Changes in taste and rumoured recipe alteration blamed
Production of one of France’s unique sweets, the Cachou Lajaunie, has ended after the Italian/Dutch firm which bought the recipe apparently decided it was no longer profitable.
The sweets, first made in 1880, took the form of tiny black squares of a strong-tasting liquorice and sugar mix.
They were sold in round tins which twisted open to reveal a small hole in the side, from which the sweets could be tapped out.
Often displayed at supermarket checkouts, sales are believed to have slumped as fashions changed and the generations which grew up on the sweets passed on.
An alleged change of recipe, which proved unpopular with consumers, has also been cited as a possible reason. There has been no official announcement.
Popular sweets
The sweets were reputed, falsely, to disguise the smell of alcohol on the breath enough to fool gendarmes. They were also very good for easing tickles in the throat.
When sales previously faltered in the 1980s, they were revived by a hugely successful TV advertising campaign.
Lasting just three seconds, it featured a glamorous woman, with earrings resembling the iconic tin, dancing centre screen.
A few years later, in 1988, the launch of Cachou Lajaunie ‘Goût blond’ was heralded by two commercials directed by Mario Testino and featuring the supermodel Naomi Campbell.
The sweets were first perfected and sold by Toulouse pharmacist, Léon Lajaunie and production remained in the city for many decades.
It was sold in 2023 by the multinational Mondeléz to the Italian-Dutch company Perfetti Van Melle.
An online petition to restart production in the name of France’s heritage was launched in September by a 20-year-old from Toulouse. By October 16 it had received 52,000 signatures.
