For generations of São Paulo residents, Sönksen was more than a candy company. Its chocolates, bonbons and distinctive candies became part of everyday life, particularly during the middle decades of the 20th century. Among its best-remembered products were its barley candies, sold in small burgundy-colored tins, along with fruit-flavored sweets, chocolates and seasonal products.
The story of Sönksen is also the story of Brazil’s early chocolate industry. The business began in São Paulo in the late 19th century, grew into a major confectionery manufacturer, and eventually disappeared after financial difficulties and the dramatic destruction of its factory in 1983. Today, its tins, advertisements and recipes survive largely through collectors and the memories of former customers.
1. Sönksen did not originally have the Sönksen name
The company’s origins go back to 1888, when Alfred Richter opened a confectionery business called La Bombonière on Rua Líbero Badaró in central São Paulo.
It began as a relatively small shop specializing in sweets and chocolate products. At the time, chocolate was still considered a luxury rather than an everyday mass-market food.
The business would eventually become associated with the Sönksen family, but that happened several years later.
2. The Sönksen family entered through marriage
Alfred Richter married Alwine Sophia Sönksen, a member of a São Paulo family of German origin.
After Richter died in 1904, Alwine became involved in the company’s ownership. She subsequently sold the business to João Faulhammer, who expanded the operation and developed a new factory site on Rua Vergueiro.
The family connection eventually brought the business back into Sönksen hands.
3. The company officially became Sönksen in 1912
In 1912, three Sönksen brothers—Augusto, Christian and another family member—acquired the business from Faulhammer.
The company was subsequently operated under Sönksen-related names, eventually becoming known simply as Sönksen. The factory and headquarters were established at 310 Rua Vergueiro, a location that became closely associated with the brand.
By 1948, the company had become a Sociedade Anônima, or joint-stock corporation.
4. Sönksen became famous for its candies
Although the company produced chocolate, Sönksen was particularly remembered for its candies.
Its barley candy became one of its signature products. The sweets were flattened, drop-like pieces traditionally sold in small round burgundy tins.
The company also produced candies in flavors including:
- Tangerine
- Milk
- Anise
- Honey
- Pineapple
The barley candies were sometimes promoted or remembered as being useful for soothing colds, although such historical claims should not be confused with modern medical evidence.
5. The famous Sönksen tin became part of the product
The packaging itself became memorable.
The small round tins were convenient enough to carry around, and decades later they became collectors’ items. Vintage examples remain a tangible reminder of a brand that disappeared from Brazilian stores decades ago.
For former customers, the packaging is often almost as recognizable as the candy itself.
6. Chocolate was a major part of the business
Sönksen’s product range extended well beyond candies.
The company produced:
- Chocolate bars
- Bonbons
- Filled chocolates
- Chocolate Easter eggs
- Chocolate rabbits
- Chocolate Santa Clauses
- Honey cakes
- Gummy candies
It became particularly well known for seasonal chocolate products.
Among its remembered products were the “Urso Branco” made with white chocolate and the “Urso Marrom” associated with milk chocolate.
Its slogan, “Chocolate para famílias” (“Chocolate for families”), appeared on its packaging and advertising.
7. Sönksen was considered a premium brand
Sönksen developed a reputation for quality and sophistication, but that positioning eventually became one of its weaknesses.
Its products were generally more expensive than those of mass-market competitors, and the company’s distribution relied heavily on its own stores rather than the broad retail networks being developed by larger competitors.
This created an important business problem: a premium product can command a higher price, but only if customers continue to value the difference and the company can maintain sufficient scale.
8. The company used clever marketing for its time
Sönksen did not limit itself to selling chocolate during Easter.
The company developed products and promotions connected with different occasions, including Christmas, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
That was an interesting marketing strategy for the late 19th and early 20th centuries because it encouraged customers to associate the brand with celebrations throughout the year rather than with Easter alone.
9. The “Sönksen girl” came from a famous painting
One of the brand’s most recognizable visual symbols was a woman carrying a tray.
She was based on La Belle Chocolatière, a famous 18th-century painting by Swiss artist Jean-Étienne Liotard.
The Sönksen version showed the woman carrying a glass of water and a porcelain cup containing hot chocolate. The image was selected when the business was still called La Bombonière, in 1888.
The image consequently remained connected with the company throughout much of its history.
