About us

Lambert Matheï establishes a confectionery business in the centre of Bilzen. The range consists of traditionally made sweets such as liquorice, liqueur chocolates, gummies, marshmallows and cuberdons.

In 1965, at the initiative of Lambert’s son Alfons, the business switches entirely to hard confectionery: at the time, both sweets and lollipops. In those days, the lollipops are cooked over an open fire, an intensive and physically demanding process.

Alfons takes over the business from his family and installs its first automatic lollipop production line. Together with his two sons, Lambert and Paul, he continues to grow the business into a lollipop specialist.

Lambert acquires all the shares and runs the business with his wife Daniëlle for the next 33 years. Under their leadership, the business grows steadily. In the 1990s, a brand-new factory is built on the De Spelver industrial estate in Bilzen.

Since December 2004, Cand’art has achieved IFS Higher Level certification every year. Despite state-of-the-art cooking techniques and production machinery, the craftsmanship involved in working with sugar is never lost.

Experience and technical expertise in lollipop production lead to partnerships with several machinery manufacturers. New developments and production lines are often trialled at Cand’art before being launched on the market.

In 2008, the machinery of Confiserie Weyn in Sint-Niklaas is acquired. This is followed by the acquisition of the Hirsch brand in Germany in 2015.

At the end of 2021, Herman Wellens takes over the business. In 2023, Rutger Devoldere also becomes a shareholder. Johan Matheï, son of Lambert and Daniëlle, remains on board.

The website and visual identity receive a makeover. The new owners are firmly committed to further automation, international growth through private label and the development of new products. In 2023, the Cand’art and Hirsch brands are revitalised and around ten new products are launched on the market.

A new market is also gradually developed: functional lollipops. Over the past decades, Cand’art has built up extensive expertise in functional ingredients, including sugar-free lollipops with vitamins and other fillings.

To meet this new consumer trend, the company decides to focus on functional lollipops. Extensive R&D work and experience gained over recent years mean that Cand’art can now call itself the European specialist in the production of functional lollipops.

Machinery

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