Marabou (chocolate) facts for kids
Marabou is a popular Swedish chocolate brand. It is owned by a big company called Mondelez International. Many people in Sweden and other countries love Marabou chocolate.
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The Story of Marabou Chocolate
The Marabou chocolate brand was started by a Norwegian chocolatier named Johan Throne Holst. A chocolatier is someone who makes or sells chocolate. Johan Throne Holst had already created a very successful chocolate in Norway called Freia. Freia was so popular that it owned more than half of the chocolate market in Norway in the early 1900s.
During the First World War, it was hard to sell products in Europe. So, Johan Throne Holst's company decided to expand and start making chocolate in Sweden.
How Marabou Got Its Name
In 1916, the Marabou brand was created in Sweden. The name "Freia" was already being used by another company in Sweden. So, the company decided to name their Swedish branch after the stork that was part of their logo. Even though the brand was created in 1916, making the chocolate didn't start until 1919. This was because there wasn't enough cocoa available due to World War I.
New Flavors and Factories
Johan Throne Holst's second son, Henning, took charge of Sweden's first chocolate factory in 1918. This factory was in Sundbyberg, just north of Stockholm. Henning helped create many popular Marabou chocolate bars that are still enjoyed today. These include Japp, Daim, Twist, Fortuna and Non Stop.
The very first Marabou chocolate was a milk chocolate called Mjölkchoklad. It used the same recipe as the popular Freia chocolate. In the mid-1950s, Marabou chocolate started to be caramelized. This made its taste quite different and unique. As more and more people wanted Marabou chocolate, the Sundbyberg factory became too small. So, in the 1970s, after 60 years, the production moved to a new, bigger factory in Upplands Väsby. Marabou chocolate is still made there today.
The Famous "M" Logo
In the late 1960s, the symbol for Marabou changed. It went from being a stork to the rounded "M" that you see in the company's logo today. This new "M" was designed by Sigvard Bernadotte. Around this time, Marabou also started its first TV commercials. These commercials starred an actress named Yvonne Lombard. She created the very famous slogan, "Mmm... Marabou!".
Marabou chocolate is very popular and you can find many different kinds of it all over Sweden.
Marabou Around the World
Later, the Freia and Marabou companies joined together. In 1993, a large food company called Kraft Foods bought both of them. Today, Marabou chocolate is sold in many countries across Europe. It was also sold by IKEA stores in places like Canada, Israel, and Poland until September 2011.
Currently, Marabou chocolate is sold by IKEA in 23 countries. These include Australia, Austria, Canada, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ireland, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the US.
