History
With its disruptive products and border-breaking markets, we bring the flavor of Colombina to the world proving that flavor can be endless.
Filling the world with Endless Flavor for over 95 years!
… and it all started with our founder,
HERNANDO CAICEDO
Hernando was a visionary, born of Colombia's agricultural hub, the Valle del Cauca Department. He instinctively knew how to harness its nurturing sunlight, rich soil, and profusion of tropical fruit into candy and sweets – a recipe for Endless Flavor – passing down delight from generation to generation.
1918
Hernando starts out by milling sugar cane to produce raw sugar on a small plot of land, which he eventually expands into The ‘Riopaila’ sugar mill.
1927
Hernando switches from milling and formally constitutes the Colombina food company.
1935
Colombina’s fruit-flavored hard candy affectionately becomes known as “Colombinas”.
Second generation command
1946
Hernando’s son, Jaime Hernando, known for his driving entrepreneurial talent, takes over at Colombina. He puts Colombina into overdrive pushing its operations to expand across the nation … and overseas!
The 60´s
Colombina turns to manufacturing naturally flavored fillings
and jams using European techniques on Valle del Cauca's
most iconic fruits eliminating artificial flavoring.
Colombina starts exporting to the world's largest market
- the United States - making it the first South American
factory to compete with Old World confectionery
companies.
Colombina expands to meet growing overseas demand by
erecting a plant in La Paila, Valle del Cauca Department.
The 70´s
The Bon Bon Bum bubble-gum-filled lollipop took the candy
market by storm turning candy on its head in Colombia -
sales triple in just one year!
Bon Bon Bum quickly becomes the #1 product of Colombina for
both young and old candy lovers.
Next, Colombina's Coffee Delight hard candy becomes a
Colombian icon. Nucita Chocolate Crème follows and
becomes an instant hit with kids with its charming two-toned
double flavor swirl.
The 80´s
Set an alliance with Seatech International for exclusive
distribution of Van Camp's tuna and sardines – an
alliance still going strong today!
Colombina's acquisition of Splendid takes Colombina into
the baked goods and leads to its own Baked Goods Food
Processing Plant in Cauca Department, known as
‘Colombina del Cauca’.
The 90´s
Toward the end of the 20th century, Colombina ventures into sauces and preserves when it acquires the ‘Constancia’ brand.
The 21st Century: 2000 and Beyond. Major Investments & Colombina’s Transition to a Multi-category Food Company
2001
Colombina sets up an alliance with the Colombian
Coffee Federation to distribute ‘Café
Buendía’ instant coffee.
Colombina's ‘Compañía de
Alimentos del Pacífico’, or CAPSA food
processing plant goes into operation in Guatemala -
built in partnership with the Pantaleon Concepcion
Group to serve Central America.
2002
Cesar A. Caicedo takes over the Executive Presidency
at Colombina modernizing Colombina's Corporate
Vision and stimulating growth throughout its
overseas affiliates.
In true Caicedo style, Cesar DEVELOPS the
company’s food categories, portfolio
diversification and strategic overseas alliances.
2004
Ventures into ice cream acquiring ‘Inalac, Helados LIS’
2006
Acquires ‘Helados Robin Hood’ ice-cream company
2007
Launches its ‘Crakeñas’ brand saltines
Creates ‘Colombina del Cauca’ dedicated Free
Trade Zone
2013
Acquires ‘C.I. Comexa’ and begins manufacturing Amazon brand salsas and tabasco sauces.
2015
Launches ‘Colombina 100%’ brand – large multi-category varied ingredient and diverse feature product line free of artificial food dyes and flavoring that is better for you.
2016
Acquires the top confectionary company in Spain,
‘Fiesta’ and establishes a more formidable
overseas presence across Europe
Hits the 70-country/750,000-client mark and secures a
greater Central American market participation when it buys
out the ‘Compañía de Alimentos del
Pacífico’, or CAPSA food processing plant
2017
Reaches 14 overseas affiliates with its operations in The Dominican Republic
2018
We launch our platform Rall–E Sales: an app that allows shopkeepers in Colombia to digitize their businesses and quickly stock up with a comprehensive portfolio available 24/7.
2019
Recertified in Equipares Gold Gender Equity Seal – 1st company to achieve recertification!
2020
We inaugurated the Solar Farm at our Colcauca Plant,
consisting of 4,890 solar panels that power our cookie plant
in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca.
Bon Bon Bum, our iconic brand - that has accompanied
millions of Colombians for generations - celebrated its 50th
anniversary.
We were included in the S&P Global Sustainability
Yearbook among the top 10 food companies with the best
sustainable practices around the world in the Bronze
category.
2021
Recognized by Portafolio Awards as the top human-resource
management company for our outstanding command of
recruitment, selection process, training and work
environment.
Awarded Zero-waste Certification for our sustainability
management at our ColCauca Cookie Plant by ICONTEC and Zero
Waste Corporation of Colombia.
Inaugurated our solar farm at our La Paila Confectionary
Plant.
2023
Our candy and preserve plants received the Zero Waste
certification in the Gold Category, awarded by ICONTEC and
the Zero Waste Corporation of Colombia.
César Caicedo, the company's CEO, was recognized
as the Businessman of the Year 2022 by La República
newspaper.
2024
We ranked 11th among the 200 companies with the best
reputation to work for in Colombia according to Merco
Talento, and 4th among food companies.
Additionally, we became the seventh food company in the
world with the best sustainable practices according to
S&P Global.
