Hans Riegel

His father created the gummy bear in Bonn; Hans Riegel took over Haribo after returning from a prisoner-of-war camp in 1946 and ran it for more than sixty years. He grew it from a German sweet maker into an international one by buying local confectioners and building factories close to new markets rather than shipping from Germany, while keeping the bear and the jingle constant. He kept the company private and family-owned throughout, which let him expand at his own pace.