28-05-2025
People are only just realising what the real flavour of green Haribo bears are
Haribo fans have been sent into a spin after discovering the real flavour of the green gummy bear.
The German brand's signature sweet treat comes in various flavours, with most people assuming the colour of each bear directly correlates to the flavour of the snack.
This means the yellow bear is lemon-flavoured, the orange is orange-flavoured and clear sweet is pineapple-flavoured.
But fans have now discovered that in some places, the green sweet is actually strawberry flavoured.
'The green Haribo gummy bear is strawberry flavoured,' one foodie wrote on Reddit to the shock of thousands.
The user shared a snap of the back of the Haribo Goldbears pack to confirm the news.
However, in the UK and Europe, the green sweet is actually apple flavoured, with an additional red bear in the packet for strawberry enthusiasts.
Fans around the world have enjoyed the sweet treat, officially known as Goldbears, since 1920
Haribo have also explained the name comes from an acronym of the founder's name and the city in which he was born.
The discovery which is printed on the packet, sparked a lively discussion online among fans of the lolly brand who said they thought the green flavour was watermelon, lime or apple.
'I was positive they were apple flavoured. Man, now I don't know what to think,' one woman said.
'That's why I like the green ones! I thought it was weird, because I usually only like pink/red strawberry candy,' a second replied.
'I literally just noticed this today on the back of a bag of Xmas Haribo Gummy Bears for the first time in my life. I've been eating these forever and always assumed it was just some variation of apple,' a third added.
'I noticed this a few weeks ago, I thought it was super weird I've never seen a green strawberry flavour EVER,' another wrote.
People were also shocked by the origin of the company's name with one joking: 'I'll call them HansRiegelBonn bears from now on.'
'Considering that Riegel is German for 'bar' (as in candy bar), I feel like he missed out on a few key products and marketing crossovers,' another pointed out.
'Fun fact: Gummi means rubber in German,' a third added.
Hans Riegel, who established Haribo in 1920, is from Bonn in Germany.
The name Haribo is made up of the first two letters of Hans' first name, last name and the city he was born in.
It comes after people discovered what the Haribo key represents.
When a Reddit user took to the platform to reveal that he and his wife of five years referred to a Haribo sweet as two different things, he triggered an intense debate about what the fizzy treat really represented.
The person wrote: 'After five years of marriage, we've just discovered that my wife and I refer to this particular Haribo sweet as something different to each other. What do you call this Haribo?'
Having posted a picture of the sweet in question - which features a circle with a hole in it attached to a straight piece - the man found that the responses started rolling in.
While a number of people agreed that it resembled a key, others were quite certain that the sour sweet was actually cut in the shape of a child's dummy.
Others, however, were conflicted, with one person writing: 'It was a key to me but I know they're apparently dummies. But they're clearly not dummies'.
Amongst more than 70 responses, another person volunteered that they thought it was 'a magnifying glass'.
Remarkably, someone else agreed with them, adding that they believed it to be a 'magnifying/looking glass'.
Another person, however, was left stumped, explaining: 'I call it the thing with the bit at the end'.
For those looking for a definitive answer, their best bet may be to turn to the Haribo packaging.
Indeed, on the German-born brand's website, the matter is resolved once and for all thanks to the product description, which reads: 'Containing our popular fizzy cola bottles, sour cherries, dummies and crocodiles.'
But Haribo isn't the only big confectionery brand that has made shoppers think again in recent months.
Kinder Buenos have been around for more than three decades - but many fans of the sweet treat have had no idea what the name of the bars meant.
The two-fingered snack, which was created by Ferrero, launched in Italy and Germany in 1990.
In the following years, it was rolled out to more places, including the UK, where it is a firm favourite for many.
The Italian confectioner's creation features a wafer-style shell, filled with a hazelnut cream-style filling, covered in milk chocolate.
Two fingers are separately wrapped, with each divided into segments, making it easy to break apart and share.
Kinder Bueno bars are part of a larger range, including Kinder Chocolate, Kinder Surprise Eggs, and Kinder Joy.
In some markets, alternative versions of the bar are available, including the white chocolate Kinder Bueno and other flavours.
But while many have enjoyed eating the treat, most do not know what the name Kinder Bueno actually means, according to the Daily Record.
A post in Reddit's Candy forum saw one curious confectionary fan musing over the bar's moniker.
They noted that many people think it is a German product, as the word 'kinder' is German for child.
However, they added, it is actually an Italian product, which prompted them to question why it would have a German word in its name.
'Is it because the owner was German in origin but lived in italy ? Or was it because Italy had closer ties with Germany back then?' they mused.
Their post continued: 'But then when I read Bueno is Spanish and means 'good '. That made me think maybe they had multiple share holders from Spain at one point? .
'Or maybe the owner did a lot of travelling and just enjoyed different cultures and languages? What are your thoughts?'
One commentator revealed that they were also baffled by the name, writing: 'I've thought about this all the time.'
Another comment, from a now deleted account, shed more light on it, writing: 'Pietro Ferrero created the Nutella, Kinder, Mon Cherì, Tic Tac, Ferroer Rocher, Pocket Coffee. He was an Italian guy from the region of wanted to have products that were able to conquer the international markets. So he chose names that had words in different languages.'
According to Kinder's official website, the name was picked to directly reflect that the bar is delicious.
It says: 'Bueno means "tasty" or "good" in Spanish and we think it captures the chocolate bar's exceptional taste.
One Reddit user said they have 'thought all the time' about what the chocolate bar's name actually means
'Kinder Bueno is a unique chocolate bar with a taste experience that defies expectation.
'Michele Ferrero created Kinder Bueno in 1990. He wanted to create a chocolate bar that was more refined and sophisticated than anything else that existed in the marketplace.
'So, he created Kinder Bueno, an extraordinary chocolate bar that has a unique combination of textures and flavours and a delicate dark chocolate drizzle to top it off. We carefully select all ingredients according to our high standards of excellence in quality, freshness, and we are committed to their environmental sustainability.