10. Sönksen eventually became a major Brazilian chocolate company
At its height, Sönksen had a substantial presence in Brazil’s chocolate market.
One historical account states that even after its product range had been reduced, the company still had roughly 150 products and around 30% of the Brazilian chocolate market. That figure is a historical claim rather than a modern market measurement, so it should be understood in the context of the period in which it was reported.
Its success made the later collapse particularly dramatic.
The decline began in the 1970s
By the 1970s, Sönksen was facing serious financial difficulties.
The chocolate market was becoming increasingly competitive as larger companies expanded production and distribution. Historical accounts identify brands such as Nestlé, Lacta and Garoto among the major competitors whose scale made life increasingly difficult for traditional manufacturers.
Sönksen was also dealing with its own structural problems, including high costs, a premium positioning and a distribution model that was less suited to the changing market.
The company was put up for sale in the 1970s and entered a court-supervised financial restructuring process in 1977.
An extraordinary story about unpaid wages
The company’s financial problems affected its employees.
Luiz Antonio Barbieri, who worked at Sönksen in 1976–77, later recalled that salaries were sometimes delayed for months.
According to his account published by Guia dos Curiosos, he eventually received overdue wages partly in chocolate products. He recalled leaving with his car filled with sweets.
It is one of the strangest details in the company’s history—and an illustration of how severe its financial problems had become.
The dramatic end of the factory
Sönksen’s decline culminated in 1983.
The company was declared bankrupt that year, and an attempt was made to remove machinery from the factory to address the company’s financial obligations.
On September 5, 1983, a major fire broke out at the factory on Rua Vergueiro.
Historical accounts describe a tense situation involving employees who were angry about unpaid wages and attempts to remove the machinery. The fire destroyed much of the facility. The exact circumstances surrounding the fire have been described differently in historical accounts, so claims about its origin should be treated cautiously rather than presented as definitively established.
Sönksen’s story at a glance
| Period | Development | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 1888 | La Bombonière opens in São Paulo | Beginning of the business |
| 1904 | Alfred Richter dies | Alwine Sönksen becomes involved in ownership |
| 1912 | Sönksen family reacquires the company | The Sönksen name becomes central |
| 1920s | Company expands production and operations | Establishes itself as a major confectionery business |
| 1948 | Becomes a Sociedade Anônima | Marks a more corporate phase |
| 1950s–1960s | Strong consumer recognition | Candies and chocolates become São Paulo favorites |
| 1970s | Financial difficulties intensify | Competition and costs pressure the company |
| 1977 | Company enters concordata | Financial crisis becomes public |
| 1983 | Bankruptcy and factory fire | End of the original company’s operations |
| 1987 | A revival attempt ends | The old Sönksen business disappears |
There was an attempt to bring Sönksen back
The story did not end immediately with the bankruptcy.
After the original company failed, members of the Sönksen family attempted to revive some of its products. Former employees were reportedly brought back to help reproduce the old recipes.
The revived operation produced products including fruit-liqueur chocolates, Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits and chocolate Santa Clauses.
However, the attempt lasted only until about 1987. After the death of Broder Sönksen and a lack of interest among heirs in continuing the operation, the revival ended.
Why people still remember Sönksen
Sönksen disappeared commercially, but it did not disappear from São Paulo’s collective memory.
Vintage advertisements, photographs, tins and packaging continue to circulate among collectors. More importantly, former customers remember the distinctive taste of the barley candies and the experience of buying chocolates from Sönksen stores.
That nostalgia is significant because Sönksen represents an era when Brazilian confectionery included numerous locally rooted manufacturers whose products were closely associated with particular cities and neighborhoods.
The bigger lesson from Sönksen
Sönksen’s history is ultimately a story about how successful brands can lose their position when markets change.
The company had heritage, recognizable products and loyal customers. But those advantages were not enough to overcome increasing competition, financial pressure and changes in the economics of chocolate distribution.
Its disappearance also illustrates why brand recognition is not the same thing as business resilience. A product can remain beloved by consumers while the company behind it becomes financially unsustainable.
Today, the Sönksen name survives primarily through historical records, collectors and the memories of people who grew up with its candies and chocolates. The little burgundy tins that once held barley candies have become artifacts of São Paulo’s confectionery history—and reminders of a Brazilian brand that was once a household name.