La pie qui chante
La pie qui chante is a French confectionery brand known particularly for its caramel sweets, including Mi-cho-ko.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
La pie qui chante is a French confectionery brand with roots in a Lille sweets business founded by Émile Cornillot in 1860. The original enterprise began by producing handmade bonbons from premises on rue Colbert and expanded as demand grew. In 1885, Cornillot moved to a larger site on rue de l'Hôpital militaire, reflecting the development of the business from a small confectionery workshop into a more substantial manufacturer and retailer. The company developed an international dimension during the late nineteenth century. After the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1893, Cornillot's son Louis marketed the family's sweets in Russia under the FRANCORUSSE name. A second factory and a second shop were opened in Paris in 1901. Following Louis Cornillot's death, his 19-year-old son George assumed control. George pursued diversification and in 1925 acquired a Marseille confectionery company called La Pie qui Chante, which specialized in caramels. In 1927, amid concern about the political climate in Russia and growing fear of Bolshevism, the wider company adopted the La Pie qui Chante name. The brand's industrial base changed during the 1930s. The original Paris site was displaced by construction of the Hôtel de Lille, prompting a move in 1933 to a new factory at Wattignies. The Marseille factory was subsequently closed, allowing production to be concentrated and expanded at Wattignies. The company's best-known sweet, Mi-cho-ko, was introduced in 1936 and became a central product associated with the brand. The Second World War disrupted operations. The Wattignies factory was used as a military supply depot for the British Army at the beginning of the war. After the German occupation and the establishment of Vichy France, women prisoners produced fresh confectionery, including dates and figs, until the end of the conflict. In 1943, the company created an employee country club, which later developed into the Promesses community centre. After the war, the Cornillot family resumed control and pursued national-scale commercial development. A national sales network was created in 1955, supported by the company's first nationwide advertising campaigns on radio and in newspapers. During Pierre Cornillot's management from 1959 to 1965, the business also introduced employee-oriented employment measures, including the removal of production targets and automatic access to improved bonuses. In 1960, it received the Prestige of France diploma. La pie qui chante subsequently became part of a sequence of larger confectionery groups. In 1965, it merged with French confectionery brands including KBO, Mob's, Femina and Clausse under General Foods. La société Delespaul-Havez was merged with La Pie qui Chante in 1972; after that transaction, the last Cornillot family member serving on the board retired, ending 113 years of family involvement. General Foods joined General Occidental in 1973, and that business was later transferred to BSN, which became associated with Groupe Danone. The brand was sold to Cadbury in 1997. Manufacturing was reorganized again in the twenty-first century. The Wattignies factory closed in 2003, and production was transferred to Marcq-en-Barœul. Cadbury became part of Kraft Foods in 2010. In 2016, Eurazeo acquired La pie qui chante and several other confectionery brands from Mondelez International, including Carambar, Terry's, Kréma, Malabar, Vichy Pastilles, Suchard and Poulain. These brands were subsequently assembled within the Carambar & Co confectionery group, which has owned La pie qui chante since 2017. The brand therefore represents a long-lived French confectionery name whose identity has survived repeated changes in factory location, corporate ownership and group structure.
