Few confectionery stories are quite as colourful as the history of Haribo Sweets, a brand that began with one confectioner, one small kitchen and a quantity of equipment that would barely trouble a car boot. From fruit gummies and jelly sweets to sour cherries, foam milk bottles and cola bottles, Haribo has spent more than a century proving that happiness can be chewy, brightly coloured and small enough to hide in your palm.
Today, the Haribo name is recognised around the world. Its sweets appear in family cupboards, cinema bags, party bowls, Christmas stockings and office drawers marked “stationery”, where nobody is fooled. Yet the story began far from the supermarket sweet aisle, in Bonn, Germany, with Hans Riegel and a splendidly simple idea.
Who Founded Haribo and When Did It Start?
Haribo was founded by German confectioner Hans Riegel on 13 December 1920. Born near Bonn in 1893, Riegel trained in confectionery before starting his own small sweet business. His original production kit consisted of a sack of sugar, a marble slab, a stool, a stove, a copper pot and a rolling pin. There was no international marketing department, no focus group and, one assumes, very little discussion about brand synergy.
The company name was built from the opening letters of its founder and hometown:
- HA from Hans
- RI from Riegel
- BO from Bonn
Put them together and you get HARIBO: short, memorable and far more appealing than “Hans Riegel’s Assorted Boiled Goods of Bonn”, which would have required an indecently large sweet bag.
Hans was soon joined by his wife, Gertrud, who became Haribo’s first employee in 1921. She also delivered the daily production by bicycle until growing demand justified the company’s first car in 1923. This was a family business in the most literal sense: one person made the sweets, another delivered them, and neither could blame a third department when it rained.
What Was the First Haribo Sweet?
Haribo began by producing hard sweets, but its first named breakthrough arrived in 1922: the Dancing Bear. Hans Riegel created this fruit-flavoured gummy bear after the trained bears once seen at European fairs and festivals. The original was taller and slimmer than the modern bear. It was less cuddly mascot, more athletic relative who had recently taken up cycling.
The Dancing Bear matters because it laid the foundation for the gummy sweets we recognise today. It had a playful shape, a satisfying chew and an identity customers could remember. Sweets had ceased to be merely lumps of sugar with good intentions; they had become characters.
By 1923, demand was strong enough for Haribo to replace Gertrud’s delivery bicycle with a company car. In 1925, the range widened to include liquorice, including branded liquorice sticks. The Dancing Bear even gained a darker cousin called the Black Bear. By 1933, Haribo employed around 400 people and was supplying confectionery across Germany.
From Dancing Bear to Haribo Goldbears
The Dancing Bear was the ancestor, but the familiar Haribo Gold Bears arrived in 1960. These smaller, compact fruit gums became the defining Haribo product: bright, fruity and shaped with just enough personality to make eating six of them feel faintly like a betrayal.
Goldbears became a registered trademark in Germany in 1967. Their shape was refined again in 1978, when their feet were shortened and the bears acquired the compact, stylised appearance still associated with them. Apple later joined the flavour line-up in 2007, alongside familiar fruit flavours such as strawberry, raspberry, orange, lemon and pineapple.
The genius of the gummy bear is not complexity. It is recognition. A Goldbear looks like a treat before it reaches your mouth. The colour suggests the flavour; the bounce promises the chew; the tiny bear shape gives the whole business a sense of occasion. It is difficult to look threatening when you are two centimetres tall and pineapple-flavoured.
How the Riegel Family Rebuilt Haribo
The Second World War brought raw-material shortages and immense disruption. Hans Riegel died in 1945 at the age of 52, and Gertrud managed the company briefly after the war. In 1946, their sons Hans Riegel Junior and Paul Riegel took over: Hans led marketing and sales, while Paul handled production.
They restarted with only 30 employees. By 1950, Haribo employed about 1,000 people. That recovery explains a great deal about the company that followed: inventive manufacturing, memorable advertising and a stubborn commitment to producing sweets people actively looked forward to eating. Not respected from a sensible distance. Not saved indefinitely for visitors. Eaten.
When Did Haribo Sweets Come to the UK?
