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Laima (confectioner)
Encyclopedia
Laima is the largest producer of confectionery
in Latvia
. Its headquarters are in Riga
. It is named for Laima
, the feminine deity of fate
in Latvian mythology
.
of the Russian Empire
. Despite the loss of Russian markets, the company maintained its major market position domestically following Latvia's independence in 1918. The current company name was adopted in 1925 after a merger with Eliyahu Fromenchenko (also spelled Fromchenko), a Russian Jew, who later sold the company and founded Elite in Israel
at Ramat Gan.
During the both the 1930s and Soviet period in Latvia
, Laima was the main chocolatier
in Latvia, with L.W. Goegginger (later renamed Uzvara by the Soviets) being the main producer of hard candies.
After Latvia regained its independence in the 1990s, Laima amalgamated with both Uzvara and cookie, wafer, and cake manufacturer Staburadze to become a single company under the Laima name.
Unlike similar regional producers of cherished national brands, such as Lithuania's Karūna
, Sweden's Marabou
, and Norway's Freia
, Laima managed to avoid being bought out by an international player like Kraft Foods
.
Ownership of Laima is controlled by Nordic Partners Group, itself majority owned by Icelandic investor Gísli Reinison. After introducing Laima shares to the Riga Stock Exchange
in December 2006, the controlling owners decided to once again make the company private, taking it off the market on 13 July 2007.
The product in Laima's current range with the longest history is the chocolate candy Serenāde, the recipe for which has remained unchanged since 1937.
In Riga, one of the major landmarks is the Laima Clock, near the Freedom Monument. This is a classic meeting place for people in Riga.
As a publicity gesture, in 2007 Laima gave the inhabitants of Ruhnu
island in the Gulf of Riga
a 40 kg statue of a bear made of chocolate, to commemorate a brown bear
that had swum over, presumably from the Latvian mainland, to the Estonian island.
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...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. Its headquarters are in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. It is named for Laima
Laima
Laima was the personification of fate and luck in the Latvian and Lithuanian mythologies. She was associated with childbirth, marriage, and death; she was also the patron of pregnant women...
, the feminine deity of fate
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
in Latvian mythology
Latvian mythology
Latvian culture, along with Lithuanian, is among the oldest surviving Indo-European cultures. Much of its symbolism is ancient. Its seasons, festivals, and numerous deities reflect the essential agrarian nature of Latvian tribal life...
.
Company history
The company traces its origins to the 19th century, when the Theodor Riegert company was one of the largest confectioners in the Baltic ProvincesBaltic provinces
The Baltic governorates , originally the Ostsee governorates is a collective name for the administrative units of the Russian Empire set up at the territories of Swedish Estonia, Swedish Livonia and, afterwards, of Duchy of Courland and Semigallia .-History:The Treaty of Vilnius of 1561 included...
of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Despite the loss of Russian markets, the company maintained its major market position domestically following Latvia's independence in 1918. The current company name was adopted in 1925 after a merger with Eliyahu Fromenchenko (also spelled Fromchenko), a Russian Jew, who later sold the company and founded Elite in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
at Ramat Gan.
During the both the 1930s and Soviet period in Latvia
Latvian SSR
The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Latvian SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the Soviet Union. Established on 21 July 1940 as a puppet state during World War II in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied by...
, Laima was the main chocolatier
Chocolatier
A chocolatier is someone who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.Professional chocolatiers study topics including the following:...
in Latvia, with L.W. Goegginger (later renamed Uzvara by the Soviets) being the main producer of hard candies.
After Latvia regained its independence in the 1990s, Laima amalgamated with both Uzvara and cookie, wafer, and cake manufacturer Staburadze to become a single company under the Laima name.
Unlike similar regional producers of cherished national brands, such as Lithuania's Karūna
Karuna
Karuā is generally translated as "compassion" or "pity". It is part of the spiritual path of both Buddhism and Jainism.-Buddhism:...
, Sweden's Marabou
Marabou (chocolate)
Marabou is a Swedish chocolate brand, which has been the most successful ever since it was launched in 1916. The distinctive brand was founded by the Norwegian chocolatier Johan Throne Holst who already had launched the same chocolate recipe in Norway under the name Freia with great...
, and Norway's Freia
Freia (chocolate)
Freia is a Norwegian chocolate candy manufacturing company. The company is famous for Freia Melkesjokolade and Kvikk Lunsj, as well as for other candy and dessert products.-History:...
, Laima managed to avoid being bought out by an international player like Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
.
Ownership of Laima is controlled by Nordic Partners Group, itself majority owned by Icelandic investor Gísli Reinison. After introducing Laima shares to the Riga Stock Exchange
Riga Stock Exchange
The Riga Stock Exchange now "NASDAQ OMX Riga" is the sole stock exchange operating in Riga, Latvia. It is owned by NASDAQ OMX, which also operates exchanges in the USA, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Armenia, Lithuania, and Estonia...
in December 2006, the controlling owners decided to once again make the company private, taking it off the market on 13 July 2007.
Brand recognition
In Riga, one of the major landmarks is the Laima Clock, near the Freedom Monument. This is a classic meeting place for people in Riga.
As a publicity gesture, in 2007 Laima gave the inhabitants of Ruhnu
Ruhnu
Ruhnu is an island situated in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It belongs to Estonia and is an administrative part of Saare County. At 11.9 km2 it has currently less than 100, mostly ethnic Estonian permanent inhabitants...
island in the Gulf of Riga
Gulf of Riga
The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. According to C.Michael Hogan, a saline stratification layer is found at a depth of approximately seventy metres....
a 40 kg statue of a bear made of chocolate, to commemorate a brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
that had swum over, presumably from the Latvian mainland, to the Estonian island.
External links
- Official website (in Latvian, Russian and English)
- Images of Laima wrapper designs throughout the decades