In the age of digital commerce where everything is resolved from a mobile phone, An almost century-old family multinational has positioned itself at the forefront for its capacity for innovation and its social commitment. This is Colombina, one of the three largest candy and candy manufacturers in Latin America. The recipe, since its creation, has been in the hands of the same owners, the Caicedos. Hernando, patriarch of the Valle del Cauca and founder of everything, handed over to his son Jaime in the mid-40s of the last century. And César, his firstborn, succeeded him at just 33 years old in 2002. Many describe him today as the great “modernizer” of the company. He qualifies the adjectives: “My grandfather always had a very clear vision that a company should be a good member of the community in which it operates. What is happening is that now all these responsibilities, which were already in the DNA, have been formalized, and there are even international indexes to evaluate good practices,” he reflects in a video call from Cali via Teams.
Colombina, with operations in 15 countries and a sauces and preserves division, has embraced social commitment as part of its century-old heritage. It is enough to remember that for the ninth consecutive year it appears in the world ranking of the most sustainable food companies, according to the directory prepared by the S&P Global 2025 agency. Added to this success is the perfect score (100/100) awarded by the Ministry of Labor with technical advice from UNDP as part of its Equipares label, which evaluates efforts aimed at reducing gender gaps. However, César Caicedo says this is not a simple accounting exercise to equalize salaries. He also sought to break cultural paradigms that limited women’s access to jobs considered reserved for men.
In 1995, a law created tax incentives to attract large companies to a remote and devastated region of southwest Colombia. Some believed in her. The Caicedos opted for Santander de Quilichao and, a quarter of a century ago, built a modern biscuit and cake factory in this area of northern Cauca, hit by the violence of the armed conflict. Colombina is today the largest employer in the region. “We studied the decision and centralized the operation of cookies on the outskirts of the municipality. This was done step by step: today we generate 1,200 direct jobs. In addition, we have a solar park with 4,890 panels which covers almost a quarter of our electrical needs, and 95% of waste is recycled,” explains the executive president of a multinational that produces treats as emblematic as the Colombian Bom Bom Bun, perhaps the best-selling bubble gum candy in the world. or Nucita chocolate spread.
Caicedo points out, however, that his favorite candy is the Muuu chocolate bar. “Statistics show that 80% of family businesses do not survive the third generation. We were one of the happy exceptions. Behind this lies a very professional operation, awaiting adaptation to administrative, technological and relational trends. In our case, we have a very important interest group, that of the shareholders, who carefully and attentively monitor the objectives that the company must achieve”, he reflects.
He is an economist and holds a master’s degree in finance from Tufts University, Massachusetts (United States). He doesn’t have social media. Regarding the origins of Colombina, he says that in 1927, four friends met with his grandfather – a lawyer by profession – to create a company that would take advantage of the surplus sugar from the production of panela in a small factory that Hernando Caicedo would later transform into the powerful Riopaila sugar factory. The project looked good on the plans. But the great crash of 1929 occurred and swept away the pillars of the company like a wind. The patriarch of the family was the only one who decided to move forward and take flight.
The Colombian economy overcame this crisis around 1932. Nearly a century later, memories and lessons emerge as key to business longevity. “In the competitive and challenging business world, discussions must be open and frank. There is nothing riskier than seeking a complacent environment,” admits Caicedo. Those who know him assure that at 57 years old, he adheres to certain principles of empathy which he stubbornly strives to preserve, whether in the office of the owner of a bank in New York or among the operators of one of the factories in Colombia.
From this portrait of back and forth – between the international executive and the manager who moves around his factories like one of them – other initiatives arise to energize Valle del Cauca, his native department. For example: the Colombina Foundation, together with two other entities, promoted a program called Big Brother Entrepreneurs in Santander de Quilichao, Tuluá and its suburbs – environments with high rates of violence. This is a competition aimed at strengthening small local entrepreneurs in terms of supply or services. Throughout this story is the vision of César Caicedo. A senior executive who usually sums up the heart of his business in one sentence: “Colombina brings happiness to people through taste.”
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