Based in Nigrán, Minimelis is the first Galician sweets factory, highly focused on functional gummies with vitamins, minerals or botanical extracts
In 2011, Mercedes Toscano and Jorge Núñez left their native Galicia and moved to Chile. Despite working in areas as different as construction and banking, in 2012 they decided to start a business and opened a sweet shop. Despite difficult beginnings, in four years they already had 25 establishments across the country, both owned and franchised.
In 2017, a Chilean law against childhood obesity influenced the focus of their business project, leading them to create their own brand to comply with the new requirements. Thus Flipa was born, an 80-gram bag with 40% fewer calories than traditional sweets. Jorge Núñez thoroughly researched the formula to adapt to the market and start selling their own brand.
The return to Galicia in 2019 was crucial to consolidate their idea, adopting an innovative concept: sweets with vitamins, sugar-free, gluten-free, lactose-free and milk protein-free. After studying the market, they began selling Flipa sugar-free sweets in specialised shops and pharmacies. The pandemic revealed the demand for nutritional supplements, which led to the creation of their second brand, Vitanolas, which are also sugar-free sweets but with different compounds such as melatonin, vitamins and biotin.
With Flipa and Vitanolas established and with the support of programmes such as Vía Galicia and Galicia Avanza, the founders decided to launch a sweet factory in Nigrán. From the very beginning, their objective was to control the entire process, including their own manufacturing, from the selection of raw materials, control of all processes, packaging and distribution.
Thus Minimelis is born, a name that seeks to identify with the first project but with the intention of taking a step forward. The factory will allow them to continue manufacturing sugar-free sweets and develop new products with natural ingredients, native to Galicia, such as oak galls with anti-inflammatory properties. By next July, they expect it to be 100% operational, with a production capacity of 13 tonnes per month.
More than 10 years after its creation, they have evolved towards a concept of healthier sweets. Their goal is to make consuming a medicine a pleasant experience, similar to enjoying a childhood treat. Their R&D team is focused on developing new formulations looking for ingredients that can bring benefits to people with different ailments or even prevent them.
