Saint Hermanos S.A.
| Company type | Brand |
|---|---|
| Industry | Confectionery |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Founder | Abel François Charles Saint |
| Fate | Acquired by Grupo Arcor in 1993 |
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires , Argentina |
Area served | Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay |
| Products | Chocolate bars, ice creams, alfajores, bonbons, syrups, candies |
| Owner | Grupo Arcor |
Chocolate Aguila represents an Argentine chocolate brand currently under the ownership of Grupo Arcor. Initially, it was the trade name for Saint Hermanos S.A., a company founded in 1880 and recognized for its chocolate bar production. Grupo Arcor took over the company in 1993.
History
The enterprise was established by Abel François Charles Saint (1845–1892), a French immigrant, who started with a coffee roasting business located on Carlos Pellegrini street in Buenos Aires. It was not until 1880 that the company began manufacturing chocolate. By 1894, operations expanded to include a factory situated on Herrera street in Barracas. Operating under the name "Saint Hermanos," the firm continued producing both coffee and chocolate products.
During the early 1900s, Saint Hermanos broadened its presence across Argentina and extended its reach into Uruguay, where it constructed a production facility, as well as into Paraguay. By 1920, the brand Aguila introduced ice cream under the Laponia label and offered various sweets such as bonbons, chocolate pastilles, and mint candies.
Between the 1930s and 1970s, over 100 different items were developed at the Barracas plant. These included Laponia ice creams, distributed through approximately 700 vendors, along with Colibrí bonbons, Aguila Express, and Comprimido Aguila. The workforce numbered around 1,800 employees during this period.
Following its acquisition by multinational Grupo Arcor in 1993, the Aguila brand expanded its product range to encompass ice creams, alfajores, and assorted confectioneries.
Marketing
Throughout the 1980s, Aguila focused its advertising efforts on promoting its chocolate bars as essential ingredients for baking desserts and cakes. The brand underwent a redesign of its logo and packaging, adopting pink as its distinctive color.
In the 1930s, renowned chef Petrona de Gandulfo ("Doña Petrona") was engaged to endorse Aguila chocolate. She created a recipe brochure featuring dishes made with Aguila chocolate, which was later compiled into Doña Petrona Inédita, a collection containing more than 1,000 previously unpublished recipes.
A memorable television commercial from the 1980s showcased Afro-Cuban pianist and actor Rigoberto Díaz de Armas humorously recalling his childhood comparison to a blonde boy. Although the advertisement became well-known, it attracted criticism for alleged racial insensitivity due to its association of African culture with chocolate.
Products
As of August 2021, Aguila presents an extensive assortment of chocolate-related products. Alongside traditional chocolate bars, Grupo Arcor markets items such as chips, syrups, alfajores, bonbons, ice creams, and various candies under the Aguila label.
See also
- Grupo Arcor, current proprietor