The lollipop segment is one of the largest and fastest-growing within non-chocolate. The subcategory has grabbed $650 million of the $10 billion segment, and is growing twice as fast as the broader hard candy category.

One of the things Perfetti Van Melle is best known for is its lollipop brands, such as Chupa Chups. It also is world famous for its stretchy yet portable taffy, Airheads; mint brands such as Mentos; and various other popular candy brands.

Origin story
In 1932, the Van Melle brothers created the first Mentos Chewy Mints in the Netherlands. The original vision was of a peppermint-flavored caramel candy. The Perfetti brothers, Ambrogio and Egidio, started producing sweets and bonbons in Lainate, Italy in 1946, later moving to chewing gum in the mid-1950s.

Meanwhile, around the same time, scientist and businessman Enric Bernat opened a small confectionery factory in Barcelona, Spain. In 1958, he had the idea of putting a round candy on a stick, thus creating the lollipop as consumers know it today.

Twenty years later, Mentos relocated its U.S. office to Erlanger, KY, where Perfetti Van Melle currently resides. Eight years after that, in 1986, the original Airheads were launched.

“Perfetti Van Melle has a long and exciting history that began with two family-run confectionery companies in Europe: Van Melle (Netherlands) and Perfetti (Italy),” says Chris Borges, non-chocolate category director, Perfetti Van Melle.

“The two came together in 2001 when Perfetti SpA acquired Van Melle, creating the world’s third-largest confectionery company. In 2006, Perfetti Van Melle acquired the Spanish company Chupa Chups, which is a global brand for [us] today. In North America, other core Perfetti Van Melle brands include Airheads, Xtremes, Mentos gum and mints, Trident, Dentyne, and Bubblicious,” he explains.

Perfetti Van Melle’s brands have been loved by multiple generations, says Borges, and its heritage brands (such as original Mentos chewy mints and Airheads bars), enjoy strong brand recognition that stay relevant with today’s consumers, continuing to outpace market growth.

Growth
In response to consumer demand, Perfetti Van Melle has grown considerably in the last few years.

“Between 2019 and 2024, our company made significant capital investment in its Northern Kentucky-area facilities to add more capacity to both candy and gum production,” comments Borges.

“As a result, our company has nearly tripled its U.S. workforce in the last 5 years—as of October 2024 [it employs] more than 1,000 people,” he relates

Perfetti Van Melle has also expanded through acquiring gum brands Trident, Dentyne, and Bubblicious, including the brands’ U.S. manufacturing factory in Rockford, IL. The company snapped up the brands from Mondelēz International in October 2023, as well as some of its European candy brands, including Cachou Lajaunie licorice and La Vosgienne, purveyor of hard candies. Mondelēz continues to operate its gum business outside the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as all of its other candy brands and products.

The company tries to be sustainable, too: in April 2024, it announced that its science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets had been evaluated and approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. The new science-based targets will see Perfetti Van Melle reducing its GHG emissions by 42% by 2030, from a 2021 base year. This includes emissions from its own operations, such as industrial and non-industrial sites.

Borges says that Perfetti Van Melle stands out from other candy companies because of its steadfast commitment to its core values.

“These values guide our actions and help us fulfill our purpose of creating Innovative Treats and a Better Future,” he notes.

He shares that the company’s core values include:

• Integrity without compromise
• Achieving excellence
• Dedication to the customer
• Caring for its people
• Environmental and social responsibility

In addition, Perfetti Van Melle’s brands like to have fun: this past November, Chupa Chups and video game The Sandbox announced a partnership as part of the game’s ongoing Alpha Season 4. The partnership kicked off with Chupa City, a metaverse experience where players were able to explore a candy-themed world. Players were able to collect popular Chupa Chups flavors, play Melody Pops tunes, or team up with other players. The experience offered gamified adventure, wearable NFTs, and imagery from the brand to bring the immersive environment to life.

And in October 2023, the Airheads brand debuted the very first AI horror film genre festival, A.I.RHEADS SCAREFEST. Six filmmakers were tasked to create an AI-generated Halloween-themed film that incorporated the brand’s famous balloon in some way, shape, or form, and were also instructed to include a balance of appropriate horror film scariness and humor.

What’s next
Because Perfetti Van Melle’s brands range from gum and mints to Chupa Chups lollipops and non-chocolate candy including Airheads and Xtremes, the company has made it a point to show up for customers in different retailer channels and pack innovations to meet their needs.

“This gives our products the opportunity for strong performance across a variety of retail channels,” notes Borges.

The brand debuted its Melody Pops lineup in 2023, and the product touches on another trend the company has seen in the category: the growth of novelty and interactive products. The Melody Pops are a whistle pop that consumers can play different musical notes on.

“We are excited to show up with creative new novelty items for special occasions and holidays, another rapidly growing segment. The successful launch of Chupa Chups Melody Pops in late 2023 is an example of the fun we’ve been having. Additionally, we’re focusing on responding to customer wants and needs in different retailers through new pack size introductions,” he shares.

“We will continue harnessing the ‘Power of Sour’ as the No. 2 biggest flavor in candy and building upon our recent sour-flavor launch, Sour Chupa Chups,” Borges adds.

The Chupa Chups brand is always looking to inject more fun and excitement into the category, he says, and Sour Chups Chups debuted in September 2024 in the U.S.

Even though sour candy is a trend that’s been around for quite a while, it’s not going anywhere—consumers can’t get enough of it—but you don’t see it often in lollipops, Borges notes. Therefore, Perfetti Van Melle saw an opportunity in the market, especially since it’s trying to grow its brand in the U.S.

“It’s the perfect blend of sweet and sour,” he elaborates. “It’s a very nice beginning-to-end level of sour.” The lollipops are available in Sour Strawberry, Sour Lemon, and Sour Green Apple flavors.

In 2025, the company will continue growing brand distribution and market share, through raising awareness about its brands, launching innovative products and flavors, and staying close to the consumer and their needs, Borges reports.

Five years from now, the company anticipates delighting its consumers by exploring new technologies and exciting innovations, as it has always done, while staying true to its brands.

“We’ll continue to keep our finger on the pulse of the latest trends through research, data, and feedback from consumers, while balancing nostalgia and innovation,” he relates. “Our retail clients can expect stronger relationships and more personalized interactions as our teams develop tools to understand what’s important to them.”

“Operationally, we’ll continue to optimize our internal processes and improve efficiency to meet growing demands while maintaining high standards of quality and service,” Borges comments.

“We are getting good traction in market today and want to leverage that to expand distribution further and reach more consumers. Additionally, we are working on some fun novelty ideas that we look forward to sharing a little down the road—stay tuned!” SF&WB