Bubs started out in a small Swedish town making boiled fruit sweets over a century ago, long before anyone associated Scandinavia with the gummy and salty liquorice sweets it's now known for.
A Dalarna sweet shop that became a national brand
Bubs was founded in 1919 in Vansbro, a small town in Sweden's Dalarna region. Like many European confectioners of the era, it began with simple boiled fruit sweets, built on local demand, before gradually expanding its range and distribution across the 20th century into a recognised national brand.
From boiled sweets to gummy and salt liquorice
As the Swedish confectionery market evolved, Bubs expanded well beyond its boiled-sweet roots into gummy shapes and salty liquorice, or salmiak, a Scandinavian speciality flavoured with ammonium chloride that gives it a distinctive salty-sharp edge unfamiliar to many outside the Nordic region. Both categories are now core to the brand's identity, alongside its fruit-flavoured originals.
Joining the Cloetta family
In 2011, Bubs became part of Cloetta, the Swedish confectionery group with roots stretching back to 1862. The move brought Bubs under the same roof as several other long-established Nordic sweet brands, part of a broader wave of consolidation across the Scandinavian candy industry.
Bubs sweets in the UK
Bubs' gummy and liquorice ranges have found a growing audience among UK fans of Scandinavian candy, and they sit well in our sweet jars collection for anyone looking to try something outside the usual British pick and mix.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Bubs come from?
Bubs was founded in 1919 in Vansbro, in the Dalarna region of Sweden, where the company started out making traditional boiled fruit sweets before later expanding into gummy and liquorice confectionery.
Who owns Bubs today?
Bubs has been part of Cloetta, the major Swedish confectionery group, since 2011, joining a portfolio of long-established Scandinavian sweet brands under one company.
What is Bubs best known for?
Bubs is best known today for its gummy sweets and salty liquorice varieties, both staples of Scandinavian pick and mix culture, alongside its historic fruit-flavoured boiled sweets.