Katjes Fassin

What Katjes Fassin does

Katjes Fassin GmbH + Co. KG is a family-owned German confectionery manufacturer headquartered in Emmerich am Rhein, founded in 1950 by Klaus Fassin on the basis of a Sicilian licorice recipe brought from Italy in 1910. The company is one of the three largest sweet manufacturers in Germany, operating three carbon-neutral production sites in Germany (Emmerich for fruit gums and licorice, Remshalden for sherbet products, and the transparent candy factory in Potsdam-Babelsberg for hard boiled candy) plus a trend-scouting sales and marketing office in Los Angeles. Its core technology is plant-based confectionery manufacturing using pectin-based recipes instead of animal gelatin, with natural flavors and colorings (no artificial colors since 1988, no artificial flavors since 2007) and the entire range converted to 100% vegetarian in 2016, with continuing vegan expansion.

The portfolio spans the flagship Katjes brand (vegan fruit gums and licorice including Grün-Ohr Hase, Yoghurt-Gums, Katjes-Kinder, Salzige Heringe), the vegan Chocjes oat-milk chocolate line launched in 2019, and acquired heritage brands VICKS cough sweets (licensed from Procter & Gamble since 2015), Ahoj-Brause sherbet (since 2002), SALLOS licorice (since 2000), and GLETSCHEREIS ice sweets (since 2003). Katjes Fassin generates revenue primarily through one-time retail sales of branded confectionery via mass-market German supermarket chains, supplemented by a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop (shop.katjes.de), two factory outlet stores, and exports to Denmark, Italy, the USA, and Russia. Licensing and production of VICKS cough sweets adds a separate licensing/royalty revenue stream, and a permanent Berlin-based agency partnership with antoni jellyhouse supports purpose-driven marketing campaigns. Target end consumers are primarily women aged 14–49 seeking vegetarian/vegan and natural-ingredient confectionery, with secondary reach into consumers with dietary restrictions and European retail trade buyers.

Name

Katjes Fassin

Legal name

Katjes Fassin GmbH + Co. KG

Website

https://katjes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Katjes Fassin is a family-owned German confectionery manufacturer, one of the three largest in Germany, producing 100% vegetarian and increasingly vegan fruit gums, licorice, and oat-milk chocolate at three carbon-neutral German production sites for sale through German supermarkets, exports, e-commerce, and factory outlets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Emmerich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Confectionery product sales: Sale of vegetarian/vegan fruit gums, liquorice, hard candies, sherbet, and chocolate products through retail and direct-to-consumer channels.
2. VICKS cough sweets licensing and production: Exclusive permanent license to market and sell VICKS cough sweets in Europe and Russia since 2015. Expanded to include production of VICKS sweets.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Katjes Fassin manufactures and sells vegetarian and vegan confectionery products, including fruit gums, licorice, hard candies, sherbet, and chocolate. All products are made without animal gelatin using plant-based pectin recipes, with no artificial colors or flavors. The company operates a portfolio of brands including Katjes, Chocjes, VICKS, Ahoj-Brause, SALLOS, and GLETSCHEREIS, producing at three carbon-neutral manufacturing sites in Germany.

Product overview

Katjes Fassin is a German confectionery company comprising multiple brands. The core Katjes brand specializes in vegan fruit gummies and licorice confectionery, all made without animal gelatin using plant-based alternatives. The portfolio includes flagship products like Katjes Grün-Ohr Hase (Brad the Bunny), Yoghurt-Gums (first created in 1971), and various fruit gum and licorice offerings. Katjes expanded into chocolate with Chocjes (vegan oat milk chocolate). Additional brands include VICKS cough sweets, Ahoj-Brause sherbet, SALLOS licorice, and GLETSCHEREIS ice sweets. Products are manufactured at three carbon-neutral production sites in Germany. The company positions itself as a pioneer in vegetarian confectionery, with all products 100% vegetarian since 2016 and increasingly vegan since 2022.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VICKS cough sweets: Cough sweets with over 85 years on the market, originally created by Lunsford Richardson, inventor of Vicks VapoRub.
• Ahoj-Brause
• SALLOS
• GLETSCHEREIS
• Chocjes

