Leaf International facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Leaf International BV

Former type	BV
Industry	Confectionery
Fate	Merged into Cloetta
Successor	Leaf Brands
Founded	1940
Founder	Sol S. Leaf
Defunct	February 2012; 13 years ago (2012-02)
Headquarters	Oosterhout, Netherlands Stockholm, Sweden
Key people	Bengt Baron (CEO, 2009–11)
Products	Candy, chewing gum, pastilles, trading cards
Revenue	€527m (2010)
Owner	CVC Capital Partners Nordic Capital
Number of employees	2,400

Leaf International BV was a company that made lots of yummy candies, chewing gum, and even trading cards! It started way back in the 1940s. Leaf was a big company with many factories and thousands of employees. Over the years, Leaf joined with other companies. Eventually, it merged with a Swedish candy company called Cloetta and stopped using the Leaf name. Leaf was also famous for its baseball cards, which first came out in 1948.

History of Leaf

Leaf International BV was started by a person named Sol S. Leaf in Chicago, Illinois. This happened in the 1940s. In 1947, his company joined with others to form Leaf Brands. The company's story includes many times it joined with or bought other companies. It also changed its name a few times.

Early Products and Cards

In 1940, the Leaf Confectionery Company made a popular bubble gum called Rain-Blo. In 1947, several candy companies, including Leaf, joined together. They formed Leaf Brands.

1948 Ted Williams baseball card. This was the first full-color baseball card set after World War II.

A year later, in 1948, Leaf made its first set of baseball cards. These were special because they were the first full-color cards made after World War II. In 1949, Leaf Brands brought back a popular candy called Whoppers' Malted Milk Balls.

Changes Over the Years

In the 1960s, another company bought the Whoppers brand from Leaf. But in 1976, Leaf bought them back!

In 1983, Leaf bought the company that makes Jolly Rancher candies. Around the same time, a Finnish company called Huhtamäki Oyj bought Leaf Candy Company. They added other candy companies, like the maker of Now and Later, under the Leaf name. Huhtamäki also bought the Donruss trading card part of General Mills and added it to Leaf.

In 1986, Leaf bought more candy brands, including Milk Duds. Later that year, Leaf sold the Phoenix Candy part of its business.

In 1988, Leaf bought Hollywood Brands, which made candies like Payday and Zero. In 1989, Leaf also bought the Heath bar.

Becoming a Big Candy Company

By the 1990s, Leaf became one of the top ten candy companies in the world. They were especially good at making non-chocolate candies, like pastilles and chewing gum. By 1993, Leaf was the fourth largest candy maker in North America.

In 1996, a big candy company called Hershey Foods Corporation bought Leaf's candy operations in North America. This meant that Leaf's factories and sales became part of Hershey's business. This effectively ended Leaf's time as a separate company in the United States.

Leaf in Europe and Asia

In 1999, Leaf's business in Europe and Asia was sold to a Dutch company called CSM. This included popular brands like Läkerol, Jenkki, and Sportlife. CSM added these to their own candy group. In 2000, CSM bought Continental Sweets, which had strong markets in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK. In 2001, CSM also bought an Italian company called Socalbe, which made brands like Dietorelle.

Restoring the Leaf Name

In 2005, CSM sold its candy business to two investment firms. These firms brought back the Leaf name. In 2007, Leaf bought Cadbury Italy, including the brand Saila. In 2010, they bought Leaf Holland B.V.

Finally, in February 2012, Leaf officially merged with the Swedish candy company Cloetta. After this merger, the Leaf name was no longer used for the company.

Products Leaf Made

Leaf made many different kinds of sweets. These included:

• Sugared and sugar-free gum
• Pastilles (small, firm candies)
• Hard candies
• Liquorices
• Peppermints
• Chocolates
• Nougats (chewy candies)
• Sweeteners
• Chewy candies

Brands Leaf Owned

When Leaf merged with Cloetta, it owned many well-known candy brands. Here are some of them: