The niniche of La Baule is the mythical sugar factory of our seaside resort. It is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and this is the opportunity to tell you about it!

The niniche,
the sweet star of La Baule
A speciality of the Confiserie Manuel, the niniche of La Baule is part of the holiday memories of generations of children... Who, once they have grown up, never fail to stop at the confectionery to stock up on these little sweet treats!

The niniche is an integral part of the art of living in La Baule: for a snack or after dinner, the family goes to Manuel's and enjoys its niniche during the walk along the embankment.

The niniche of La Baule,
what is it?
The niniche de La Baule is a soft, smooth, caramel-based lollipop stuck on a wooden stick. The niniche was created in 1947 by Manuel Ortiz, and the recipe has not changed since.

The only change in 70 years is the number of flavours. With the resounding success of the niniches on the resort, the 3 original flavours (vanilla, strawberry and chocolate) were soon supplemented by many others.

Today, the range includes 20 flavours:

Aniseed, Pineapple, Banana, La Bauloise (the inevitable caramel with Guérande salt!),
Chocolate, Caramanuel, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Poppy, Coffee,
Coconut, Strawberry, Raspberry, Grand Marnier, Mandarin,
Mint, Pistachio, Passion Fruit, Licorice, and Vanilla.

The Niniche ,
a 100% home-made lollipop
The Niniche is prepared entirely by hand, according to a remarkable family know-how. The niniche dough is prepared with Echirée butter and sugar. When it reaches 160°, it is spread out hot on a marble work surface and kneaded.  It is then worked on a hook on which it is stretched for a long time by hand. It is then cut into small pieces before being planted on a beechwood stick.

Every morning during the summer, a large part of Manuel's team is mobilised to prepare the hundreds of niniches that will be devoured by the gourmets. This very specific method of preparation, which requires a lot of manpower, explains the price of this typical La Baule sweet shop.

The Manuel confectionery
Manuel La Baule is the temple of the Niniche! A true La Baule institution, it was created in 1937 by Manuel Ortiz, a Spaniard who fled his country in 1936 to take refuge on the French coast. The shop is now run by his daughter-in-law Monique Ortiz.

At Manuel's, you don't just go there for the niniches.  Not content with offering the best sweets on the coast, they also serve excellent ice creams, marvellous waffles and a large number of old or original confectionery products. One of Manuel's little treasures is broken wood: hand-pulled, flaky sugar that very few confectioners still make.

If you are lucky, and you go to the shop when some of the confectionery is being made, you will be able to see a demonstration of their know-how.

Practical information
Who: La Confiserie Manuel

Where: At the corner of Avenue de Gaulle and Remblai, 5 minutes walk from our restaurant in La Baule

When: The shop is open from the beginning of February to mid-November. Opening hours vary according to the season. In the middle of summer, the shop is open 7 days a week, and closes around 10 or 11 pm, or even later.

How to order? It's possible, just contact the confectionery at 02.40.60.20.66