Leaf Candy Company
Encyclopedia
Leaf International BV is a market leader in candy, chewing gum and pastilles in Sweden
, the Netherlands
, Finland
and Belgium
and has a number two position in Norway
, Denmark
, Belgium and Italy
. In total Leaf products are sold in more than 50 countries worldwide. Leaf has leading local brands such as Läkerol, Sportlife, Red Band, Malaco, Jenkki, Saila, Sperlari, Mynthon and Ahlgrens Bilar.
LEAF had sales of approximately €527m (2010) and 2,400 employees. It has 11 factories in seven countries. LEAF is owned by CVC Capital Partners
, Nordic Capital
and management. Bengt Baron is the CEO of LEAF.
Leaf Confectionery Company introduced Rainblo Bubble Gum
in 1940. In 1947, Overland Candy Company merged with Chicago Biscuit Company, Leaf Gum and Leaf Machinery. In 1948, Leaf issued its first set of baseball card
s, considered one the of the first sets of "modern" baseball cards. In 1949, Leaf Brands reintroduced malted milk
balls under the name of Whoppers
Malted Milk Balls.
In the 1960s, The Whoppers Malted Milk Balls brand, along with other products manufactured by Leaf Brands, was purchased by W.R. Grace and in 1976 Candy brands were repurchased by Leaf.
In 1983, Leaf acquired Jolly Rancher
. Also in 1983, Leaf Candy Company in Illinois was purchased by Huhtamäki Oyj
of Helsinki, Finland, and merged it with Phoenix Candy (the maker of Now and Later
) and another candy company it had acquired, all under the Leaf name. Huhtamaki Oy acquired the Donruss
trading card division of General Mills
at about the same time and merged it into Leaf.
In 1986, Leaf purchased some confectionery brands from Beatrice Foods
, the producer of Milk Duds
. Also in 1986, Leaf, Inc. sold Phoenix Candy to Kouri Capital, a Finnish investment firm and change that company's name to Phoenix Confections.
In 1988, Hollywood Brands, the maker of Payday
and Zero
, was purchased from Sara Lee by Huhtamäki Oyj and became part of Leaf, Inc. In 1989, Heath bar
was purchased by Leaf.
In the 1990s, Leaf had become one of the world's top ten confectionery companies; it was especially strong in non-chocolate
products such as pastille
s and chewing gum
. By 1993, Leaf was the fourth largest candy producer in North America.
Hershey Foods Corporation acquired the Leaf North American confectionery operations from Huhtamäki Oy
in 1996. Over the next few years, Leaf manufacturing and sales became integrated into existing Hershey manufacturing and sales operations, effectively ending Leaf's existence as a separate operating unit in the US.
In 1999, Leaf's European and Asian business, with brands such as Läkerol, Jenkki and Sportlife, was sold to the Dutch company CSM, who added the brands to their confectionery unit, which already included Malaco
, Red Band and Venco. In 2000, CSM acquired Continental Sweets with market positions in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and in UK. In 2001, CSM acquired Socalbe, Italy with brands such as Dietorelle and Dietor.
In 2005, CSM sold its confectionery unit to two private equity firms, CVC Capital Partners
and Nordic Capital
, who restored the LEAF name and continue to own the company today. In 2007, LEAF acquired Cadbury Italy including the brand Saila.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and has a number two position in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Belgium and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In total Leaf products are sold in more than 50 countries worldwide. Leaf has leading local brands such as Läkerol, Sportlife, Red Band, Malaco, Jenkki, Saila, Sperlari, Mynthon and Ahlgrens Bilar.
Company facts
LEAF International is a highly branded company focusing on strong local brands of which many are local icons with a very strong heritage. LEAF products include sugared and sugar-free gum, pastilles, candy, liquorices, peppermints, chocolate, nougat, sweeteners and chews.LEAF had sales of approximately €527m (2010) and 2,400 employees. It has 11 factories in seven countries. LEAF is owned by CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners is one of the top five largest private equity firms globally with approximately US$46 billion in funds focused on management buyouts...
