The Natural Confectionery
An Australian confectionery brand known for soft, chewy jubes made without artificial colours or artificial flavours.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Natural Confectionery Company is an Australian confectionery brand associated primarily with soft, chewy jelly sweets, commonly sold in jube, lolly and mixed-shape formats. The brand originated within Sunrise Confectioners, a Melbourne confectionery business whose roots extended back to the acquisition and consolidation of smaller confectionery operations during the first half of the twentieth century. The Natural Confectionery Company itself was created in 1992 as an umbrella identity for a new range developed in response to European confectionery trends and consumer interest in products made without artificial colours and artificial flavours. The initial range was introduced under the name Binka's and consisted of three products directed at a relatively narrow niche. Demand encouraged Sunrise to expand the proposition, and in June 1997 the company shifted its main emphasis from Binka's to The Natural Confectionery Co. The brand then grew through wider supermarket distribution, an expanding product portfolio and advertising that differentiated its products from more conventional confectionery. Its positioning combined an accessible mass-market price point with a comparatively natural ingredient message, rather than presenting the products as health food. By 2003, the range had grown to 18 products, including sweet, sour and soft jubes. The brand had become one of the leading jelly confectionery offerings on Australian supermarket shelves. In April 2003, Sunrise Confectioners was acquired by companies within the Cadbury Schweppes group. The brand remained part of the confectionery portfolio after Cadbury's separation from Schweppes and ultimately became part of Mondelez International following the 2012 creation of that company from Kraft Foods' global snack and confectionery operations. The brand expanded beyond Australia during the 2000s. In 2008, products carrying The Natural Confectionery Company name were introduced in the United Kingdom. British advertising used animated or personified sweets with distinctive voices and surreal catchphrases, including the line “Bring on the trumpets!”, helping the brand establish a recognizable communication style in that market. The campaign featured voice performances by Matt Berry and Rupert Degas. The brand has also faced scrutiny connected with the sourcing of palm oil. In 2019, Melbourne Zoo removed The Natural Confectionery Co. and Cadbury products from its shelves after the companies were unable to provide the zoo with information sufficient to identify the source of the palm oil used in the products. The action reflected broader concerns that unsustainable palm-oil production can damage habitats of endangered species. This episode placed supply-chain transparency and sustainable sourcing alongside product formulation as issues relevant to the brand's public positioning. Today, The Natural Confectionery Company remains a Mondelez-owned confectionery brand with a primary association with jelly sweets and jubes. Its historical identity is built around softer textures, playful shapes and the avoidance of artificial colours and flavours in its core proposition. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about the brand's current executive structure, exact market footprint, manufacturing arrangements and detailed financial performance.
History
The Natural Confectionery Company developed from Sunrise Confectioners, a Melbourne confectionery business assembled through the acquisition of smaller local manufacturers. Sunrise's early history began when Julius Lighton and his son-in-law Walter Eger acquired Jupp & Sons in Abbotsford, Melbourne. Rudi Moser, another of Lighton's sons-in-law, joined the business, and in 1949 the group acquired E. & H. Ihles of Camberwell. These operations were merged under the Sunrise name in 1951. The business later consolidated production at a larger Greville Street factory in Prahran. Sunrise produced a broad range of traditional confectionery, including chocolate bullets, barley sugar, toasted marshmallows, hundreds and thousands, and aniseed rings. During the 1960s, Rudi Moser worked with Walter Eger's sons Michael and Andrew Eger. Over the following two decades, the family-led management strengthened Sunrise's position in Australia and developed export business, particularly in England. Ken Klooger, Moser's son-in-law, joined the company in 1987. Jelly production moved to larger premises in Notting Hill, in Melbourne's south-east, in 1991. In 1992, Sunrise created The Natural Confectionery Co. as an umbrella brand for confectionery made without artificial colours and artificial flavours. The launch was influenced by European market trends. The first products were sold under the Binka's name and comprised three items aimed at a niche audience. Consumer demand led Sunrise to broaden the range and reposition the identity. In June 1997, the company placed greater emphasis on The Natural Confectionery Co. name. Expanded distribution, new products and advertising helped sales increase substantially. By 2003, the brand offered 18 products spanning sweet, sour and soft jubes and had become a leading jelly brand in Australian supermarkets. In April of that year, Sunrise Confectioners was acquired by companies in the Cadbury Schweppes group. The acquisition brought the brand into a larger international confectionery portfolio. Following the later separation of Cadbury from Schweppes and the formation of Mondelez International from Kraft Foods' global snack operations in 2012, The Natural Confectionery Company became part of Mondelez's brand portfolio. The brand's international expansion included the United Kingdom in 2008. Its British advertising used sweets as speaking characters and relied on unusual humour and memorable phrases, including “Bring on the trumpets!”. The campaign used voice performances associated with British actors Matt Berry and Rupert Degas. In 2019, Melbourne Zoo removed The Natural Confectionery Co. and Cadbury products from its shelves because the companies could not provide the source of the palm oil used in their products. The zoo's position reflected concern that palm-oil production can destroy natural habitats and threaten endangered wildlife. The incident highlighted the gap between a brand's “natural” product positioning and the need for demonstrable transparency in agricultural supply chains. The available reference material does not establish a complete current product catalogue, a detailed manufacturing footprint, named brand executives or precise operating-market data. The brand is nevertheless documented as an active Mondelez-owned Australian confectionery label centered on jelly sweets.
