Who owns Harlekijntjes?
Harlekijntjes is owned by Katjes International (Germany), which has owned the brand since 2016.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Katjes International GmbH & Co. KG - Securities prospectus for the 2023/2028 corporate bond, 1 September 2023. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Katjes International GmbH & Co. KG reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇩🇪 Germany, Emmerich am Rhein
- Origin
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- Category
- Food › Confectionery › Candy & sugar confectionery
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Harlekijntjes
Harlekijntjes is a Dutch liquorice and fruit gum brand that Katjes International acquired in 2016. Its main product is soft liquorice in five flavours (sweet, salty, salmiak, ginger and honey), and the prospectus says it is the best-selling liquorice product by volume in the Netherlands. Fruit gums were added in 2011, and these are made by Katjes in Emmerich on contract, while the company has begun converting its range to vegan recipes.
Ownership timeline of Harlekijntjes
- 2016 – present Katjes International [1] reported
Where Harlekijntjes sits in Katjes International
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Katjes International ownership tree →
See the full Katjes International brand portfolio (10) →
Other brands owned by Katjes International
Katjes International controls 10 brands on Brandtree, 8 of them in food.
Also in food
- Candy Kittens
- Dallmann's
- Dulcioliva (1924)
- Paluani
- Piasten (1923)
- Sperlari (1836)
- Treets
Other brands in candy & sugar confectionery, and who owns them
The 83 brands in candy & sugar confectionery on Brandtree belong to 36 owners. The largest is Cloetta, with 6; Katjes International has 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Ahlgrens bilar | Cloetta | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| Bottle Caps | Ferrero | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| Charleston Chew | Tootsie Roll | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Bon Bon Bum | Colombina | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Airheads | Perfetti Van Melle | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| Goldbears | Haribo | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Háls | Nói Síríus | 🇮🇸 Iceland |
| Jolly Rancher | Hershey | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Katjes International
Katjes International is a privately held company headquartered in Emmerich am Rhein, Germany, founded in 1972. Brandtree records 10 brands under its control.
Katjes International is a family-run brand holding company based in Emmerich am Rhein that buys established confectionery and personal-care brands, often as carve-outs from larger groups. It was set up in 1972 to hold the Katjes group's property and now holds stakes in Sperlari, Dallmann's, Piasten, Bübchen, Candy Kittens and Harlekijntjes. It is a sister company of Katjes Fassin, the maker of the Katjes liquorice and fruit gums, and of Katjesgreenfood; the three are legally separate, so the Katjes brand itself does not belong to this company. It also holds about 23 per cent of the French confectioner CPK (Carambar), which is a minority holding and not listed here.
Katjes International: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇳🇱 Harlekijntjes and other Dutch brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 61 brands that began in the Netherlands. 34 of them (56%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Harlekijntjes among them.
- Albert Heijn — Ahold Delhaize 🇳🇱
- Becel — KKR 🇺🇸
- Campina — FrieslandCampina 🇳🇱
- Conimex — Paulig 🇫🇮
- Fruit-tella — Perfetti Van Melle 🇳🇱
- Garden Gourmet — Nestlé 🇨🇭
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Harlekijntjes?
The parent company of Harlekijntjes is Katjes International, a privately held company headquartered in Germany.
Is Harlekijntjes Dutch or German?
Harlekijntjes originated in the Netherlands, but it is owned today by Katjes International, which is headquartered in Germany. So Harlekijntjes is a Dutch-origin brand under German ownership.
Since when has Katjes International owned Harlekijntjes?
Katjes International has owned Harlekijntjes since 2016.
Is Harlekijntjes still owned by Katjes International?
Yes. As of 4 October 2026, Harlekijntjes is still owned by Katjes International. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Katjes International GmbH & Co. KG - Securities prospectus for the 2023/2028 corporate bond — Katjes International GmbH & Co. KG, Official document, published 1 September 2023; retrieved 4 October 2026.
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