The chocolate brand that was born as a super food for the army and won the children's hearts: Toddy was created

It knew how to become a generic in the world of powders to prepare chocolate milk. Its name first became imbued in the minds of the children's public and then it became a brand whose target is adolescents. From its segment that gave it popularity, it expanded into the cookie industry, where it caused a viral revolution without investing a penny in advertising. Toddy has a long history in Argentina, it recently changed hands and promises to be relaunched sooner rather than later.

The Georgalos group, known for being the creators of Mantecol and having extensive experience in the candy business, bought Alimesa SA from the local subsidiary of the US company PepsiCo last October. The operation included a plant in La Rioja and, among others, the Toddy brand.

Before that, the firm specializing in snacks had it in its portfolio since 2008 when it disbursed US$8.1 million to acquire it from Molinos Río de la Plata. PepsiCo was the architect of the brand's diversification towards other segments, particularly in the biscuits business.

In 2012 they launched chocolate chip cookies to compete with Pepitos and their performance drew attention. It quickly ran out of stock and this shortage of the gondolas caused a reaction from its new fans on the networks. Their return to supermarkets was claimed with hashtags and campaigns and this caused them to become a viral phenomenon only through word of mouth.

Today Georgalos plans to stretch the brand into other chocolate' segments. In its sector it holds second place in market share with a participation of between 25 and 30%, only behind Nesquik (Nestlé). But its history in the country began several decades ago.

Where the brand originated

Toddy was born in 1933 in the United States. Its creator was James William Rudhard , who was dedicated to making electrical installations in construction sites, however he became interested in the world of food after he went through military service < /b>. According to the historian Daniel Balmaceda in an article published by Iprofesionales, Rudhard began to experiment by dissolving drinks until he found the ideal combination.

Their objective was to achieve an instant liquid that also served as food (food-drink') and that could be consumed both hot and cold in order to seasonally adjust sales. He finally came to the conclusion that it would be best to mix cocoa with milk and launched the product from him.

Actually, Toddy was the name by which a spirit was known. This has whiskey, honey, cinnamon and lemon juice and is consumed hot.

Once at the market, Rudhard commissioned one of his employees, Pedro Erasmo Santiago, to market it in the region. It was so that the Puerto Rican placed Toddy in Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina.

His story in Argentina

In the country, it was first installed through an importer and then passed through several hands. For a time he was in charge of Grupo Estrella, which sold this business to Molinos Río de la Plata in 2007 for US$31 million. In addition to Toddy, he transferred the Cruz de Malta yerba, the Arlistán coffee and the Gallo rice.

A year later, PepsiCo bought the label from the group run by the Pérez Companc family. However, the cookies were produced in San Juan by Dilexis, a company that the US company had acquired.

But the owners of Lay's sold the San Juan factory to Tía Maruca in March 2017 on the condition that they continue making Toddy cookies for them for three years. When this clause expired, they moved production to their plant in Mar del Plata and now Georgalos will look for a factory to be able to fashion this line.