The bold and farsighted activity of Candy in the electrical appliances sector, starts in 1945, when Enzo, one of the three Fumagalli brothers, gets back home, to Monza, from the United States, where he has been kept as a war prisoner, with the idea of creating a washing machine. Niso, his brother, that in the meantime had started a little mechanical workshop with his father, Eden, has the intuition to focus on electrical appliances. Peppino, the youngest of the brothers, dedicates himself to establishing the administration and management structure of a growing industry.
Since the very beginning, Candy washing machines are designed to meet the needs of the Italian families, where the demands for reducing the housekeeping labour and the need for comfort are growing.
In the Officine Meccaniche Eden Fumagalli the Modello 50, the first home washing machine is designed and manufactured: it has an aluminium tank and a mangle to wring out clothes.
Once the first washing machine has been manufactured, there is the need to think of a name that can be easy to remember. A refrain Is noticed; it is whispered by some workers in the facility: “Candy, oh Candy” is a hit, coming from the States, whose words are translated by Enzo for all the others. It’s a catching music, a word that only has nice meanings. Decision is taken: it becomes the name of the product, the brand as well as the company name. The success of the washing machines and their fast spreading make everyone quickly abandon the English pronunciation in favour of an Italian interpretation based on “you read it the way it is written” . Candy, pronounced with “a”, is ready for its long journey: 60 years, so far.
