It sells Tootsie Pops in 50 countries, catering to local tastes in some of them but centering on five core flavors, says the company's president, Ellen Gordon. Chups is intended to be an onomatopoeia that mimics sticky lips letting go of a lollipop. Eyeing faraway lands and huge, largely untapped markets like China and India, Chupa Chups says it wants to make that sloppy sound as common as the crisp, pop-top opening of a can of popular soft drink. Even at the factory level, Chupa Chups' country-specific approach is evident. Its bustling, high-tech plant outside Barcelona keeps inventory to a minimum by producing only to fill firm orders.
Every lollipop has a predetermined destination.
That turns them into whistles known as Melody Chups. This particular load is bound for Germany. Chupa Chups wins over customers around the world by understanding and respecting their cultures. In China, children surveyed by Chupa Chups said they'd be uncomfortable eating a lollipop in public because in their country candy is supposed to be shared. The company has not yet figured out a way around that but is toying with packaging its suckers in twos or threes.