – inspired by the live and, by comparison, stuffed bears touring Europe’s fairs and seasonal markets – was the Haribo Gummy Bear (originally called ‘Dancing Bears’), which became an overnight sensation, and Haribo an international concern.
Haribo's Expansion: Beyond Borders
After the launch of this pedal-pebbled mothership in Germany, Haribo continued to seed the planet with its sugary satellites of candy culture, and today Golden Bears (along with sister candies such as Gummi Fruit Belt, Gummi Caterpillars, Gummi Pizza Belt, Gummi Candy Kebobs or Gummi Pirate Gold Treasure), can be bought by children and adults in more than 100 countries worldwide. Photo by David HilowitzYet come back to what’s happening at Haribo’s Wisconsin plant, one of Haribo’s sweetest way stations of candy culture.
Haribo in Wisconsin: A Sweet Addition
The magnate then proceeded in 2017 to corroborate Haribo’s association with America, with a first manufacturing site in Wisconsin. After two years of building a $125 million factory on a 105-acre site near Pleasure Valley, he shouted: ‘This is Haribo’s first plant in the US, and we are excited to finally target the US market and our American fans with ourSmall Batch portfolio.’ The landscape near Pleasure Valley in Wisconsin had been selected, with good reason, by dint of its name.
The Varieties of Haribo
The firm’s glossy candies have metamorphosed often since those earliest days, and only a handful share DNA with its infamous gummy bears. Haribo has won jars and jars of woolly sweets, a punned pastiche of fruity fictions that have stuck (pardon) like chewing gum.
The Classic Haribo Gummy Bears
To anyone who cherishes candy above all else, the original Haribo Gummy Bears are old-school classics. Each fruit-flavoured gummy is small and round, sometimes even a little dry around the edges, and possesses a texture that’s just right. It’s also just as sugary as you’ll ever need it to be.
Calories in Haribo Bears: A Fun Fact
wondering about the calorie content of these sweets? The average portion of 140 calories (a several tens of pieces of Haribo bears) is possible to nibble on, not to mention weighing heavily on the scale.