, Nordic Capital
Nordic Capital
Nordic Capital is a private equity investment firm focusing on leveraged buyout transactions primarily in the Nordic region . Nordic invests across a broad array of industries and will invest in turnaround and growth capital transactions.Nordic is based in Stockholm, Sweden and was founded in 1989...
and management. Bengt Baron is the CEO of LEAF.
Current brands
- Red Band (NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) - LäkerolLäkerolLäkerol is a Swedish brand of candies currently produced by the Leaf confectionery company.The candies are sugar- and calorie-free pastilles with the major ingredient being gum arabic. The candies are produced in a variety of flavors....
(SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) - MalacoMalacoMalaco is a brand of confectionery products owned by Leaf, their products are sold in Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland as well as Sweden....
(SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) - Saila (ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) - Sportlife (NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) - JenkkiJenkkiJenkki is a Finnish chewing gum brand developed in 1951 by Huhtamäki. Nowadays Jenkki is in ownership of Leaf.In 1975 Jenkki introduced the first chewing gum in the world that included xylitol. Xylitol gum was invented in Turku, Finland. The xylitol was originally derived from birch trees...
(FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) - ChewitsChewitsChewits is the brand name of a chewy, cuboid-shaped, soft taffy sweet manufactured by Leaf International. -History:Chewits was launched in the UK in 1965. The sweets were originally manufactured in Southport, but after the closing of the factory in 2006 manufacture was moved to Slovakia. The...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - Xylifresh (NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) - King (NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) - Sisu (FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) - Dietor (ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) - Galatine (ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) - Sperlari (ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) - Tupla (FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) - Mynthon (FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) - Dietorelle (ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) - Venco (NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) - Ahlgrens bilarAhlgrensAhlgrens is a former Swedish confectionery company. It was originally founded by Fredrik Ahlgren in the town of Gävle in 1885 as a store for paint and wallpaper, a business which was later extended to the production and sale of various types of chemicals, perfumes and other products...
(SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
)
Company history
The company was originally founded by Sol S. Leaf in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Leaf started various candy companies beginning in the 1920’s, and they were merged into Leaf Brands in 1947. Its history includes a number of mergers, acquisitions, and divisions, as well as several name changes.Leaf Confectionery Company introduced Rainblo Bubble Gum
Rain-Blo
Rain-Blo is a brand of bubble gum that come in a variety of fruit flavors, introduced by Leaf Confectionery in 1940, and acquired from Hershey Foods by Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc...
in 1940. In 1947, Overland Candy Company merged with Chicago Biscuit Company, Leaf Gum and Leaf Machinery. In 1948, Leaf issued its first set of baseball card
Baseball card
A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on some type of paper stock or card stock. A card will usually feature one or more baseball players or other baseball-related sports figures...
s, considered one the of the first sets of "modern" baseball cards. In 1949, Leaf Brands reintroduced malted milk
Malted milk
Malted milk is a powdered food product made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and whole milk, which is evaporated until it forms a powder....
balls under the name of Whoppers
Whoppers
Whoppers are malted milk balls covered with a chocolate-flavored coating produced by The Hershey Company. They are typically sold either in a small cardboard candy box, is a cardboard milk carton, the “Fun Size” variety which is a tube-shaped plastic package sealed at the sides, containing twelve...
Malted Milk Balls.
In the 1960s, The Whoppers Malted Milk Balls brand, along with other products manufactured by Leaf Brands, was purchased by W.R. Grace and in 1976 Candy brands were repurchased by Leaf.
In 1983, Leaf acquired Jolly Rancher
Jolly Rancher
Jolly Rancher is a brand of candy, including hard candy, gummies, fruit chews, jellybeans, lollipops, and sodas. It is currently owned by Hershey. The product was originally produced by the Jolly Rancher Company, founded in 1949 by Bill and Dorothy Harmsen of Golden, Colorado...
. Also in 1983, Leaf Candy Company in Illinois was purchased by Huhtamäki Oyj
Huhtamäki
Huhtamäki is a Finnish company, headquartered in Espoo, which manufactures and supplies packaging for various uses. Its primary outputs include cartons and containers for foods and other consumer goods, disposable tableware and films and laminates for such uses as adhesives, plasters and labels...
of Helsinki, Finland, and merged it with Phoenix Candy (the maker of Now and Later
Now and Later
Now and Later is a brand of fruit-flavored taffy-like product which is organized into squares packaged in colorful paper. The candy is sold in packages containing 3 plastic-wrapped packs of 6 Now and Laters each, with each plastic-wrapped pack containing a different flavor...
