Colombina (candy brand)

Colombina, or Dulces Colombina, is a Colombian multinational[2] candy brand.[3] The brand operates in Venezuela,[4] the United States and 78 other countries around the world.[1]

Among their main domestic market competitors are "Super",[5] "Nutresa", "Casa Luker", "Aldor", "Trululu", "Dulces La Americana" and "Comestibles Italo".[6] ,

History

Colombina was started by don Hernando Caicedo, a Valle del Cauca native. In 1918, he began milling sugar cane at a small plot. Eventually, he moved into a mill named the "Riopala" mill. He started saving his money and, in 1927, established the "Colombina Food Company"[7] in Cali.

During the 1970s, Hernando Caicedo's son, Jaime Hernando, took over the company's reigns. He expanded the branch's reach to the United States and Europe, inventing, along the way, a type of candy named "Bon Bon Bum". Later, after Nutella entered the Colombian market, Colombina launched a competing brand called "Nucita". During that era, the company hired the famed French mime, Marcel Marceau, to promote their candies on television advertisement campaigns.[8]

In 2012, Colombina opened a production plant in South Africa.[9]

As of 2022, Cesar A. Caicedo was Colombina's president. He has been in that position for more than two decades.[10]