Haribo established its British foothold in 1972 by acquiring a majority stake in Dunhills of Pontefract, the English confectionery maker famous for traditional Pontefract Cakes. Haribo completed its acquisition of Dunhills in 1994, retaining classic liquorice lines while developing fruit gum and sweet mixes specifically for British tastes.
The Pontefract connection remains important. Haribo UK operates manufacturing sites in Pontefract and Castleford, West Yorkshire, linking a German gummy-sweet success story with one of Britain’s great confectionery towns. It is a pleasing union: precise German sweet-making meets the British conviction that a bag marked “sharing” is merely offering an opinion.
The Famous Haribo Mixes Created for Britain
The mid-1990s produced three of the best-known Haribo sweets in the UK. Rather than asking shoppers to remain loyal to a single shape or texture, Haribo put assorted favourites together. This was both generous and psychologically astute. A mixed bag offers choice, suspense and the chance to become absurdly territorial about a jelly fried egg.
Haribo Starmix – Launched in 1995
Haribo Starmix brought together fruit and cola gummy sweets including bears, rings, Fried Eggs, Heart Throbs and Cola Bottles. The name reflects the idea that these familiar pieces are the stars of the Haribo range. It is a greatest-hits album, except the hits are chewy and nobody complains when you play the cola bottle twice.
Starmix remains one of the UK’s biggest-selling Haribo mixes because every handful feels slightly different. There are fruity gummies, sweet foam-backed pieces and cola-flavoured favourites, all jostling for attention through the clear window of the packet.
Haribo Supermix – Launched in 1996
One year later came Haribo Supermix, a softer, creamier assortment built around contrasting textures. Its much-loved pieces include Jelly Men, Milk Bottles, Sheep and Ice Creams, combining fruit flavours with smooth milk-flavoured and foam sweets.
Supermix is for the sweet eater who values a little softness. The chew is gentler, the shapes are charmingly peculiar and the milk bottles bring the nostalgic pleasure of traditional pick n mix. No serious adult needs a sheep-shaped sweet, of course. That is precisely why it is such a good idea.
Haribo Tangfastics – Launched in 1997
Then, in 1997, Haribo Tangfastics arrived with the volume turned up. This sweet-and-sour mix includes fizzy Cola Bottles, sour Cherries, Dummies and Crocodiles, all finished with the sort of tangy coating that makes your mouth pay immediate attention.
Tangfastics appeals to people who do not want their sweets to behave politely. The first taste is sharp, fizzy and lively; then the fruit or cola flavour follows. It is a small edible drama with a happy ending, usually followed by another small edible drama.
Why Are Haribo Sweets So Popular?
Haribo’s lasting appeal is not based on flavour alone. The sweets work because several pleasures arrive at once:
- Recognisable shapes: bears, rings, bottles, cherries, eggs, hearts, dummies and milk bottles make every mix visually playful.
- Contrasting textures: firm fruit gums, soft jelly sweets, creamy foam pieces and fizzy sugar coatings keep a mixed bag interesting.
- Familiar flavours: strawberry, raspberry, apple, orange, lemon, pineapple, blackcurrant and cola offer instant recognition.
- Nostalgia: Haribo connects childhood pocket-money sweets with grown-up film nights, road trips, parties and quiet raids on the kitchen cupboard.
- The pleasure of choosing: mixed bags turn eating sweets into a tiny sorting ritual. Everyone has a favourite; everyone suspects somebody else has taken it.
- Easy sharing: bags, mini bags, boxes, sweet tubs and bulk formats suit everything from lunchboxes and party bags to weddings, Halloween bowls and Christmas treats.
Haribo says its UK range includes more than 100 varieties. A complete Haribo sweets list therefore stretches well beyond the most famous mixes, taking in gummy sweets, jelly sweets, sour sweets, fizzy sweets, foam sweets, liquorice, fruit gums and traditional favourites. The variety is part of the point: one brand can satisfy the person who wants a soft strawberry sweet and the person who considers sour sugar a competitive sport.
What Are Haribo Sweets Made From?