) and another candy company it had acquired, all under the Leaf name. Huhtamaki Oy acquired the Donruss
Donruss
Donruss, currently known as Panini America and owned by Panini Group, manufactures sports cards. The company started in the 1950s, producing confectionery, evolved into Donruss and started producing trading cards. During the 1960s and 1970s Donruss produced entertainment-themed trading cards...
trading card division of General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
at about the same time and merged it into Leaf.
In 1986, Leaf purchased some confectionery brands from Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company. In 1987, its smaller international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of its domestic brands and assets were acquired by Kohlberg,...
, the producer of Milk Duds
Milk Duds
Milk Duds are a caramel candy, historically enrobed with milk chocolate and currently enrobed with a confectionery coating made from cocoa and vegetable oil. They are currently manufactured by The Hershey Company. Milk Dud's are an excellent source of Calcium, containing as much Calcuim as an 8 0z...
. Also in 1986, Leaf, Inc. sold Phoenix Candy to Kouri Capital, a Finnish investment firm and change that company's name to Phoenix Confections.
In 1988, Hollywood Brands, the maker of Payday
PayDay (confection)
PayDay is a candy bar consisting of salted peanuts around a center of caramel, currently produced by The Hershey Company.-History:PayDay was first introduced in 1932 by Frank Martoccio. Martoccio founded the F.A. Martoccio Macaroni Company, and also later served as head of the Hollywood Candy...
and Zero
ZERO bar
The ZERO candy bar, introduced in 1920, is a candy bar composed of a combination of caramel, peanut and almond nougat covered with a layer of white fudge...
, was purchased from Sara Lee by Huhtamäki Oyj and became part of Leaf, Inc. In 1989, Heath bar
Heath bar
The Heath bar is an American candy bar made of toffee, marketed by L.S. Heath beginning in 1928, subsequently by Leaf, Inc., and since 1996 by Hershey....
was purchased by Leaf.
In the 1990s, Leaf had become one of the world's top ten confectionery companies; it was especially strong in non-chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
products such as pastille
Pastille
Pastilles are a type of candy or medicinal pill made of a thick liquid that has been solidified and is meant to be consumed by light chewing and allowing it to dissolve in the mouth...
s and chewing gum
Chewing gum
Chewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
. By 1993, Leaf was the fourth largest candy producer in North America.
Hershey Foods Corporation acquired the Leaf North American confectionery operations from Huhtamäki Oy
Huhtamäki
Huhtamäki is a Finnish company, headquartered in Espoo, which manufactures and supplies packaging for various uses. Its primary outputs include cartons and containers for foods and other consumer goods, disposable tableware and films and laminates for such uses as adhesives, plasters and labels...
in 1996. Over the next few years, Leaf manufacturing and sales became integrated into existing Hershey manufacturing and sales operations, effectively ending Leaf's existence as a separate operating unit in the US.
In 1999, Leaf's European and Asian business, with brands such as Läkerol, Jenkki and Sportlife, was sold to the Dutch company CSM, who added the brands to their confectionery unit, which already included Malaco
Malaco
Malaco is a brand of confectionery products owned by Leaf, their products are sold in Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland as well as Sweden....
, Red Band and Venco. In 2000, CSM acquired Continental Sweets with market positions in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and in UK. In 2001, CSM acquired Socalbe, Italy with brands such as Dietorelle and Dietor.
In 2005, CSM sold its confectionery unit to two private equity firms, CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners is one of the top five largest private equity firms globally with approximately US$46 billion in funds focused on management buyouts...
and Nordic Capital
Nordic Capital
Nordic Capital is a private equity investment firm focusing on leveraged buyout transactions primarily in the Nordic region . Nordic invests across a broad array of industries and will invest in turnaround and growth capital transactions.Nordic is based in Stockholm, Sweden and was founded in 1989...
, who restored the LEAF name and continue to own the company today. In 2007, LEAF acquired Cadbury Italy including the brand Saila.