History
La pie qui chante traces its origins to 1860, when Émile Cornillot began making handmade sweets in Lille. His first premises were on rue Colbert, where the business specialized in bonbons. The reputation of the products enabled the company to move in 1885 to larger premises on rue de l'Hôpital militaire. The next generation broadened the company's reach. Émile's son Louis marketed the confectionery in Russia after the 1893 Franco-Russian Alliance, using the FRANCORUSSE brand. In 1901, the company opened a second factory and a second shop in Paris. When Louis died, his 19-year-old son George took over. George sought to diversify the business and in 1925 acquired a Marseille company that produced caramels under the La Pie qui Chante name. Two years later, the company adopted La Pie qui Chante as its principal name, partly in response to concern about the political climate associated with Russia and Bolshevism. A major manufacturing transition occurred in 1933. Construction of the Hôtel de Lille led the company to leave its Paris premises for a new factory in Wattignies. The Marseille factory was later closed, concentrating production at Wattignies and creating room for industrial expansion. In 1936, the business launched Mi-cho-ko, the sweet that became its most closely associated product. The Second World War imposed unusual demands on the factory. At the start of the war, the Wattignies site served as a military supply depot for the British Army. Following the Nazi occupation and the creation of Vichy France, women prisoners produced fresh sweets such as dates and figs until the war ended. The company also established an employee country club in 1943; this initiative later became the Promesses community centre. After liberation, the Cornillot family returned to control of the company. In 1955, La Pie qui Chante built a national sales network and began national advertising through radio and newspapers. These developments helped transform a regional manufacturer into a widely distributed French confectionery brand. The company received the Prestige of France diploma in 1960. Under Pierre Cornillot, who managed the company from 1959 to 1965, employment policies included dropping production targets and automatically incorporating improved bonuses into employee arrangements. The company then entered a period of consolidation. In 1965, La Pie qui Chante joined with KBO, Mob's, Femina and Clausse under General Foods. In 1972, La société Delespaul-Havez was merged into the business. The transaction ended the Cornillot family's direct board representation after 113 years of association. General Foods joined General Occidental in 1973, and the resulting business was later transferred to BSN, which subsequently became part of the Groupe Danone corporate history. Cadbury acquired the brand in 1997. The manufacturing footprint changed in 2003, when the Wattignies plant was closed and production moved to Marcq-en-Barœul. In 2010, Cadbury came under the ownership of Kraft Foods. Kraft's confectionery activities later became associated with Mondelez International. In 2016, Eurazeo acquired La Pie qui Chante, together with Carambar, Terry's, Kréma, Malabar, Vichy Pastilles, Suchard and Poulain, from Mondelez International. The brands were grouped into the Carambar & Co confectionery company, and La Pie qui Chante has been owned by that group since 2017. The brand's historical significance lies in its continuity through these changes. It began as a family-run Lille bonbon maker, developed an early export identity, expanded through acquisition and industrial relocation, established a national advertising and sales system, and later became one of the heritage brands within a larger French confectionery portfolio. Its product identity remains especially associated with caramel sweets and Mi-cho-ko.
- 2017
Becomes part of Carambar & Co
[1]La Pie qui Chante is grouped within the Carambar & Co confectionery company.
- 2016
Eurazeo acquires the confectionery portfolio
[1]Eurazeo acquires La Pie qui Chante and several related brands from Mondelez International.
- 2003
Wattignies factory closes
[1]Production is transferred from Wattignies to Marcq-en-Barœul.
- 1997
Cadbury acquisition
[1]Cadbury acquires La Pie qui Chante.
- 1972
Delespaul-Havez is merged into the company
[1]The merger expands the business and ends the Cornillot family's board association with the company.
- 1965
Joins General Foods
[1]La Pie qui Chante merges with several other French confectionery brands under General Foods.
- 1960
Receives the Prestige of France diploma
[1]La Pie qui Chante receives the Prestige of France diploma.
- 1955
National sales and advertising network is established
[1]The company creates a national sales network and supports it with radio and newspaper advertising.
- 1943
Employee country club is created
[1]La Pie qui Chante establishes a country club for employees, later known as the Promesses community centre.
- 1936
Mi-cho-ko is introduced
[1]The company launches Mi-cho-ko, which becomes its most famous sweet.
Products and positioning
A traditional French confectionery brand centered on caramel and nostalgic sweets, with heritage extending from nineteenth-century handmade bonbons to nationally distributed branded candy.
Caramel confectionery · 1936
Mi-cho-ko
Mi-cho-ko is the brand's best-known sweet. Introduced in 1936 after production had been concentrated at the Wattignies factory, it became a defining product of La pie qui chante and an important part of the brand's long-term identity.
Confectionery
Caramels
Caramels became central to the brand after the 1925 acquisition of a Marseille confectionery company operating under the La Pie qui Chante name. The caramel tradition provides the historical foundation for the brand's best-known product line.
Sugar confectionery · 1860
Bonbons
The business began in 1860 as a maker of handmade bonbons in Lille. Bonbons remain part of the broad confectionery heritage associated with La pie qui chante.
Fruit confectionery
Fresh fruit confectionery
During the Second World War, women prisoners at the factory produced fresh sweets including dates and figs. The available historical material documents this wartime production but does not establish a current commercial product line.
Marketing campaigns
- 1955First national advertising campaign
France
La Pie qui Chante supported the creation of its national sales network with its first nationwide advertising campaigns, using radio and newspapers to promote the brand beyond its regional manufacturing origins.
