Each year Candy Industry compiles a list of the Top 100 candy companies in the world. Below, you’ll not only find out where candy company ranks, but also their estimated net sales, how many employees they have and which products they make. Have feedback? Editor-in-chief Bernard Pacyniak would love to hear from you! Just shoot him note at pacyniakb@bnpmedia.com.

[ 2015 Top 100 List ] [ 2013 Top 100 List ]

Welcome to our exclusive list of the Top 100 Confectionery Companies in the World!

Click through the lists below to find out which companies made the cut, and which candymakers were in the Top 10. As you read through, you'll find more than just the rankings though! You'll also see each company's net sales, number of employees, number of plants, the names of the company's chief officer and the products each company manufactures. 

Companies 100-76

Companies 75-51

Companies 50-26

Companies 25-1

Like the previous year, there were a few notable acquisitions and even a name change within the candy community worldwide.

In July, Lotte Confectionery Co. Ltd., of Seoul, acquired 76 percent of Kazakhstan candy maker Rakhat for $157 million with plans to purchase the rest of the shares. Rakhat had two plants, employed 4,000 and posted sales of $197 million.  We estimate that Lotte will have sales over $1.1 billion in 2013 as a result of this acquisition.

Then in April, Colian S.A., of Poland, acquired FC Solidarnosc, also from its homeland. About 99 percent of the praline manufacturer, who employed 900, was bought for $66.3 million.  The Polish manufacturer saw a 21 percent increase from the first nine months of 2013 over the first nine months of 2012, which had been credited to the acquisition of FC Solidarnosc. The value of the transaction has been reported to exceed $51.5 million. We are projecting the group to have net sales of $242 million.

Earlier in the year, Sweet Products N.V. changed its name to Baronie N.V. The company said Sweet Products was not a practical name and that many of its customers knew them as Baronie Belgian Chocolates.  The company also hopped up the Global 100 ladder as they increased their sales for the group to $748 million.

While sales for many companies remained flat, others saw increases. Brazilian CRM Group increased its sales over 2012’s $590 million by almost 30 percent to projections of $760 million for 2013. Web sources indicate the growth is from a strong following of their Chocolate Cocoa Brazil brand, which has 500 shops and their Kopenhagen brand with 330 stores. The company plans to expand its factory in Extreme and is currently producing 5,800 thousand tons of candy.

Another company who has seen growth is Solen Cikolata Gida San. Ve Tic., of Gaziantep, Turkey, which is building its sixth plant. This will be the fifth in Gaziantep and another is located in Istanbul.  They are projecting another good year, with sales estimated to be $360 million for the year. A company spokesperson said the 85,000-sq.-meter plant will be operational in early 2014 and will include some new lines. The company has invested 160 million Turkish Lira ($84.4 million) into the plant. Solen also noted it has started producing its first industrial Turkish Delight under the brand Lokkum.

Finland’s Raisio Plc also saw an increase in growth; largely in part of its acquisition of the Czech company Candy Plus in 2012 to complement its successful confectionery activities in the UK under the Big Bear Confectionery name.  Candy Plus had two plants and 400 employees. We are projecting net sales for 2013 to be $774 million.

New to this year’s list is PT Mayora Indah TbK, of Indonesia. With four confectionery factories in three countries, we estimate the company will have sales of $300 million.

 Editor’s Note: The Global Top 100 is always a “work in progress,” one that many times involves making estimates when companies refuse to share their specific data. If there are any oversights or incorrect estimates, please feel free to contact Candy Industry Editor Bernie Pacyniak at pacyniakb@bnpmedia.com so we can adjust the listing for next year.

Note on methodology: All sales, plant and employee estimates are for confectionery operations only, unless otherwise noted. In addition, Candy Industry has attempted to factor out industrial chocolate sales and plants. All estimates come from a combination of manufacturer surveys, annual reports, media reports, private and published research, and analyst interviews. For most public companies, projections were made for fi scal 2012 based on 2011 sales and growth reported in the most recent 2012 statements, if available. For most private companies, sales are estimated for calendar year 2012. Currencies have been converted based on the average exchange rate from Jan. 1-Dec. 1. Where data was lacking, information is noted as N/A (not available).

* non-confectionery items are included
*** Although the number of employees and plants include nonconfectionery items for Mondel z International, the $14,862 million in sales of the chocolate, candy and gum categories make up 42% of Mondelez International’s expected $35,385 million in sales for 2013.
¹ Mars wouldn’t indicate number of plants but said they have chocolate operations in more than 20 countries and Wrigley’s gum business has operations in more than 50 countries.
² See’s has 550 year-round employees, 1,200 seasonally
ˆ includes temporary workers