[News Inside Companies] The Dinosaur of Jelly: Haribo

Production of '2-Deungshin' Bear-Shaped Jelly Since 1922
Survived World War II to Become a Global Company
Holds Nearly Half of the Korean Jelly Market Share

Shinsegae Simon is hosting the 'Haribo Play Ground' in collaboration with the global confectionery brand Haribo at Shinsegae Premium Outlets in Yeoju, Paju, and Siheung, Gyeonggi-do, until May 14. Haribo Play Ground is an offline exhibition project that Shinsegae Simon is launching for the first time in Korea with Haribo and its domestic distributor.

Haribo Play Ground has become a popular spot for SNS certification shots, and since the exhibition began on March 1, about 100,000 customers per day visited the metropolitan area stores during the first weekend. This represents an increase of more than 25% in visitors compared to the same period last year.

Photo by Haribo website capture

Haribo, popular among people of all ages, was started in 1920 by 27-year-old German entrepreneur Hans Riegel (1893?1945), who began his business with a sack of sugar in a small laundry room attached to his house’s backyard. At that time, all jelly production was done manually. The name Haribo comes from the first two letters of Hans Riegel’s name and the city he lived in.

The first Haribo confectionery was said to be hard candy. However, when soft fruit jelly received a good response in the market, the main product was changed to jelly. The bear-shaped jelly, which is now synonymous with Haribo, was inspired in 1922 when Hans Riegel saw a dancing bear at a local festival and noticed how much people enjoyed it. The original Haribo bears had fur-like textures and looked realistic, but the smaller, plumper version created later is the current 'Goldb?ren (Gold Bear)'.

Photo by Haribo

Although the business seemed to be growing, Haribo faced a crisis in 1939 due to World War II. It became difficult to procure raw materials like sugar, and employees were drafted to the battlefield, causing operational challenges. To make matters worse, founder Riegel died in 1945, and his two sons, Hans Riegel Jr. and Paul Riegel, were captured as prisoners of war, leading the business into decline.

However, in 1946, the two sons miraculously survived and returned from captivity to take full control of the company. The eldest son, Hans Riegel Jr., who was 24 at the time, managed marketing and sales, while his 21-year-old brother Paul Riegel oversaw production. Their efforts led to a successful recovery, and today Haribo has grown into a global company with over 7,000 employees worldwide. Haribo currently operates 16 factories across 10 European countries, including Germany.

The current Haribo gummy bears were launched in 1989, using fruit concentrates to create more transparent colors, which gained great popularity. The Gold Bear is Haribo’s top-selling product, with 100 million pieces produced daily.

Haribo entered the Korean market in 2016. It holds the number one market share in the domestic jelly market, which is worth over 300 billion KRW. As of August 2021, it had a 43.4% market share. Last year, the jelly market sales by brand ranked Haribo first, followed by My Chew (Crown Confectionery) and Jellyshus (Lotte Confectionery).