"A sweet story. A century of Romanian sweets", for Children's Day

• The exhibition "A sweet story". A century of Romanian sweets" was opened at the National History Museum of Romania on June 1 - International Children's Day. 

The exhibition brings together a collection of candy boxes and sweets packaging manufactured in Romania between 1900 and 1990. The collection belongs to the "Toy Museum" Association.

Testimonies from the interwar period

The packaging belongs to well-known companies in the interwar period, such as "Suchard", "Kandia" - the first chocolate factory in Romania, "Capşa", "Zamfirescu", "Anghelescu", "Bomboneria Palatului", the "Regina" chocolate and sugar products factory Maria", Hess, Braşov - "The first candy and chocolate factory in Transylvania", according to a press release from MNIR. Along with these, packaging of other famous Romanian products will be exhibited - tea, coffee, "Cico" juice bottles, honey jars.

The first chocolate factory in Romania

The Kandia chocolate factory in Timisoara was the first chocolate factory in Romania. It all started in 1890 in a small workshop. From 1895 it was possible to speak of a full-fledged factory. From 1917, the factory was officially called Kandia, after the name of the island of Crete. Right from the 1920s, Kandia chocolate became a leader on the new Romanian market. Since then, it has been working with 300 workers, and the candies and chocolate assortments were delivered to all areas of the country. During the communist period, the development of the factory continued. It reached the figure of 800 employees, and Kandia chocolate was "contraband" goods in those years when chocolate was really a luxury.

The first chocolate factory in Transylvania was in Braşov

The first chocolate factory in Transylvania was established in Braşov in 1899. It was called "The First Candy and Chocolate Factory in Transylvania". From 1922, the name Hess was added to the name of the factory (from the main shareholder Adolf Hesshaimer). Hess became the registered trademark and emblem under which all the factory's products were marketed. At the end of 1947, the "Hess" factory was placed under the control of the House of Administration and Supervision of Enemy Assets attached to the Commercial Representation of the USSR. After 1948, the Hess Factory was nationalized, becoming in 1954 the "Dezrobierea" Confectionery Company and from 1966 - "Cibo".

The first milk chocolate in Romania

Zamfirescu chocolate was the first milk chocolate in Romania. The history of the Zamfirescu Factory begins in 1898 when the Zamfirescu family takes over the first chocolate factory opened in Bucharest in 1891. In 1906 the factory is modernized, becoming in the following years the main producer of high quality sweets and the supplier of the Royal Court. In the years 1920-1921, a new headquarters is built in Bucharest and production is expanded, the factory thus becoming the largest producer of chocolate in the Balkans. The history of Zamfirescu ends with the nationalization of the factory in 1948.

Capsa House

In 1852, the Capşa brothers opened their first confectionery. In the beginning, the products (fondant candies, caramels, chocolate eggs, etc.) were brought from France. In 1948, Casa Capşa was nationalized, becoming the "Bucureşti" confectionary and restaurant.

Discover HERE more details about the history of Casa Capşa, in the article "Capşa, refined confections with flavors of history"

Anghelescu factory

1920 Anghelescu Chocolate Factory, built by Zoe and Nicolae Anghelescu, two former students of Casa Capşa. She produced pastries, candies of all kinds, marmalade, candied fruit.

"Queen Maria" - Palace Sweets

The "Regina Maria" chocolate shop was founded in 1919 by Grigore Alexandrescu, a great industrialist in the field of leather, Roman Căpăţână and Constantin Grigorescu. The business started with a shop and a small laboratory on Strada Matei Millo. After 15 years, the annual production reached "one million kilograms, that's 100 freight cars", its products were found in the 9 large stores in the capital, but also in 4.000 stores throughout the country.