Perfetti Van Melle USA, Inc

Perfetti Van Melle is a privately-held European global manufacturer of confectionery and gum. It was formed by the 2001 merger of Perfetti of Italy with Van Melle of the Netherlands, having its corporate headquarters in Lainate (Milan), Italy and in Breda, Netherlands. Perfetti Van Melle bills itself as the third largest confectionery manufacturer in the world after Kraft Foods (owners of Cadbury plc) and Mars, Incorporated (owners of Wrigley). It employs 17,000 people via 30 subsidiary companies and distributes its products in over 130 countries. The company owns a major subsidiary in the United States, (Perfetti Van Melle USA), as well several others in large markets around the world. Who wouldn't love a perfect candy? As a subsidiary of Italy-based Perfetti Van Melle S.p.A., Perfetti Van Melle USA manufactures candy and gum. Its most well known brands include Airheads and Mentos. Its Brooklyn gum and Fruittella and Chupa Chups candy brands, although available in the US, are more popular with Europeans and Canadians than with all the confirmed chocolate lovers in the US. Like most modern-day confectioners who expand on their well-known brands rather than spend the time and money on a new product, the company has introduced three new spin-offs of the Airheads brand -- Airheads Cotton Candy Bubble Gum, Airheads Extremes, and Airheads Fruit Spinners.