Outcome. The campaigns accompanied the transition to national distribution and helped establish La Pie qui Chante as a broader French confectionery brand.
Brand decisions
2016
Acquisition by Eurazeo and creation of the Carambar & Co portfolioM&ABackground
La Pie qui Chante was held within Mondelez International's confectionery portfolio alongside several other established brands.
Action taken
Eurazeo acquired La Pie qui Chante, Carambar, Terry's, Kréma, Malabar, Vichy Pastilles, Suchard and Poulain from Mondelez International and grouped the brands into a new confectionery group.
Aftermath
La Pie qui Chante became part of the Carambar & Co brand portfolio and has been associated with that group since 2017.
2003
Transfer of production from WattigniesStrategyBackground
The historic Wattignies manufacturing site was closed as the company reorganized production.
Action taken
Manufacturing was transferred to Marcq-en-Barœul.
Aftermath
Wattignies ceased to be the brand's production base, ending a manufacturing association that had begun in the 1930s.
1972
Merger with La société Delespaul-HavezM&ABackground
The business was continuing to consolidate its French confectionery activities under larger ownership.
Action taken
La société Delespaul-Havez was merged with La Pie qui Chante.
Aftermath
The transaction ended the Cornillot family's 113-year association with the board and broadened the company's corporate structure.
1965
Merger into the General Foods confectionery structureM&ABackground
The French confectionery sector was undergoing consolidation, and La Pie qui Chante operated alongside several other established brands.
Action taken
La Pie qui Chante merged with KBO, Mob's, Femina and Clausse under General Foods.
Aftermath
The company moved from family control into a larger multinational confectionery structure.
1936
Launch of Mi-cho-koProduct launchBackground
Following the move to a larger and more centralized Wattignies manufacturing base, the company expanded its confectionery output.
Action taken
La Pie qui Chante introduced Mi-cho-ko.
Aftermath
Mi-cho-ko became the brand's most famous sweet and a principal marker of its product heritage.
1933
Consolidation of manufacturing at WattigniesStrategyBackground
Construction of the Hôtel de Lille required the company to leave its Paris factory site. The business also operated a Marseille factory after its earlier acquisition.
Action taken
Production was transferred to a new factory at Wattignies, and the Marseille factory was subsequently closed.
Aftermath
The consolidation enabled production expansion and preceded the introduction of Mi-cho-ko in 1936.
1927
Adoption of the La Pie qui Chante corporate nameStrategyBackground
The company had expanded beyond its original Lille business and had acquired a Marseille caramel producer operating under the La Pie qui Chante name. Political anxiety surrounding Russia and Bolshevism also influenced the decision to move away from the FRANCORUSSE identity.
Action taken
The company changed its name to La Pie qui Chante.
Aftermath
The name became the enduring identity of the confectionery business and later its consumer brand.
Recent events
- 2017
La Pie qui Chante becomes part of Carambar & Co[1]
M&A
Carambar & Co became the group's operating identity for La Pie qui Chante and other acquired confectionery brands.
- 2016
Eurazeo acquires La Pie qui Chante and related confectionery brands[1]
M&A
Eurazeo acquired La Pie qui Chante and a group of other confectionery brands from Mondelez International. The brands were subsequently organized within Carambar & Co.
- 2010
Cadbury becomes part of Kraft Foods[1]
M&A
La Pie qui Chante entered Kraft Foods' corporate structure through Kraft's ownership of Cadbury.
- 2003
Wattignies factory closes and production moves to Marcq-en-Barœul[1]
Other
Manufacturing was transferred from the historic Wattignies factory to Marcq-en-Barœul as part of a production reorganization.
- 1997
La Pie qui Chante is sold to Cadbury[1]
M&A
The French confectionery brand changed corporate ownership when it was sold to Cadbury.
- 1972
La société Delespaul-Havez is merged with La Pie qui Chante[1]
M&A · Leadership change
The merger expanded the company's confectionery portfolio and marked the retirement of the last Cornillot family member from the board.
- 1965
La Pie qui Chante is acquired by General Foods alongside other French confectionery brands[1]
M&A
La Pie qui Chante merged with several French confectionery brands, including KBO, Mob's, Femina and Clausse, under the ownership of General Foods.
Sources1 sources
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