Recipes vary between products and countries, but many classic Haribo fruit gums contain ingredients such as glucose syrup, sugar, gelatine, dextrose, fruit juice, fruit and plant concentrates, flavourings and glazing agents. Sour and fizzy Haribo sweets may also contain citric or malic acid to create their sharp coating, while foam sweets and milk-flavoured gums use different recipes to produce their softer texture.
Not every Haribo product is suitable for every diet. Much of the core UK range contains pork gelatine, while clearly marked Halal products use beef gelatine. Haribo also makes specific vegetarian and vegan sweets without animal gelatine. The company states that most UK-made products do not contain gluten, although Pontefract Cakes contain wheat and some imported products may carry trace warnings. Ingredients and manufacturing can change, so the packet label should always have the final word.
Haribo Sweets for Sharing, Parties and Pick n Mix
Part of Haribo’s modern success lies in how easily the sweets fit the occasion. Mini bags work beautifully in party bags and packed lunches. Sharing bags are made for films, family evenings and long car journeys. Haribo sweet tubs, boxes and bulk bags are useful for birthday parties, weddings, office treats, sweet tables, Christmas gatherings and Halloween visitors who have made a convincing effort with their costume.
They also sit naturally beside traditional pick n mix sweets. Goldbears bring the classic gummy chew; Starmix offers variety; Supermix adds soft foam and creamy pieces; Tangfastics supplies the sour fireworks. Put them together and you have colour, texture and flavour without requiring a committee meeting.
A Quick Haribo History Timeline
- 1920: Hans Riegel founds Haribo in Bonn, Germany.
- 1921: Gertrud Riegel becomes the company’s first employee.
- 1922: The Dancing Bear, Haribo’s first famous gummy sweet, is created.
- 1923: Growing demand leads to the first Haribo delivery car.
- 1925: Haribo begins producing liquorice.
- 1946: Hans Riegel Junior and Paul Riegel take over the family company.
- 1960: Haribo Goldbears are launched.
- 1967: Goldbears become a registered trademark in Germany.
- 1972: Haribo acquires a majority stake in Dunhills of Pontefract.
- 1994: Haribo completes its acquisition of Dunhills.
- 1995: Starmix launches in the UK.
- 1996: Supermix follows.
- 1997: Tangfastics introduces its famous sweet-and-sour tang.
Frequently Asked Questions About Haribo Sweets
Who Invented Haribo Sweets?
German confectioner Hans Riegel founded Haribo in Bonn in 1920. He created the Dancing Bear fruit gum in 1922, establishing the idea that eventually became the Haribo Goldbear.
What Does Haribo Stand For?
Haribo combines the opening letters of Hans Riegel Bonn: HA-RI-BO.
What Was Haribo’s First Product?
Haribo initially made hard sweets. Its first named breakthrough product was the Dancing Bear, a larger and slimmer predecessor of today’s gummy bear, created in 1922.
Are Goldbears the Original Haribo Sweets?
Goldbears descend from the 1922 Dancing Bear, but the Goldbears themselves launched in 1960. The modern compact shape was introduced in 1978.
Which Haribo Sweets Are Most Popular in the UK?
Haribo identifies Starmix and Tangfastics as its two leading UK mixes, with the top position changing between them. Supermix and Goldbears are also enduring family favourites.
Can You Buy Haribo Sweets Online in Different Sizes?
Yes. Depending on the product, Haribo sweets can be found in individual packets, sharing bags, multipacks, mini bags, boxes, tubs and larger bulk formats. This makes them easy to choose for everyday treats, gifts, parties, events and pick n mix displays.
From One Copper Pot to a World of Colour
Haribo’s history is a reminder that great products do not always begin with grand machinery or a grander speech. Sometimes they begin with a confectioner, a copper pot and the sharp understanding that people enjoy food more when it gives them something to smile about.
More than a century later, the principle remains intact. Make the shapes playful. Make the colours inviting. Give every piece a satisfying chew. Put several favourites in one bag and allow families to conduct tense but broadly civil negotiations over the last cola bottle. For gummy bears, fruity rings, sour favourites, creamy foam pieces and colourful classics, there is still nothing quite like Haribo Sweets.