{{Original research, date=December 2018
Ahlgrens was a Swedish
confectionery
Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...
company. It was founded by Fredrik Ahlgren in the town of
Gävle
Gävle ( ; ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 79,004 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the List of cities in Sweden, 13th-most-populated city in Sweden. I ...
in 1885 as a store for paint and wallpaper, a business which was later extended to the production and sale of various types of chemicals, perfumes and other products. A
mouthwash
Mouthwash, mouth rinse, oral rinse, or mouth bath is a liquid which is held in the mouth passively or swirled around the mouth by contraction of the perioral muscles and/or movement of the head, and may be gargled, where the head is tilted back ...
, introduced in 1908, was given the brandname
Läkerol
Läkerol is a Swedish brand of candies. The candies are sugar-free pastilles with the major ingredient being gum arabic. The candies are produced in a variety of flavors. The candy is produced by the Swedish confectionery company, Cloetta. Läk ...
, a year later given to a
pastille
A pastille is a type of sweet or medicinal pill made of a thick liquid that has been solidified and is meant to be consumed by light chewing and allowing it to dissolve in the mouth. The term is also used to describe certain forms of incense.
A ...
, which is still sold internationally in several variants.
The company was in 1993 later bought by the Finnish company
Huhtamäki
Huhtamäki Oyj (styled Huhtamaki) is a global food packaging company, headquartered in Espoo, Finland. Its products include paper and plastic disposable tableware, such as cups, plates and containers for quick service restaurants, coffee sho ...
which quickly terminated the brand Ahlgrens and rebranded all its products to
Leaf
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...
except for Ahlgrens bilar.
The product still most closely associated with the brand is 'Ahlgrens bilar' ("Ahlgren's Cars"), sold since 1953 and marketed as "the world's most sold car" (which is possibly technically correct, by number of cars). The small marshmallow cars are so popular within Sweden that stores that specifically cater to Swedish tourists and residents in other countries have started selling them as well.
The brand has been extended to other car- and road-related products,
liquorice
Liquorice ( Commonwealth English) or licorice (American English; see spelling differences; ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring is ...
car tyres,
travel trailer
A caravan, travel trailer, camper, tourer or camper trailer is a Trailer (vehicle), trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent (although there are popup camper, fold-down ...
s and sour road signs, the latter including the elk warning signs beloved by German tourists.