- 2019
Melbourne Zoo shelf removal
[1]Melbourne Zoo removed the brand's products over insufficient information about the source of palm oil used in them.
- 2008
United Kingdom expansion
[1]The brand entered the United Kingdom with a new advertising approach based on talking sweets and surreal humour.
- 2003
Acquisition by Cadbury Schweppes group companies
[1]Sunrise Confectioners was acquired, bringing the brand into the Cadbury Schweppes corporate portfolio.
- 1997
Binka's identity superseded by the main brand
[1]The company shifted its principal branding emphasis from the initial Binka's range to The Natural Confectionery Co.
- 1992
Brand created
[1]Sunrise introduced The Natural Confectionery Co. as an umbrella identity for products made without artificial colours and artificial flavours.
- 1991
Jelly production relocated
[1]Jelly manufacturing moved to larger premises in Notting Hill, Melbourne.
- 1951
Sunrise established
[1]The acquired confectionery operations were merged under the Sunrise name.
- 1949
Acquisition of E. & H. Ihles
[1]Sunrise's predecessor business acquired the Melbourne confectionery company E. & H. Ihles in Camberwell.
Products and positioning
Mass-market jelly confectionery positioned around soft textures, playful shapes and a formulation message emphasizing no artificial colours or artificial flavours.
Jelly confectionery · 1992
Binka's
Binka's was the original name used for the first Natural Confectionery Company range. Launched in 1992 with three products, it represented Sunrise Confectioners' initial attempt to commercialize a jelly-sweet proposition based on the absence of artificial colours and artificial flavours. The range was later subordinated to the The Natural Confectionery Co. master brand as demand broadened.
Jelly confectionery · 1992
Soft jubes
Soft jubes are the core product format associated with The Natural Confectionery Company. They are chewy jelly sweets sold in varied shapes and combinations, with the brand's proposition emphasizing a softer texture and the use of no artificial colours or artificial flavours. The format helped the brand become a prominent Australian supermarket jelly product.
Jelly confectionery
Sweet and sour jubes
The brand's range expanded beyond its initial products to include both sweet and sour jube varieties. These products broadened the taste selection while retaining the recognizable chewy jelly format and playful presentation associated with the master brand.
Controversies
2019
Palm-oil sourcing dispute with Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne Zoo removed The Natural Confectionery Co. and Cadbury products after the companies could not provide information identifying the source of the palm oil used in the products. The zoo linked the issue to concerns over habitat destruction and the protection of endangered species.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Talking sweets and surreal catchphrases
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom launch used advertisements in which sweets were given voices and personalities. The work used eccentric humour and memorable phrases, including “Bring on the trumpets!”, to make the products distinctive in a crowded confectionery market.
Outcome. The campaign supported the brand's introduction to the UK and created a recognizable advertising identity.
Brand decisions
2003
Join the Cadbury Schweppes portfolioM&ABackground
The Natural Confectionery Company had become a significant Australian jelly brand within Sunrise Confectioners.
Action taken
Sunrise Confectioners was acquired by companies in the Cadbury Schweppes group.
Aftermath
The brand gained a place within a larger international confectionery portfolio and later became part of Mondelez International.
1997
Rebrand from Binka's to The Natural Confectionery Co.StrategyBackground
The initial three-product Binka's range had developed beyond its original niche positioning.
Action taken
The company shifted its principal branding emphasis to The Natural Confectionery Co.
Aftermath
The change accompanied wider distribution, advertising investment and product expansion.
1992
Create a natural-positioned confectionery rangeStrategyBackground
Sunrise Confectioners identified European interest in confectionery without artificial colours and artificial flavours.
Action taken
It created The Natural Confectionery Co. as an umbrella brand and initially launched the range under the Binka's name.
Aftermath
The proposition generated sufficient demand to support a broader range and later transition to the main brand name.
Recent events
- 2008
The Natural Confectionery Company launched in the United Kingdom[1]
Product launch · Campaign
The brand was introduced in the United Kingdom with advertising built around personified sweets, distinctive voices and surreal catchphrases.
- 2003
Sunrise Confectioners acquired by Cadbury Schweppes group companies[1]
M&A
Sunrise Confectioners, the business that developed The Natural Confectionery Company, was acquired by companies within the Cadbury Schweppes group.
Sources2 sources
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