Ahlgrens is a former Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 confectionery

Confectionery

Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...

 company. It was originally founded by Fredrik Ahlgren in the town of Gävle

Gävle

Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle...

 in 1885 as a store for paint and wallpaper, a business which was later extended to the production and sale of various types of chemicals, perfumes and other products. A mouthwash

Mouthwash

Mouthwash or mouth rinse is a product used to enhance oral hygiene. Some manufacturers of mouthwash claim that antiseptic and anti-plaque mouth rinse kill the bacterial plaque causing cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath. Anti-cavity mouth rinse uses fluoride to protect against tooth decay...

, introduced in 1908, was given the brandname Läkerol

Läkerol

Läkerol is a Swedish brand of candies currently produced by the Leaf confectionery company.The candies are sugar- and calorie-free pastilles with the major ingredient being gum arabic. The candies are produced in a variety of flavors....

, a year later given to a pastille

Pastille

Pastilles are a type of candy or medicinal pill made of a thick liquid that has been solidified and is meant to be consumed by light chewing and allowing it to dissolve in the mouth...

, which is still sold internationally in several variants.

The company was in 1993 later bought by the Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 company Huhtamäki

Huhtamäki

Huhtamäki is a Finnish company, headquartered in Espoo, which manufactures and supplies packaging for various uses. Its primary outputs include cartons and containers for foods and other consumer goods, disposable tableware and films and laminates for such uses as adhesives, plasters and labels...

 which quickly terminated the brand Ahlgrens and rebranded all its products to Leaf

Leaf Candy Company

Leaf International BV is a market leader in candy, chewing gum and pastilles in Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium and has a number two position in Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Italy. In total Leaf products are sold in more than 50 countries worldwide...

 except for the Ahlgrens bilar.

The product still most closely associated with the brand is Ahlgrens bilar ("Ahlgren's Cars"), sold since 1953 and marketed as "the world's most sold car" (which is possibly technically correct, by number of cars). The small marshmallow cars are so popular within Sweden that stores that specifically cater Swedish tourists and residents in other countries have started selling them as well.
In recent years the brand has been extended to other car- and road-related products, liquorice car tyre

Tire

A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...

s, travel trailer

Travel trailer

A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...

s and sour road signs, the latter including the elk warning signs beloved by German tourists.

External links

• Ahlgrens bilar (in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian)
• Malaco Leaf, company website