Enric Bernat

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Enrique Bernat Fontlladonosa; 20 October 1923 – 27 December 2003) was a Spanish scientist and businessman, and the founder of the Chupa Chups lollipop company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Life

Bernat was the child of a confectioner Catalan family in the third generation and started his working life in his parents' cake shop.<ref name=guardian>Template:Cite web</ref> In the early 1950s he went to north Spain to revive an apple jam factory.<ref name=guardian /> As he introduced later his idea of lollipops to the investors, they left. Bernat took over the company in 1958 and renamed it Chupa Chups.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1969 Salvador Dalí was paid a fortuneTemplate:Clarify to do the logo.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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

Together with his wife Núria Serra he had three sons and two daughters, all surviving him.<ref name=guardian />

Bernat died aged 80 at home in Barcelona on 27 December 2003, from an illness.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A hundred people attended his funeral in Les Corts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2006, Chupa Chups was sold to the Italian-Dutch company Perfetti van Melle by Bernat's sons.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

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