I pay tribute to that great son of Bonn, Hans Riegel, and to his life’s work. Hans Riegel was a successful, global entrepreneur and a caring employer conscious of his responsibility for his thousands of workers, but at the same time he was a true son of Bonn with a generous heart and the ability to enjoy life to the full that is typical of the people of the Rhineland.

Through decades of hard work and thanks to fantastic products and clever marketing ideas, Hans Riegel turned Haribo into a real German global brand.

Wherever I have been on my travels in recent years, the Haribo Goldbears had got there long before me.