Products and services

• Katjes fruit gums and licorice Flagship brand of vegan fruit gummies and licorice confectionery made without animal gelatin using plant-based pectin, including a variety of fruit gum flavors and licorice products. Marketed to vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian consumers.
• Chocjes vegan chocolate Vegan chocolate made with oat milk, dairy-free and soy-free, available in 'The Pure Thing' (plain) and 'Hazel Smack' (with hazelnuts) varieties. Made with UTZ-certified cocoa. Won PETA Vegan Food Award 'Best Chocolate' in 2020.
• VICKS Cough Sweets Cough sweets brand acquired with an exclusive permanent license from Procter & Gamble for Europe and Russia. VICKS has over 85 years on the market as a leader in cough sweets.
• Ahoj-Brause sherbet Sherbet brand and Crispy Puffed Rice products acquired in 2002 as part of the Frigeo portfolio. A household name in Germany since 1925, available in various flavors.
• SALLOS licorice Licorice brand featuring a unique blend of black licorice with spicy herbs, acquired in 2000 from Villosa. Known for its distinctive, not-too-sweet taste.
• GLETSCHEREIS ice sweets Original ice sweets from 1927 with refreshing sour and fruity taste, made without cream or fat. Acquired in 2003.
• Katjes Grün-Ohr Hase (Brad the Bunny) Award-winning sweet foam sugar bunny with fruit gum ears. Vegetarian fruit gum with natural flavoring and coloring, available in cherry-flavored white and raspberry-flavored pink varieties.
• Yoghurt-Gums World-first fruit gummies made with skimmed milk yoghurt powder, available in strawberry, cherry, blueberry, pear, raspberry, and lemon flavors. Vegetarian from inception in 1971.
• Glücksgefühle

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced emissions by 20% by not using gelatin
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VICKS (Procter & Gamble)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 14 October 2019In 2015, Katjes acquired an exclusive, permanent licence to market and sell VICKS cough sweets in Europe and Russia. VICKS has over 85 years on the market and continues to be a leader in cough sweets. Recently expanded to include production of VICKS sweets at the transparent candy factory.
• MediaCom DüsseldorfminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 October 2019Media agency responsible for Chocjes campaign media planning and buying.
• antoni jellyhousecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2019Berlin-based exclusive agency created specifically for Katjes. Responsible for the #CheckItOut campaign, Chocjes packaging design, and ongoing creative brand development. Led by Managing Director Creation Martin Pross.
• Gerald ScarfeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2019Legendary English illustrator famous for Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' album cover. Created Chocjes TV commercial artwork in his inimitable style, taking a critical look at factory farming while promoting oat milk as the sustainable alternative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Haribo: German-founded global fruit gum and jellies leader (Gold-Bears, etc.) and the dominant direct competitor to Katjes in fruit gums and licorice - both family-held, Germany-based, and competing for the same retail shelf and consumer occasions.
• Cloetta AB: Swedish-listed confectionery company specialising in fruit pastilles, chewing gum, and licorice - a direct comparable in product mix and mid-size scale, with similar plant-based transitions (Kolsen, Jenkki).
• Fazer Group: Finnish/Nordic confectionery company (Fazer Blue, Geisha, Fazer's Fazermint) of comparable scale, with multi-brand strategy and a recent push into plant-based and natural-ingredient positioning analogous to Katjes.
• Perfetti Van Melle: Italian-Dutch family-owned confectionery maker (Mentos, Chupa Chups, Smint) of comparable scale and family-owned DNA, with direct overlap in pastilles, mints, and fruit-flavored candies.

Emerging players

• Jelly Belly Candy Company: US jelly bean and sugar confectionery specialty player with growing natural/plant-based line extensions; comparable as a smaller-scale, non-incumbent confectionery maker targeting similar adult confectionery consumers with positioned flavor ranges.

Broad incumbents

• Mondelez International: Global confectionery incumbent (Cadbury, Sour Patch Kids) operating broadly in sugar confectionery; competitive overlap comes from Cadbury's gum and pastilles lines and from Mondelez's growing plant-based confectionery SKUs in Europe.
• August Storck KG: German family-owned confectionery maker behind Werther's Original, Toffifee, and Knoppers - a broad incumbent in the same German sugar confectionery category that competes with Katjes for retail facings and consumer occasions.
• Ferrero Group: Italian family-owned confectionery giant (Kinder, Nutella, Tic Tac) competing broadly in sugar confectionery; relevant as a private, family-held European confectionery comparable at larger scale, with growing plant-based SKUs (Kinder Vegan) directly addressing Katjes' positioning.
• Mars Wrigley: Global confectionery giant with fruit candy franchises (Skittles, Starburst, Sour Patch Kids) that increasingly overlaps with Katjes' plant-based positioning as Mars expands natural-ingredient lines and competes for the same shelf space.
• Nestlé Confectionery: Global confectionery incumbent (Smarties, KitKat, Aero) competing broadly for the same confectionery occasions and increasingly for plant-based shelf space as it expands natural-ingredient SKUs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/katjes_official
• Facebookfacebook.com/Katjes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Katjes Fassin