Who owns SweeTarts?
SweeTarts is owned by Ferrero (Italy) through its subsidiary Ferrara.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Ferrara Candy Company — our brands. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Ferrero Group via Ferrara reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇮🇹 Italy, Alba
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Founded
- 1963
- Category
- Food › Confectionery › Candy & sugar confectionery
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About SweeTarts
SweeTarts were created in 1963 by the maker of Pixy Stix, who wanted a less messy way to sell the same sweet-sour powder, and pressed it into tablets. Ferrara acquired the brand with Nestlé's United States candy business in 2018.
Ownership timeline of SweeTarts
Where SweeTarts sits in Ferrero
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Ferrero ownership tree →
See the full Ferrero brand portfolio (23) →
Other brands owned by Ferrero
Ferrero controls 23 brands on Brandtree, 23 of them in food.
Also in food
- Baby Ruth (1921)
- Blue Bunny (1935)
- Bottle Caps (1972)
- Brach's (1904)
- Butterfinger (1923)
- Crunch (1928)
- Famous Amos (1975)
- Ferrero Rocher (1982)
- Froot Loops (1963)
- Frosted Flakes (1952)
- Halo Top (2012)
- Keebler (1853)
- Kellogg's Corn Flakes (1894)
- Kinder (1968)
- Laffy Taffy (1970)
- Nerds (1983)
- Nutella (1964)
- Raisin Bran (1942)
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; Ferrero has 6.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Ahlgrens bilar | Cloetta | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| Charleston Chew | Tootsie Roll | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Bon Bon Bum | Colombina | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Candy Kittens | Katjes International | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Airheads | Perfetti Van Melle | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| Goldbears | Haribo | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Háls | Nói Síríus | 🇮🇸 Iceland |
| Jolly Rancher | Hershey | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Ferrero
Ferrero is a family-owned company headquartered in Alba, Italy, founded in 1946. Brandtree records 23 brands under its control.
Ferrero was founded by pastry maker Pietro Ferrero in Alba, Piedmont in 1946, where wartime cocoa shortages led him to stretch chocolate with local hazelnuts. It remains family-owned through a Luxembourg holding company and has expanded into American biscuits and ice cream by acquisition.
🇺🇸 SweeTarts and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, SweeTarts among them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of SweeTarts?
The parent company of SweeTarts is Ferrero, a family-owned company headquartered in Italy. SweeTarts sits under Ferrero's subsidiary Ferrara.
Is SweeTarts American or Italian?
SweeTarts originated in the United States in 1963, but it is owned today by Ferrero, which is headquartered in Italy. So SweeTarts is an American-origin brand under Italian ownership.
Is SweeTarts still owned by Ferrero?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, SweeTarts is still owned by Ferrero. 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] Ferrara Candy Company — our brands — Ferrara Candy Company, Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.