We converted our entire production, changed recipes and said goodbye to some products with a heavy heart. Because from 2016, all Katjes products have been 100% vegetarian – without animal gelatin! Immediately recognizable with the yellow V-label on our bags!
In 2015, Katjes acquires an exclusive, permanent licence to market and sell VICKS cough sweets in Europe and Russia. With more than 85 years on the market VICKS continues to be a leader in the field of cough sweets.
Our affiliate, Katjes International GmbH & Co. KG, takes a share in the French confectionery manufacturer Lutti. Très bien.
Not just any candy factory, but the first transparent candy factory in Europe. It was opened in Potsdam-Babelsberg on October 20, 2006, and, since then, we have made it possible for all visitors to take a look behind the scenes of our sweet production.
The liquid center is a true fruity pleasure. And Katjes catches it for all the hard candy fans out there. Another iconic brand - yummy!
Bastian Fassin becomes managing partner, thus continuing the family tradition. He replaces his father Klaus Fassin, although Klaus still likes to visit the production facilities himself.
The original ice sweets from 1927. The cooling sweets are just as refreshing as they were over 80 years ago – and all this without cream or fat.
Legends like Ahoj sherbet and its product line, but also the colorful Crispy Puffed Rice have been delighting young and old since 1925. Childhood memories we like to keep alive!
It was in this year that Katjes Fassin took over the Villosa brands SALLOS® and the traditional Hustelinchen cough sweets. SALLOS®, the unmistakable taste of which delights licorice fans throughout the country, and Hustelinchen, which looks back on a tradition of over 75 years, have been produced by Katjes ever since.
Tobias Bachmüller becomes managing partner and makes Katjes internationally known as a trend brand.
Naturalness: the order of the day. From then on, we only used fruit pulp, fruit juice and plant-based or fruit-based color extracts for all our fruit gummies and licorice.
Fruit gummies with yoghurt. The Yoghurt-Gums immediately becomes a bestseller and are still one of our most popular products today. Inspired by creamy strawberry yoghurt, we decided back then to use a striking pink packaging, which we still use today.
Xaver Fassin divided the company between his children. His son Helmut continued to manufacture household products in ´s-Heerenberg. Klaus, his second son, went to the neighboring German town of Emmerich am Rhein and founded his own company, Katjes Fassin GmbH & Co. KG, which from then on produced confectionery. The tiny black licorice cats were a very special favorite. To this day, the products are still sold under the name “Katja” in Holland.
The story of Katjes began in Sicily. Xaver Fassin, whose ancestors also came from the island, brought a licorice recipe back home with him. His son Klaus used the recipe to produce licorice in the form of a tiny cat. He called it Katjes – the Dutch word for kitten. When asked why he made a tiny cat, he said it was a lucky charm. And he was right!
