Bahlsen

For the German entrepreneur, see Hermann Bahlsen.

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Leibniz Keks

Bahlsen GmbH & Co. KG is a German food company based in Hanover. It was founded in July 1889 by Hermann Bahlsen (1859–1919) as the "Hannoversche Cakesfabrik H. Bahlsen".

Bahlsen produces a range of biscuits and cakes. Its best-known product is the Leibniz-Keks (butter biscuit), introduced in 1891. It also makes products such as chocolate-dipped Pick Up! snack bars. Bahlsen operates five production facilities in Europe and exports products to about 55 countries. It also does private-label production and remains funded by private capital.

History

In 1904 Bahlsen introduced the new dust and moisture-resistant TET packaging onto the market. The TET sign, featuring an oval with a snake and three dots deriving from an ancient Egypt hieroglyphic meaning ‘everlasting’, is originally pronounced as “dschet”, but simplified to “TET”. The TET-packaging is the first packaging made of paper-board with the ability to keep the biscuit enduringly fresh. The following year Bahlsen introduces Europe's first assembly line, eight years before Henry Ford adopts it in the automotive industry. In 1911 Hermann Bahlsen changed the English word „cakes“ into „Keks“. Some years later, the new term is officially approved and incorporated in the German Duden (dictionary).

From the end of May 1940 until the end of the Second World War, over 700 forced labourers from various European countries, most of them women from Poland and Ukraine, came to the factory in Hanover. The majority of the labourers were women from Nazi occupied Ukraine. The company executives at the time, Hans Bahlsen, Werner Bahlsen and Klaus Bahlsen, were all members of the NSDAP. While the Bahlsen brothers were not top representatives of the NSDAP (Nazi party), they were in regular contact with NSDAP officials. After the end of the Nazi dictatorship, the company quickly received a production permit as an indispensable food producer and regained its role and importance. By the end of the war nearly 60% of the factory and almost all distribution warehouses are destroyed. In 2019 Bahlsen assigned historian Professor Dr. Manfred Grieger to examine an independent review of the company's history.

German politician Ernst Albrecht (1930–2014) was member of the management board of Bahlsen in the 1970s and the press gave him the nickname "Cookie Monster".

In 1999 the company is split off into the “sweet” (Bahlsen) and “snack” (Lorenz) segments and the Von Nordeck Group.

In February 2013, a gilded bronze sign in the form of a biscuit that hung outside the corporate headquarters in Hanover was stolen overnight. A ransom demand was received asking for donations of cookies to a local children's hospital and a donation to a local animal shelter. The sign was returned when Bahlsen donated to 52 social institutions.

From 1999 to 2018, Werner Michael Bahlsen was the sole shareholder and at the same time managing director. Today he is the chairman of the board of directors.

Key personnel

Management board:

• Alexander Kühnen (CEO)
• Christopher Harmsen (CFO)
• Cornelia Kaufmann (Chief Culture Officer)
• Karl Reichstein (Chief Supply Chain Officer)

See also

• Theft of the golden Leibniz cookie

External links

• Official website
• Documents and clippings about Bahlsen in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW