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 was founded in Breskens, Netherlands.
van Melle logo
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1932

MENTOS BECOMES A REALITY
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 reality in Poland
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1946

PERFETTI WAS FOUNDED
Perfetti was founded in Lainate, near Milan.
Perfetti logo
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1950

NEW MENTOS PRODUCTION
Mentos production moved to Rotterdam. International orders to France, Germany and the UK 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

NEW MENTOS VARIETIES
While the original Mentos was tickling the taste buds of the King of Nepal, new varieties were introduced. In the U.S. Mentos lovers got to try cinnamon and menthol, while European fans were presented with fruit-flavoured mints.
NEW MENTOS VARIETIES
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1976

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

The freshmaker DÉCLIC FRAÎCHEUR
La campagne Le déclic fraîcheur de Mentos donne rapidement des résultats. Les ventes explosent peu après son lancement.
THE FRESHMAKER
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2001

PERFETTI VAN MELLE MERGER
2001 was a special year for Mentos, which 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

MENTOS GUM DEBUTS
Mentos Gum made its debut in Europe and beyond. The refreshing taste, the unique shape and texture, and the many different flavours found new fans everywhere.
MENTOS GUM DEBUTS
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2007

SETTING WORLD RECORDS
The World Record was set for the most Diet Coke and Mentos explosions at one time. The record was set on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati, OH.
SETTING WORLD RECORDS
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2007

MAKE ART POP—A REFRESHING MASTERPIECE
After visiting a museum exhibit it found a little too conventional, Mentos created the Make Art Pop movement to shake up the art world with a little fun. The idea was to create urban visual art with gigantic Mentos gum sheets.
 MAKE ART POP—A REFRESHING MASTERPIECE
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2009

MAKE YOUR WORLD GO ROUND(ER)!
Mentos launched Make Your World Rounder. Mentos Fresh crews bounced all over Canadian cities on giant jumping balls, spreading good vibes everywhere.
MAKE YOUR WORLD GO ROUND(ER)!
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2010

MENTOS GOES SOCIAL
Mentos went social by opening a Facebook account. Since then, Mentos social presence has continued to grow.
MENTOS GOES SOCIAL
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2014

First partnership with The Amazing Race Canada
Mentos teams up with The Amazing Race Canada for the first time, weaving its products into the show. The partnership will end up lasting three years
First partnership with The Amazing Race Canada
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2014

MENTOS GUM COMES TO CANADA
Mentos Gum was introduced in Canada.
MENTOS GUM COMES TO CANADA
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2019

Introducing Clean Breath hard mints
Introducing Clean Breath hard mints, proven to help provide clean breath for 30 minutes
Introducing Clean Breath hard mints
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