Ricola facts for kids
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| Aktiengesellschaft (AG) | |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Founder | Emil Wilhelm Richterich |
| Headquarters | , |
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Key people
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Thomas P. Meier (CEO) |
| Products | Cough drops, breath mints |
| Revenue | 307.2 Million CHF (Swiss francs) (2016) |
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Number of employees
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>400 (2016) |
Ricola is a famous Swiss company. It makes cough drops, instant tea, and breath mints. The main office of Ricola is in Laufen, which is in Basel-Country. Ricola also has offices in other countries like Italy, Great Britain, Asia, and the United States. The company sells its products to about 45 countries in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Contents
How Ricola Works
Ricola is a family business. The Richterich family owns it. Felix Richterich is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The company has over 400 workers. Ricola also works with more than 100 farms in Switzerland. These farms grow the special herbs used in Ricola products. They grow herbs in places like the Valais and Jura Mountains.
Ricola is well-known for its fun TV commercials. These ads often show people in the mountains shouting "Ri-co-la!" and playing a big Alphorn.
Ricola's History
Starting Small in Laufen
Ricola started in 1930. A baker named Emil Wilhelm Richterich bought a small bakery in his hometown of Laufen. He first made sweets like caramel.
In 1940, Richterich began to try new things with herbs. He wanted to use the healing power of herbs. He created Ricola's Swiss Herbal Sweet. This sweet used a mix of 13 different herbs. This special mix is still used today! In the 1950s, people found out that if you put the sweet in hot water, it made a nice herbal tea. This gave Richterich the idea to make Ricola Herbal Tea.
Growing and Changing
In 1967, Emil Richterich and his sons changed the company's name to Ricola. This name is a short way of saying Richterich & Compagnie Laufen. In the 1970s, Ricola started selling its products in other countries. They sent products to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States. By the end of the 1970s, Ricola moved to a new, bigger factory near Laufen. Their main office is still there.
In 1976, Ricola made Switzerland's first sugar-free herbal sweet. This was after a lot of research. In the 1980s, Ricola began to advertise on TV. People were also becoming more aware of keeping their teeth healthy. This made sugar-free products like Ricola's very popular.
Working with Farmers
In 1985, Ricola started working with Swiss farmers. These farmers grow herbs naturally. They follow strict Bio Suisse rules. This means they grow herbs without harmful chemicals. In 1988, Ricola began to package their products in small boxes.
New Buildings and Shops
In 2006, Ricola opened a modern candy factory in Laufen. In 2014, they opened a new building called the "Kräuterzentrum" (Herb Center) in the same place. This building is made of clay and is the largest clay house in Europe! Famous architects Herzog & de Meuron designed it.
In 2022, Ricola opened its first shop in Paris, France. Customers there can even make their own sweets! In March 2023, they opened a Ricola shop in Laufen, Switzerland.
In 2023, Ricola made a deal with IP-SUISSE. They will work together to grow sugar beets in a sustainable way. This means they will grow sugar without using fungicides, insecticides, or herbicides. Also in 2023, Ricola became a B Corporation. This means they meet high standards for being good for people and the planet.
Today, Ricola sells its products in over 50 countries.
What's in Ricola Products?
The main ingredient in most Ricola products is menthol. But a very important part is the special mix of herbs. Ricola's classic mix uses 13 different herbs:
- Elder (Sambucus nigra)
- Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
- Mallow (Malva silvestris)
- Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)
- Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
- Cowslip (Primula veris)
- Burnet (Pimpinella saxifraga)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis)
- Lady's mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris)
- Speedwell, aka veronica (Veronica officinalis)
- Ripwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
In the United States, the herbal mix is slightly different. It includes linden flowers (Tilia platyphyllos), wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum), and hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).
Ricola makes over 60 kinds of herbal sweets. Some have essential oils, natural flavorings, or vitamin C. All Ricola products are made in Laufen. They make 7 billion candies there every year!
You can find many types of Ricola sweets. Some popular ones are Herbs Original, Lemon Balm, Honey Herbs, and Elderflower. Sugar-free versions are also available. Some products use steviol glycosides from the stevia plant for sweetness. Ricola products are also gluten-free, halal, and kosher.
Ricola Herb Gardens
Ricola has six special gardens in Switzerland that you can visit. These gardens are open to the public from May to September. Visitors can learn about the herbs used in Ricola products. They can also learn how these herbs are grown.
The gardens are located in beautiful places like:
- Nenzlingen, near the company's main office
- Trogberg, a mountain
- Klewenalp
- Kandersteg
- Zermatt
- Pontresina
The herbs used for Ricola's cough drops are not grown in these display gardens. They are grown on natural farms in the Swiss mountains. These farms follow strict organic rules. Ricola makes sure its herb farms are far from factories or busy roads. This helps keep the herbs clean from pollution. Over 100 farms grow herbs for Ricola. They use an area as big as 124 soccer fields! No pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides are used on these farms.
Ricola Adventure Trail Arosa
In 2021, Ricola opened an Adventure Trail in Arosa. This trail is three kilometers long. It has ten fun stations where you can learn about bees, herbs, and how candy is made.
Ricola Advertising
Ricola introduced its famous jingle in 1980. You can still hear it today! In some commercials, actress Ramona Pringle sings the well-known "RIII-CO-LAAAAAAA." She sometimes pretends to be Heidi.
In 1998, Ricola started an advertising campaign with the slogan Wer hat's erfunden? which means "Who invented it?" These ads were filmed in many countries, like Finland, Australia, England, Mexico, China, Brazil, and Greenland.
Since 2013, Ricola has used the Swiss-German slogan Chrüterchraft for its international ads. This means "herbal power." It stands for the herbs, their good effects, and the tasty products.
Later, Ricola launched the "Wish you Well" campaign. In 2021, this was replaced by a new campaign called "Just take Ricola." This campaign is shown across Europe. It focuses on the natural alpine herbs, Ricola's Swiss origin, and how the products are both enjoyable and helpful. The company also updated its packaging and logo with this new campaign.
Images for kids
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Ricola Bonbons
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Ricola herbal cough drop
See also
In Spanish: Ricola para niños
