Gummy Bears: The Chewy Candies That Charmed the World
─Owain Mckimm
Fruity, chewy, and cute as a button, gummy bears are a surefire hit with anyone who has a sweet tooth. While many brands of gummy bears exist today, the original gummy bears were invented almost a century ago by the founder of one of the biggest candy companies in the world.
The story begins in 1920 in Germany with Hans Riegel, a candymaker from the small city of Bonn. Tired of his job, Riegel dreamed of starting his own candy company. So with nothing but a copper kettle and a marble slab, he began making hard candy in his kitchen, and Haribo—so named to abbreviate "Hans Riegel, Bonn"—was born.
While the candies sold fairly well, they didn't quite take off like Riegel had hoped. He needed an idea, something with a sense of fun! Riegel often sold his candy at local fairs and festivals, and one of the most popular attractions at these events was the dancing bears—bingo! Riegel began making little fruit-flavored sweets shaped to resemble those beloved bears.
The new candies were a huge success! By the end of the 1930s, Haribo had over four hundred employees, producing 10 tons of candy each day.
風靡世界的小熊軟糖
帶有水果口味、有嚼勁且非常可愛的小熊軟糖對喜愛吃甜食的人來說肯定是個熱門之選。雖然今天有許多品牌的小熊軟糖，但最早的小熊軟糖是在將近一個世紀之前，由世界上最大的其中一間糖果公司的創辦人發明的。
這個故事開始於一九二○年，在德國的小城市波昂有位糖果製造商漢斯．黎格。黎格厭倦了他的工作，夢想著要創立自己的糖果公司。所以他只用了銅壺和一塊大理石板便開始在自家廚房製作硬糖，而哈瑞寶（此名是取自「漢斯．黎格，波昂」的縮寫）便誕生了。
雖然糖果銷售還算好，但並不如黎格所期望地那麼成功。他需要一個點子，帶點趣味感的東西！黎格經常在當地的市集和慶典上販售他的糖果，而這些活動中最吸引人的就是跳舞的熊——太好了！黎格開始製作水果口味的小甜食、而造型就像那些受到喜愛的熊。
這款新的糖果大獲成功！到了一九三○年代末期，哈瑞寶擁有超過四百名員工，每天生產十噸的糖果。
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