HISTORY

Look-O-Look International has been trading as an expert in sweets for over 40 years. So, to trace the origins of the brand, we have to go back to the year 1969, to be exact. It was in that year that Look-O-Look burst onto the market with a unique candy presentation that remains our trademark to this day. The most incredible types of sweets were presented together in transparent hanging bags so you could see exactly what was inside. By pricing all the candy bags the same and presenting them together, we created a unique presentation. The result was a little sweet shop of sorts with the most delicious Look-O-Look sweets together inside the store.

Within twenty years, Look-O-Look had grown to become an international enterprise. In 1989, Look-O-Look became part of the large confectionery manufacturer Van Melle. This enterprise gave Look-O-Look the opportunity to start selling its sweets in other countries as well, such as France, Germany, England and Belgium. By joining forces with Van Melle, Look-O-Look grew rapidly and added more and more new products and wrappers.

Since the 1990s, Look-O-Look has led the way in conceiving fun campaigns. In 1992, for example, anyone who purchased Look-O-Look products would receive free football tickets. In 1994, you could order a special T-shirt on the occasion of Look-O-Look’s 25th anniversary and, in 1995, a successful savings campaign was launched in which you could save up for an original Look-O-Look beach towel. Over the past 40 years, Look-O-Look has organised countless campaigns that we are still proud of.

The famous Look-O-Look logo with the cheerful eyes was first introduced in 1999. Prior to this, Look-O-Look had BOINK THE BEAR as its logo. You could find him on every wrapper and during every promotion. Then Boink the Bear retired, and now everyone is familiar with the logo with the eyes.  

What is more, the factory where all our sweets are made is no longer in the same spot that it occupied forty years ago. In 2004, Look-O-Look moved from its site in Ridderkerk to a brand new office in Andelst (near Arnhem). The most delicious sweets in the world are now packaged and sent from there to the various countries!

Van Melle: Confectioners from father to son
Some time around 1850, baker Izaak van Melle had the idea to start making sweets in addition to bread. Together with his son, he invented little balls and boiled sweets that sold like hot cakes. The sweets became so popular that, in 1900, his grandson Izaak opened the first Van Melle confectionery factory. Van Melle received universal praise for its quality. Abroad, too. And that is why the Van Melles began exporting as early as 1904. To the Dutch East Indies (now called Indonesia) first of all and then to a whole host of other countries. Business flourished, so much so that the factory in Breskens constantly had to be extended and modernised. After the war (the company had been bombed in 1944), Van Melle relocated to Rotterdam. In 1984, an even larger establishment in Breda opened its doors. The confectionery manufacturer Look-O-Look was acquired by Van Melle in 1989.

Perfetti: From a two-man business to a global company
The company Perfetti was set up in 1946. Brothers Ambrogio and Egidio Perfetti started out with a little factory that made sweets and chocolates. This factory was located in a tiny village in Italy close to the large city of Milan. In 1950, they also began to make chewing gum. The company grew very rapidly and added more and more brands. In 1982, the first factory outside Italy was opened in Greece. This was followed by factories all over the world in countries such as Vietnam, Brazil, China, Turkey and the Netherlands.

Perfetti Van Melle
The organisation Perfetti Van Melle was created when the companies Perfetti and Van Melle decided to merge in 2001. The result of these 2 companies becoming 1 (namely Perfetti Van Melle) was an organisation that sold confectionery, such as sweets, liquorice and chewing gum all over the world. And we still do! These days, more than 17,000 people worldwide work at Perfetti Van Melle!