Enric Bernat

Enric Bernat (Catalan pronunciation: [ənˈriɡ bəɾˈnat], October 20, 1923 – December 27, 2003) was the founder of the Chupa Chups lollipop company.[1]

Enric Bernat
Portrait of Enrique Bernat Fontlladosa. Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Eulogia Merle.
Born(1923-10-20)October 20, 1923
Barcelona, Spain
DiedDecember 27, 2003(2003-12-27) (aged 80)
NationalitySpanish
OccupationScientist and businessperson
EmployerChupa Chups
Spouse(s)Nuria Sierra

Bernat was the child of a confectioner Catalan family in the third generation and started his working life in his parents' cake shop. In the early 1950s he went to north Spain to revive an apple jam factory. As he introduced later his idea of lollipops to the investors, they left. Bernat took over the company in 1958 and renamed it to Chupa Chups.[2] In 1969 Salvador Dalí was paid a fortune to do the logo.[3][4]

In the 1980s Bernat failed a take-over of the insurance company Iberia de Seguros to fund a new Catalan investment bank. Despite the loss, he gained ownership of Gaudi's Casa Batlló. In 1991 he passed formal control of Chupa Chups to his son Xavier. The Smint subsidiary brand/company was founded in 1994.

Together with his wife Nuria Serra he had three sons and two daughters, all surviving him.

Bernat died aged 80 at home in Barcelona on December 27, 2003 from an illness.[5][6] A hundred people assisted his funeral in Les Corts.[7]

In 2006, Chupa Chups was sold to Italian company Perfetti van Melle by Bernat's sons.[8]

References
  1. Agencias (December 30, 2003). "Enric Bernat, fundador de Chupa Chups". El Mundo (in Spanish). Mundinteractivos, S.A. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  2. Brotons, Ròmul (2010). El triomf de la imaginació, 60 invents que han canviat el món (o gairebé). Barcelona: Albertí Editor. p. 49-50. ISBN 978-84-7246088-1. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
  3. H. Vázquez, Carlos (July 2, 2015). "Cuando Dalí reinventó Chupa Chups". Forbes (in Spanish). Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  4. Barud, Bibiñe (January 23, 2018). "Salvador Dalí diseñó el logo de las paletas Chupa Chups y... no hay nada más surreal que eso". BuzzFeed (in Spanish). Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  5. Valero, J.C. (29 December 2003). "Muere Enric Bernat, fundador de la multinacional española Chupa Chups". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  6. "Fallece a los 80 años Enric Bernat, el fundador de Chupa Chups". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona: PRISA. 28 December 2003. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  7. Europa Press (29 December 2003). "Medio centenar de personas asisten al funeral de Enric Bernat, fundador de Chupa Chups". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 30 May 2006.
  8. "Las 70 familias de caciques que dominan España". La Republica (in Spanish). 11 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2018-09-10.


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