Orkla Snacks has agreed to acquire The European Candy Group B.V. (CCI), a Dutch producer of vegan sugar confectionery, in a deal valuing the business at €207 million on a cash- and debt-free basis. The purchase gives Orkla the manufacturing capacity behind one of its fastest-growing products: the vegan gummy brand Bubs.
CCI has produced selected Bubs items under contract since 2025, and full ownership secures that supply. Orkla Snacks intends to keep CCI’s existing business running while raising Bubs output for export markets where demand has outpaced what the brand could ship.
Based in Drachten, the Netherlands, CCI runs four production sites, three in the Netherlands and one in Germany, and employs just over 300 people. It manufactures private-label confectionery, sweets, liquorice, and sugar-free products for food, non-food, and online retailers across Europe.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and, as required under Dutch law, consultation with CCI’s works council. Closing is expected late in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Why capacity became the priority
Bubs was bought by Orkla in a deal announced in 2022. Its foam and gummy candies, made with potato protein rather than gelatin, went viral on TikTok in early 2024 after influencer visits to New York candy shop BonBon. Retailers in the US, UK, France, and Korea placed orders the brand could not fill, and a global shortage followed.
The company has since worked to close that gap. In 2025, Bubs entered the US through a manufacturing and distribution agreement with Mount Franklin Foods, and Orkla Snacks was named to Time’s 2025 list of most influential companies in the Disruptors category. Adding CCI’s plants gives Orkla owned capacity to scale production rather than relying on contract arrangements alone.
“CCI is a natural strategic fit for Orkla Snacks. The company brings unique expertise in the sugar confectionery market and a broad customer network spanning several European countries. The proposed acquisition will strengthen Orkla Snacks’ position in Europe and enable BUBS to expand its offering into new markets,” said Ingvill T. Berg, CEO of Orkla Snacks.
