It’s a simple rule: when the temperature drops, Ricola’s turnover increases. Because with the cold, the number of people who cough increases. And that’s where the cult sweets from the Basel city of Laufen help. And all over the world: the family business produces 35,000 sweets every minute and exports them to more than 45 countries. That is seven billion zältli per year.
Like any company, Ricola is always trying to launch innovations so as not to rely solely on the well-known blockbuster sweets in different flavors, which in many supermarkets have to hold their own against cheaper competing products.
A beacon of hope was the ‘Multi-Active’ line in three flavors. Ricola launched this on the market in 2019. Compared to previous candies, they contain a liquid core. The peppermint version is a menthol syrup that makes breathing easier. And in the herbal version it is a eucalyptus syrup.
The hope from the manufacturer’s perspective: The candies would not only increase sales, but also significantly improve margins. For example, a 44 gram box costs 4.70 francs in the Amavita pharmacies online shop. The yellow tin with the classic herbal sugar candies of 250 grams each costs only 5.70 francs. Calculated per 100 grams, the Multi-Active cough suppressants cost approximately four times as much.
But after four years, the Multi-Active sweets will disappear from the shelves of pharmacies and Swiss retailers such as Coop, Ricola spokeswoman Sandra Kunz confirmed upon request. Apparently the demand wasn’t big enough.
This may also have something to do with the placement in the supermarket, as Kunz suggests: “The products were successfully positioned in the pharmacies.” But in a Coop branch, customers are used to finding Ricola items in the candy aisle or at the cash register. The Multi-Active Zältli, on the other hand, were in the context of other health products such as calcium effervescent tablets or vitamin preparations.
Discontinuing the four-year-old product line will not result in job losses, Kunz said. “The remaining production continues unabated at full capacity.”
The end of the Multi-Active line symbolizes the efforts in the past to capitalize even more on the successful cult brand Ricola and expand the product portfolio. But neither Ricola chewing gum nor Nespresso-compatible tea capsules could hold their own in the market. They disappeared again. Just like the “Ricola Herbal Immunity” sweets. The Swiss company sold these in the US from 2016 to 2019 in as many as 18,000 supermarkets such as Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aide.
The canceled immunity line also included a jelly bean produced with a partner in the US. This was a taboo break in the company led by Chairman of the Board Felix Richterich. Because all Ricola products are made in Switzerland.
Depending on the packaging and the store, the new Ricola products cost between $7 and $10 in the US – also considerably more than the Ricola classics. It is quite possible that they would have had a better chance of success a little later, after the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in early 2020.
Ricola spokeswoman Kunz does not want to reveal whether more innovations will follow soon. Only: “Our research and development department develops the recipes taking consumer opinions into account.” Market trends and current technical developments would also be taken into account. Since last year, the company also has its own boutique in Paris and since spring an adventure shop in Laufen, where the variety of the varied candy portfolio is presented.
The family business does not provide concrete operating figures. Sales developed very positively in 2023, especially in North America and Europe, Kunz says. And in Asia he is also recovering from the Covid 19 measures. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
source: watson
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
