Hans Riegel Sr
German, 1893 - 1945
The founder of the world-famous Haribo confectionary company, Hans Riegel Sr is also credited with creating the first Gummy Bear, in 1922. This original gelatin-based sweet was known as the Dancing Bear. Following his death in 1945, the Haribo company was then operated by his son, Hans Riegel Jr, who saw the company grow into the international giant it is today, at one point producing around 70 million Gummy Bears a day.