Mentos History

Who sparked the beginning of a Fresh New World? Scroll down and see the success story of Mentos.

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1900

VAN MELLE WAS FOUNDED
Van Melle founded in Breskens, Netherlands.
Van Melle Logo
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1932

THE BEGINNING OF MENTOS
On a train ride to Poland, brothers Michael and Pierre van Melle came up with the vision of a peppermint flavoured caramel candy to go by the name of Mentos. This was the beginning of a Fresh New World.
MENTOS BECOMES A REALITY
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1950

MENTOS GOES GLOBAL
Mentos production moved to Rotterdam, Holland and gained international orders from France, Germany and the UK. This marked the beginning of the New Freshness spreading across the world.
New Mentos Production
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1960

MENTOS IN A ROLL
The sixties! Revolutions in fashion, sex, music and Mentos. The first Mentos roll found its way to consumers across the globe.
MENTOS IN A ROLL
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1973

Fruit Tastes
While the Original Mentos now even spoiled the taste buds of the King of Naples, new Mentos variations were introduced. So the Mentos fans in the USA could look forward to cinnamon and menthol Mentos, while the Europeans chewed more and more on Mentos fruit.
Mentos fruit roll
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1976

FIRST TV COMMERCIAL
Mentos made its small screen debut with the first Fresh TV commercial.
mentos tv commercial
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1990

THE FRESHMAKER
Mentos introduced the Freshmaker campaign that proved to be right on target: straight after its introduction Mentos sales went through the roof!
THE FRESHMAKER
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2001

PERFETTI VAN MELLE MERGER
The year 2001 was a special year for Mentos that saw the Dutch company van Melle and the Italian company Perfetti join forces, making Mentos available in shops everywhere.
PERFETTI VAN MELLE MERGER
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2005

Launch of Mentos UK
After being so popular in the rest of Europe, in 2005 Mentos was officially introduced to the UK.
Launch of Mentos UK
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2007

SETTING WORLD RECORDS
The Guiness World Record was set for the most Diet Coke and Mentos explosions at one time. The record was set in September in Fountain Square, Downtown Cincinnati, OH with 850 participants. The physical reaction resulted in hundreds of spraying foam fountains up to 5 metres high.
SETTING WORLD RECORDS
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2007

INTRODUCED MENTOS GUM
After launching in the rest of Europe in 2005, Mentos Gum made it's debut in the UK in 2007
INTRODUCED MENTOS GUM
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2012

MENTOS UK ON FACEBOOK!
Mentos went social by opening up a Facebook account. Since then Mentos social presence has continued to grow.
MENTOS UK ON FACEBOOK!
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2013

MENTOS 'SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER'
Mentos on-pack promotion for the chance to win £100,000!
MENTOS 'SHAKE YOUR MONEY MAKER'
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2013

MENTOS 'DON'T BECOME YOUR DAD'
Mentos launched the Don't Become Your Dad TV commercials - ensuring the world stays fresh!
MENTOS 'DON'T BECOME YOUR DAD'
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2013

MENTOS LONDON DOMINATION!
Mentos takes part in the largest outdoor confectionery campaign in London in December!
MENTOS LONDON DOMINATION!
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2014

Mentos Pure Fresh Chewing Gum
Mentos Gum launches Pure Fresh; big pieces of gum for maximum freshness! It comes in a handy big bottle, perfect for your home, desk or car, or the pocket bottle, perfect for your bag or pocket!
Mentos Pure Fresh Chewing Gum
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2014

NEW MENTOS SPEARMINT ROLL
Mentos introduced a new and refreshing Spearmint flavour, especially developed for the UK market.
NEW MENTOS SPEARMINT ROLL
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2015

WHO SAYS NO TO MENTOS?
Mentos launched a refreshed brand positioning which sees the brand overcoming social barriers and making it easy to take the first step and make new contacts. "Who says no to Mentos?". In the UK a 360° campaign was launched, fully supported with TV, VOD, Social Media, PR and a targeted outdoor campaign in Birmingham, including experiential and radio.
WHO SAYS NO TO MENTOS?
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2015

MENTOS MENTORS
When did we stop connecting with people? How do you turn a stranger into a friend? Watch Mentos Mentors on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN1-yvo7gIg #WhoSaysNoToMentos?
MENTOS MENTORS
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2017

MENTOS INTRODUCES SAY HELLO... THE FIRST PRINTED DRAGEE
In 2017 Mentos launched rolls where each dragee had printed pictures. This was the first time that Mentos printed sweets with edible ink. Each dragee in the Mentos Say Hello roll had a fun challenge helping to bring people together.
say hello
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2018

SAY HELLO 2
This year Say Hello returned to our Mentos packs as another limited edition but this time the dragees were printed with an assortment of emojis.
SAY HELLO MENTOS
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2019

MENTOS COMPLIMENTOS
Mentos believes the world is a better place when people connect. With our new limited edition - Mentos Complimentos we have customized our rolls with compliments, now offering an easy way to re-fresh your connections with the people around you. Because the easiest and most positive way to re-fresh a connection is by giving a compliment!
Mentos Complimentos fruit
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2021

YES TO FRESH
In 2021 Mentos updated its brand positioning to YES TO FRESH. When you choose Mentos, you say yes to freshness. When we choose Mentos, we say yes to fresh. Yes to the unexpected. Yes to the unknown. Yes to the path less travelled. It's an opportunity to break up the everyday, be more adventurous and and make a refreshing choice to do things differently.
yes to fresh roll
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2022

Mentos Fanta
Mentos enters into a global licensing agreement with the Coca-Cola company for a limited edition Mentos Fanta flavor. One of the world's most popular soft drinks available in a delicious Mentos candy. The drink you can chew. The limited edition is available for one year so grab one while you can!
Mentos Fanta
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2022

MENTOS PURE FRESH GUM LAUNCHES IN A PAPER BASED BOTTLE
Mentos Pure Fresh Gum now available in a bottle made with Paper* The new 50 piece resealable bottle can now be recycled with paper. The paper bottle contains the same long lasting taste of Pure Fresh available in refreshing mint and indulgent fruit flavours. *90% made with paper (paperboard)
Mentos Pure Fresh Paper based bottle
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2024

Mentos Discovery
Embark on a flavour-filled journey with Mentos Discovery – a roll bursting with 14 tantalizing tastes! From the zing of raspberry to the sweetness of lychee, each chew unveils a symphony of delightful flavors like never before. Dive into a world where every roll is a delicious exploration!
Mentos Discovery - discover the 14 flavors!
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2024

Mentos Pure Fresh Gum: Product of The Year
We are incredibly excited about securing the Product of the Year award for Mentos Pure Fresh Gum, This recognition showcases that we are consumers favorite.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR!
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2024

Bauer x Mentos
As part of its £2.5m summer media investment in its ‘Yes to Fresh’ campaign, Mentos has teamed up with KISS Fresh to shine a spotlight on emerging talent, memorable moments and unique experiences. The collaboration involves Mentos sponsorship of KISS Fresh and the KISS Hype Chart, along with the creation of a ‘Corner Shop Drop’ social content series.
Bauer x Mentos Campaign
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