Kalev (confectioner) facts for kids
 |
|
| Subsidiary of Orkla Group | |
| Founded | 1806 |
| Founder | Lorenz Caviezel |
| Headquarters |
Lehmja, Rae Parish
,
|
|
Area served
|
Estonia |
.jpg)
Kalev is a famous Estonian company that makes delicious sweets! It's the biggest producer of candies and chocolates in Estonia. Kalev has been around for a very long time, starting way back in 1806. Today, it's part of a big company called the Orkla Group. You can find Kalev's main factory in Põrguvälja, near Jüri, in Estonia.
Contents
The Sweet Story of Kalev
How Kalev's Sweet Journey Began (1800s)
The story of Estonian sweets started in 1806. A pastry chef named Lorenz Caviezel opened a candy shop in Tallinn. This shop was located on Pikk Street. Later, in 1864, the famous Café Maiasmokk (which means "Sweet Tooth") opened in the same spot.
In 1864, the candy business was taken over 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 marzipan figures and handmade chocolate candies were very popular. His sweets even became known outside Estonia. For example, the Russian tsar's royal court was a regular customer around the year 1900.
Even today, Kalev still uses some of Stude's original recipes. The marzipan figures are still made by hand, just like they were long ago!
Early Sweet Makers (Early 1900s)
At the start of the 20th century, other candy makers appeared in Tallinn. One of the most famous was the Kawe confectionery. It was started in 1921 by brothers Karl and Kolla Wellner. Kawe became the biggest sweet factory in Estonia. Its products were well-known both in Estonia and in other countries. Kawe even sent its sweets to places like the United States, England, and China!
Other big sweet makers at that time included Ginovker, Brandmann, and Klausson. By the late 1930s, Kawe and these three factories employed most of Estonia's candy workers. Many smaller companies also made sweets, like Riola and Endla.
Mergers and a New Name (Soviet Era)
Big changes happened in 1940 when Estonia became part of the Soviet Union. Many companies were taken over by the government and combined. In 1940, the Riola factory joined with the Brandmann business. This new company was called the Karamell Sweet Factory. Later, Karamell also took over the marzipan and chocolate part of Georg Stude's business. The cakes and tarts continued to be made at the Pikk Street building, which was still known as Café Maiasmokk.
Soon after, Kawe merged with several other sweet factories. These included Efekt, Eelis, and Endla. 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 "Kawe" was seen as old-fashioned for a Soviet company. So, a competition was held to choose a new name. The choices were "Punane Kompu" (Red Candy) and "Kalev." By just one vote, "Kalev" was chosen!
In 1957, a new candy 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 entire Soviet period, Kalev made huge amounts of sweets. These sweets were enjoyed all over Estonia and the rest of the Soviet Union. Kalev's sweets even 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 made more than half of all the chewing gum in the Soviet market.
Becoming a Private Company (After the Soviet Era)
In 1991, after the Soviet Union ended, Kalev became a state-owned company. Then, in 1995, it became possible for private owners to buy parts of the company. So, Kalev became a public company.
From 1996 to 2009, you could buy shares of AS Kalev on the Tallinn Stock Exchange. Later, the main owner, Oliver Kruuda, made the company private again. A big moment for Kalev was in 2003. The company moved from Tallinn to a brand new factory in Harjumaa, in the Rae rural municipality. In May 2010, the main candy-making business was sold to a Nordic food group called Felix Abba. This group 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's old address in Tallinn's Old Town is Maiasmoka maja, Pikk tn 16, Tallinn. The company makes good profits and has about 800 employees.
Kalev Stores
You can find Kalev's sweet shops in many places:
- Kalev Šokolaadipood ja Meistrikoda Rotermannis (Roseni 7, Tallinn)
- Kalev Balti Jaama Šokolaadipood (Kopli 1, Tallinn)
- Kalev Nõmme Šokolaadipood (Turu 8/Piiri 6, Tallinn)
- Kalev Jüri Tehasepood (Põrguvälja tee 6, Lehmja)
- Kalev Tartu Šokolaadipood (Poe 1/Küüni 4, Tartu)
- Kalev Kuressaare Šokolaadipood (Lossi 1, Kuressaare)
- Kalev Pärnu Šokolaadipood (Port Artur 2, Lai 11, Pärnu)
- Felixi pood (Tallinna mnt. 1, Põltsamaa)
What Kalev Makes
Besides making candies and chocolates, Kalev also sells them in its own cafés and shops. The Kalev group now also works with flour, bakery products, milk products, and even real estate. You can buy ready-made marzipan, or you can even order custom-painted marzipan figures! You can do this in the Kalev Marzipan Room in Tallinn on Sundays. In recent years, Kalev has added many new products to its range.
See also
