Mentos History

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

1900

VAN MELLE WAS FOUNDED

van Melle founded in Breskens, Netherlands.

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 flavored caramel candy to go by the name of Mentos. This was the beginning of a Fresh New World.

1946

PERFETTI WAS FOUNDED

Perfetti founded in Lainate, near Milan.

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.

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.

1973

NEW MENTOS VARIETIES

While the original Mentos was tickling the taste buds of The King of Nepal, new varieties were introduced. In the US, Mentos lovers got to try cinnamon and menthol, while European addicts were presented with fruit flavored mints.

1975

FIRST US SALES OFFICE

First US van Melle sales office opened in Massachusetts

1976

FIRST TV COMMERCIAL

Mentos made its small screen debut with the first Fresh TV commercial.

1978

US OFFICE MOVED TO ERLANGER

US sales office moved to Erlanger, Kentucky where it currently resides.

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!

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.

2005

INTRODUCED MENTOS GUM

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

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.

2008

MENTOS GUM COMES TO THE US

Mentos Gum was introduced to the US with five exciting flavors in two different packages.

2010

MENTOS GOES SOCIAL

Mentos went social by opening up a Facebook account. Since then Mentos social presence has continued to grow.

2022

NEW RECYCLABLE PACKAGING

In 2022, Mentos launched it's signature gum in a new recyclable paperboard bottle!