It is an emblematic confectionery of Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) which has disappeared from the shelves of supermarkets and pharmacies, without explanation. For several months, finding the famous little yellow box of Cachou Lajaunie has become a mission impossible!
Created in 1880 by the Toulouse pharmacist Léon Lajaunie to fight against bad breath and produced for 145 years in a factory in the pink city, the confectionery to the taste of liquorice has just diverted, in all discretion. According to our information, the Italian-Dutch group Perfetti Van Melle, owner of the candy since December 2022, has ceased its production.
Lajaunie pharmacy, which has kept the name of the Cachou creator confirms the sad disappearance of a product that has acquired national renown, in particular thanks to these famous advertisements and its slogan “Cachou, Cachou, Lajaunie, Lajaunie, Han, Ha” in 1985.
Goodbye Cachou Lajaunie! 🥹
This is the end of an era, we will no longer see these pretty little yellow boxes, no more colleague will offer us “a little cachou” in the morning at work … #And pic.twitter.com/HPod6kHmix
— Instant-Vintage 📺 (@InstantVintage_) September 3, 2025
“It’s been a year since I could no longer obtain a coach when I called on a wholesaler working directly with the Toulouse factory,” explains Jean-Frédéric Bourva, the head of the pharmacy. Apparently, production has stopped completely, without being informed. »»
A petition to claim his return
And to continue, surprised: “I sold regularly and many customers who were attached to this confectionery calls me to get it, thinking that we had a better network,” he sighs. It was part of the Toulouse heritage so it is a shame that it disappears for no reason when there is a request ”.
Faced with the disappointment of the fans of the small yellow box, a petition entitled “Save the Lajaunie Cachous, treasure of our Toulouse heritage”, was launched in July to claim the resumption of production, “according to the historical recipe; Or, failing that, an official speech by the Perfetti Van Melle group to clarify the situation. »»
At the origin of the petition, Quentin Rech, a 20-year-old student from Tours (Indre-et-Loire) who ate a box per day. After several months of research to find it, he tried to obtain explanations from Perfetti Van Melle … in vain.
“It would be good to have the last word on the disappearance of this small culinary heritage because there is no other product that is getting closer,” he regrets. It is said that the Cachous pleased the elderly, who experienced advertisements and screen printing posters. But when I made them taste people my age, they loved it. It’s really a shame because the recipe is secret and it is a complicated product to make yourself ”.
The petition which gathered this Thursday evening more than 1,300 signatories arouses several reactions of Internet users like Alain, resident of Dompierre-sur-Mer (Charente-Maritime), which lists all the virtues of the little black candy, “good for the throat”, “good for the nose”, “good for the bronchi if you are enrolled”. Laure, a Toulouse, salutes, “a Toulouse heritage, an institution !!! ».
The page dedicated to the brand has disappeared
And it is an understatement to say. Léon Lajaunie had sold his creation and his recipe, still secret, in 1905 to the Sirven brothers who marketed them in tobacco offices. In 1930, diamond -shaped candy experienced a strong development and remained in the hands of the Toulouse company. Pierre Fabre laboratories bought it in 1986 to 1992, before giving it to international agrifood groups.
In 2022, the Mondelez group who had acquired it sold part of its activities, including the essential Cachou, to the Perfetti Van Melle group. Contacted, this one, which also has the Hollywood and Chups brands, did not respond to our requests. If little Cachou still appears on the group’s website, the page dedicated to the brand has disappeared from the web. The Toulouse site which produced up to 18 tonnes per year was the only one to make it.