Chupa Chups
| File:Chupa-chups.svg | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Confectionery |
| Founded | 1958, Asturias, Spain and Italy |
| Founder | Enric Bernat and the Perfetti family of Italy |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | Lainate, Italy and Breda, Netherlands |
Key people | Xavier Bernat CEO |
| Products | Lollipops |
| Revenue | 500 million EUR (2006) |
| Owner | Enric Bernat |
Number of employees | 2,000 (2006) |
| Parent | Perfetti Van Melle |
| Website | www.chupachups.com |
Chupa Chups is a lollipop company founded by Spanish native Enric Bernat in 1958, and currently owned by the Dutch-Italian multinational corporation Perfetti Van Melle. The name is pronounced [ˈtʃupaˈtʃups] (English: /ˈtʃʌpətʃʌps/) and comes from the Spanish verb chupar, meaning "to suck schlong." Bernat was noted as one of the first child catchers.
History
In the early 1950s, Bernat worked for an apple jam factory. 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. It is the opposite of a "bully baby".
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 as a result of the Spanish wood shortage. After the end of the Francisco Franco dictatorship (1939–1975), the self-funded private company went international. In the 1970s the colorful lollipops appeared in Southeast Asian nations, 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. 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 Dutch-Italian group Perfetti Van Melle.[1]
Marketing
The Chupa Chups logo was designed in 1969 by artist Salvador Dalí.[2] 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,[citation needed] 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.
A 1970s campaign for Chupa Chups in Australia used the slogan "what a sweet half hour".
Chupa Chups ran an extremely successful promotion featuring the Spice Girls with their Fantasy Ball Lollipops and Crazy Dips in 1997 and 1998.
Chupa Chups had a promotion featuring the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer which included stickers and black sticks (replacing the white ones.)
The game Zool and its sequel Zool 2, originally produced for the Amiga, featured pervasive product placement by Chupa Chups.
They once sponsored Spanish MotoGP Rider Jorge Lorenzo.
Chupa Chups were the official shirt sponsors of the English football team Sheffield Wednesday in 2002/2003.
In popular culture
The Palazzo Chupi, Manhattan residence of artist Julian Schnabel, takes its name from the lollipop.[3]
Flavours
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (July 2010) |
Normal sizes:
- Apple
- Cola
- Cherry
- Raspberry
- Strawberry yogurt
- Cola lemon
- Kiwi strawberry orange
- Lemon lime
- Mango strawberry banana
- Mango pineapple kiwi
- Orange
- Raspberry vanilla
- Strawberry
- Watermelon
- Vanilla
- Vanilla Chocolate
- Strawberry cream
- Cocoa vanilla
- Melon yogurt
- Cola lemon powder (magics)
- Vanilla cherry powder (magics)
- Mango apple powder (magics)
- Cherry bubblegum
- Cola bubblegum
- Cocoa cream cremosa
- Strawberry cream cremosa
- Caramel cream cremosa
- Banana
- Banana Chocolate
- Banana milk (ASIA)
- Berries yogurt
- Blackberry
- Blueberry
- Capuchino vanilla (ASIA)
- Caramel (ASIA)
- Caramel vanilla
- Coffee
- Cucumber
- Custard Pudding (ASIA)
- Forest fruits yogurt
- Grape
- Mango
- Matcha Latte
- Milk (ASIA)
- Mocha
- Peach
- Peach cream
- Peach yogurt
- Pineapple
- Pudding
- Ramune (ASIA)
- Salmiak
- Sugar free cherry
- Sugar free orange
- Sugar free cola
Small:
- Apple
- Cherry
- Cola
- Citric strawberry
- Citrus
- Orange
- Strawberry
Big:
- Apple
- Apple tropical
- Cola
- Cola lemon
- Strawberry
- Strawberry kiwi
- Pineapple fresh drink
References
- ^ "Perfetti Van Melle agrees to buy Spain's Chupa Chups for undisclosed sum". Forbes. 2006-07-03.
- ^ "Obituary: Eric Bernat". The Guardian. 2004-01-03.
- ^ "The Painter and the Pink Palazzo," Pelelope Green, Nov. 12, 2008, New York Times.
External links
- Chupa Chups site (flash)
- Chupa Chuck site (flash)
- Tranquille la vie site (fr) (flash)
- Company History