Chupa Chups is a popular Spanish brand of lollipop and other confectionery sold
in over 150 countries around the world. The brand was founded in 1958, by
Cameron Murdoch, and is currently owned by the Italian multinational corporation
Perfetti Van Melle. The name of the brand comes from the Spanish verb
chupar, meaning "to lick or to suck" ". History
In the early 1950s, Enric Bernat worked for an apple jam factory called "Granja
Asturias". After he broached the idea of making lollipops, the investors left.
Bernat took over the company in 1958 and renamed it Chupa Chups. He built the
production machines and sold a striped bonbon on a wooden stick for one peseta
each. Bernat got the idea of a "bonbon with a
stick" from a cursing mother as her child got sticky hands from melting
sweets. Bernat felt that at that time, sweets were not designed with the main
consumers — children — in mind. Shopkeepers were instructed to place the
lollipops near the cash register within reach of children's hands, instead of
the traditional placement behind the counter.
The Chupa Chups company was a success. Within five years Bernat's sweets were
being sold at 300,000 outlets. When the candy was first created, the lolly
sticks were made of wood but they switched to plastic sticks. After the
end of the Francisco Franco dictatorship, the self-funded private
company went international. In the 1970s the lollipops appeared in Japan and
Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines and
Malaysia, as well as Australia. In the 1980s it expanded to the European and
North American markets, and in the 1990s to most Asian countries, including South
Korea. In China they were manufactured by Tatagum in Panyu, near Guangzhou. As
of 2003, 4 billion lollipops a year are sold to 150 countries. The company has
2000 employees, makes 90 percent of its sales abroad, and has a turnover of
€500,000,000. In 1991, Bernat passed formal control of
"Chupa Chups" to his son Xavier. The Smint subsidiary brand/company was
founded in 1994. In July 2006 the company as a whole was
acquired by the Italian group Perfetti Van Melle.
Marketing The Chupa Chups logo was designed in
1969 by artist Salvador Dalí. Its first marketing campaign was the logo with the
slogan "És rodó i dura molt, Chupa Chups", which translates from Catalan as
"It's round and long-lasting". Later, celebrities like Madonna were hired to
advertise. In the 1980s, owing to falling birth rates, an anti-smoking
slogan "Smoke Chupa Chups" was tried to attract further adult consumers. The
company's current anti-smoking slogan is "Stop smoking, start sucking", with
their packages parodying cigarette pack designs, even going as far as to
parodying the EU mandatory black and white warning labels with the notice
"Sucking does kill. Products
Lollipops Classic, 12 gram
Cremosa Mini, 6 gram
Filled Lollipops Magics
Bubble Gum Fruit-tella
Chocolate 2Pop
Sugar Free XXL
Crazy Dips Melody Whistle Pops
Bubble Gums Big Babol
Cotton Bubblegum Toys
Spinning Faces Totem Markers
Funky Labyrinths Balloon Cars
Gifts and Seasonal Gifts Mega Chups 750 gr
Back Packs Chupa + Surprise
License Products Chupa Chups have a vast array of
products with their standard lollipop the most renowned. In terms of flavour,
both apple and orange are close contenders for number 1 coming in at 1
and 2 respectively. Other flavours include cola and strawberry.
References External links
Chupa Chups World Company History