Some people like their candy sweet and some people like it sour. This is a story about someone who made a sweet gesture to a huge candy company and the response left him quite sour.
On November 10, a report about a man named Anorak was published in a German newspaper. It told of how Anouar experienced a series of events that led him to the leadership of the German candy company Haribo.
Another recalled that one day after visiting his mother he was on his way home through the Bürostadt Niederrad light rail station stop in Frankfurt, Germany. Something caught his eye and he picked up a little piece of paper that was blowing in the wind. It turned out to be a check made out to Haribo. A check that was written and signed for $4.81 million.
The check was from DZ Bank and was issued by the German supermarket chain Rene. Another did the responsible thing and contacted Haribo. A lawyer for the company got back to him and he was asked to destroy the check and send a photo to prove it. Anouar obliged.
A few days later, the company sent him a thank you in the mail with six bags of Haribo gummies.
“Das fand ich schon etwas billig,” said Anouar to Bild, which translates from German to English as: “I thought it was a bit cheap.”
Forbes has estimated that the candy company is worth more than $3 billion.
People on social media tended to agree with Anouar. One person wrote on Twitter, “I would’ve walked in the bank n been like ‘I am mr haribo.’”
Haribo spoke to the newspaper saying, “Since it was a crossed check, nobody but our company could have redeemed it. It was our standard package that we send as a thank you.”
This is a story about sour gummy grapes.
I would’ve walked in the bank n been like “ I am mr haribo”
— Joel (@JoelJoelsepher) November 15, 2022
