Kalev (confectioner) facts for kids
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| Subsidiary of Orkla Group | |
| Founded | 1806 |
| Founder | Lorenz Caviezel |
| Headquarters |
Lehmja, Rae Parish
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Area served
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Estonia |
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Kalev is a famous Estonian company that makes delicious sweets! It started way back in 1806, over 200 years ago, with a sweet shop that later became the famous Maiasmokk café. Today, Kalev is the biggest sweet maker in Estonia. It's part of a larger company called Orkla Group. Their main factory is in a place called Põrguvälja, near Jüri.
Contents
The Sweet History of Kalev
How it All Began (1800s)
The story of Estonian sweets began in 1806. A pastry chef named Lorenz Caviezel opened a sweet shop in Tallinn. This shop was on Pikk Street, where the well-known Café Maiasmokk (which means "Sweet Tooth") has been since 1864.
In 1864, the sweet shop was bought by Georg Johann Stude. Ten years later, Stude made his business even bigger. He bought a nearby house and built a new, stronger building. This building is still standing today! Stude's shop was famous for its marzipan figures and handmade chocolate candies. His sweets became popular even outside Estonia. For example, the Russian tsar's royal family often bought sweets from Stude's shop around the year 1900.
Even today, Kalev still uses some of the old recipes and ways of working from Stude's time. The marzipan figures are still made by hand!
Growing the Sweet Business (Early 1900s)
In the early 1900s, other sweet makers started up in Tallinn. One of the most famous was Kawe confectionery. It was started in 1921 by two brothers, Karl and Kolla Wellner. Kawe was the biggest sweet factory in Estonia at the time. Their products were known both in Estonia and in other countries. They even sent their sweets to places like the United States, England, India, and China!
Other big sweet companies back then included Ginovker, Brandmann, and Klausson. By the late 1930s, Kawe and these three factories employed most of the sweet workers in Estonia. There were also many smaller sweet shops, like Riola and Endla.
Becoming Kalev (Soviet Era)
Big changes happened in 1940 when many companies were taken over by the government and merged. For example, the Riola factory joined with the Brandmann business. It was then called the Karamell Sweet Factory. Later, the marzipan and chocolate part of Georg Stude's business joined Karamell. Cakes and tarts continued to be made at the Pikk Street building, which was still called Café Maiasmokk.
Soon after, Kawe merged with several other sweet factories. The combined company kept the name Kawe until 1948. But on April 1, 1948, the company's name was changed to Kalev Confectionery Factory. The name was changed because the old name "Kawe" came from the first letters of the old owners' names. This was not allowed for a Soviet company. So, they held a competition to pick a new name. Two names were suggested: "Punane Kompu" (Red Candy) and "Kalev." By just one vote, "Kalev" was chosen!
In 1957, a new sweet factory called Uus Kalev (New Kalev) opened. It merged with Karamell a year later. Then, in 1962, New Kalev and Kalev joined together. This created the Kalev confectionery factory we know today.
During the Soviet period, Kalev made lots of sweets for Estonia and almost the entire Soviet Union. Kalev's sweets also won awards at international fairs. Kalev is also famous for making the first Soviet chewing gum in 1968. At first, it was banned because it was seen as too "capitalist." But production started again in 1979. Even when other factories began making gum, Kalev still sold more than half of all the chewing gum in the Soviet market!
Modern Kalev (After 1991)
In 1991, Kalev became a state-owned company. Then, in 1995, it became a private company that people could buy shares in.
From 1996 to 2009, you could buy shares of AS Kalev on the Tallinn Stock Exchange. In 2003, Kalev made a big move. The company moved from Tallinn to a brand new factory in Harjumaa, in the Rae rural municipality. In May 2010, the main sweet-making part of the business was sold. It became a separate company called Kalev Chocolate Factory. This company was bought by a Nordic food group called Felix Abba, which is part of the larger Orkla Group.
In 2018, AS Kalev merged with another company called AS Põltsamaa Felix. For a long time, Kalev was one of the few Estonian food companies owned mostly by Estonian people.
Kalev Today
Kalev is a successful company that makes good profits. It employs about 800 people.
Kalev Stores
Kalev has many sweet shops where you can buy their delicious products:
- Kalev Chocolate Shop and Workshop in Rotermann (Roseni 7, Tallinn)
- Kalev Balti Jaam Chocolate Shop (Kopli 1, Tallinn)
- Kalev Nõmme Chocolate Shop (Turu 8/Piiri 6, Tallinn)
- Kalev Jüri Factory Shop (Põrguvälja tee 6, Lehmja)
- Kalev Tartu Chocolate Shop (Poe 1/Küüni 4, Tartu)
- Kalev Kuressaare Chocolate Shop (Lossi 1, Kuressaare)
- Kalev Pärnu Chocolate Shop (Port Artur 2, Lai 11, Pärnu)
- Felix Shop (Tallinna mnt. 1, Põltsamaa)
What Kalev Makes
Besides making chocolates and candies, Kalev also sells its products in cafés and candy shops. The Kalev group also works with flour and bakery products, milk products, and even real estate. You can buy pre-made marzipan, or even order special hand-painted marzipan figures in the Kalev Marzipan Room in Tallinn on Sundays. Kalev keeps adding new and exciting products to its range!
See also
