Swiss herbal specialist Ricola will use this year’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes to showcase the next chapter of its global travel retail strategy, including its new advertising campaign, “Who invented it?”, a preview of its refreshed travel retail identity and two recently launched channel-exclusive formats.
The new campaign puts Ricola’s distinctive Swiss identity and herbal expertise centre stage, while the refreshed travel retail identity, which will roll out across the full range from mid-2027, has been developed to create greater consistency and visibility across the portfolio. The evolution will bring Ricola’s Swiss heritage and the goodness of Swiss Alpine herbs to life in a modern and distinctive way at the point of sale.
In Cannes, Ricola will also highlight the early success of two Travel Retail-exclusive products launched in September 2026: the Tower Sharing Pack and 180g Gift Set. Designed specifically for sharing, gifting and discovery, the formats bring together a selection of popular sugar-free Ricola flavours while giving retailers differentiated propositions created specifically for the travel environment.
The new products form part of Ricola’s strategy to build on the strength of its established travel retail business and broaden the occasions and locations in which travellers encounter the brand.
Ricola’s 75g tins remain its best-selling format in global travel retail, performing particularly strongly at airport checkouts where their portability and trusted functional benefits make them well suited to impulse purchase and self-consumption. The Tower Sharing Pack and 180g Gift Set extend the proposition into new occasions, opening further opportunities across confectionery, gifting and souvenir areas.
Ann Nee Lim, Senior Key Account Manager Travel Retail at Ricola, said: “Travel Retail gives us a unique opportunity to introduce international travellers to Ricola and everything that makes our brand special – from our Swiss heritage and distinctive blend of Alpine herbs to the great taste and everyday wellbeing our products offer.
“Our new travel retail exclusives allow us to build on the strength of our core business while creating new reasons to discover, share and gift Ricola. Together with our new campaign and refreshed identity, they give us an exciting platform to strengthen our visibility in the channel and reach new consumers around the world.”
Europe is currently Ricola’s strongest region in travel retail, where the company has achieved double-digit growth with key retail partners. Switzerland continues to provide an important international showcase for the brand, while Ricola sees further long-term potential across high-traffic international hubs and in Asia, supported by the planned opening of its Malaysian hub in 2027.
The brand’s ambitions to create greater visibility and engagement in travel retail were demonstrated at Zurich Airport during August and September, where Ricola brought its Swiss heritage to life through a live candy-making activation.
Travellers were invited to see candies being prepared on site while discovering the brand through tasting and education. The activation attracted strong interest and engagement and demonstrated how authentic, sensory experiences can help international travellers connect with Ricola’s Swiss roots and Alpine herbal expertise.
Ricola sees sampling and memorable brand experiences as an important tool for recruiting new consumers as it expands its presence within travel retail. This strategy is supported by wider consumer trends including continued interest in sugar-free confectionery, natural ingredients, premiumisation, travel retail exclusives and sustainability.
Looking ahead, Ricola is also developing a new souvenir format for 2027, designed to celebrate the brand’s Swiss heritage while offering strong gifting appeal. The innovation will complement the refreshed travel retail identity planned for the full range from mid-2027.
Rooted in nearly a century of Swiss herbal expertise, Ricola’s vision is to bring the enjoyment of natural, healthy Swiss Alpine herbs to everyone, every day, everywhere. Its appearance at TFWA World Exhibition 2026 will demonstrate how the company is translating that heritage into a distinctive and increasingly diverse proposition for the international traveller.
