Bahlsen
German biscuit, cake and snack manufacturer best known for its Leibniz butter biscuits.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Bahlsen is a privately owned German food manufacturer headquartered in Hanover. Hermann Bahlsen founded the business in July 1889 under the name Hannoversche Cakesfabrik H. Bahlsen after taking over a small factory business producing English-style cakes and biscuits. The company grew from a modest operation with about ten employees into one of Germany’s best-known packaged-biscuit producers and remains controlled by the Bahlsen family. Bahlsen’s defining product is the Leibniz butter biscuit, introduced in 1891 and named after Hanoverian philosopher and court librarian Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The biscuit helped establish the company’s reputation for durable, standardized baked goods and became the foundation of its international identity. Bahlsen won medals at exhibitions in Brussels and Chicago in 1893, and the Leibniz product was being made in the United States by 1894. The company also played a role in the development of modern German food branding: its TET symbol, introduced in the early twentieth century, and its moisture-resistant packaging helped distinguish the products in retail distribution. The business expanded rapidly before the First World War. It introduced European assembly-line production in 1905, employed roughly 1,700 people by 1914, and developed a large Hanover production and administration complex. The company’s use of the Germanized word “Keks,” derived from “cakes,” contributed to the word’s later acceptance in German usage. After Hermann Bahlsen’s death in 1919, leadership passed to his son Hans Bahlsen. The company continued to grow through new products, acquisitions, sales subsidiaries and production sites. Bahlsen’s wartime history is a major part of its corporate record. During the Nazi period, the company was classified as war-critical, reduced its consumer range because of shortages, and produced emergency food products. More than 800 foreign forced laborers worked for Bahlsen between 1940 and 1945, most of them women from occupied Poland and Ukraine. Later historical research found that they were paid substantially less than German workers and faced discriminatory living, food and medical conditions. The company also operated a biscuit factory in occupied Kiev and removed equipment during the German retreat. In 2019, comments by shareholder Verena Bahlsen about the treatment and pay of forced laborers generated strong criticism. Bahlsen subsequently commissioned historical research, and a study published in 2024 documented the company’s benefit from the forced-labor system. The family expressed regret over the insufficient earlier public reckoning and announced remembrance measures. After the Second World War, Bahlsen rebuilt despite the destruction of around 60 percent of its factory and nearly all distribution warehouses. It expanded beyond biscuits through acquisitions and partnerships in cakes, chocolate, nuts and potato snacks. The company acquired Feurich-Keks, took over the Flessner snack business in stages, and operated or acquired additional food factories in Germany and abroad. Its internationalization accelerated in the 1970s, followed by production in the United States from 1980 and Poland from the 1990s. A major structural change occurred in 1999, when the family business was divided into sweet products under Bahlsen, savory snacks under Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-Gruppe, later Lorenz Snack-World, and a real-estate-focused family segment. Bahlsen introduced a two-brand strategy in 2002, giving greater distinction to the corporate Bahlsen identity and the Leibniz product brand. In the twenty-first century, the company has continued to sell biscuits, cookies, cakes and snacks, including Leibniz, Choco Leibniz and Pick Up! products, while also undertaking private-label manufacturing. It exports to approximately 55 countries and, as of 2024, had production operations in Hanover, Barsinghausen, Varel, Berlin, Skawina and Jawornik, with the latter two locations in Poland. Alexander Küh…
History
Bahlsen began in Hanover in July 1889, when Hermann Bahlsen took over a small enterprise known as Fabrikgeschäft engl. Cakes und Biscuits and reorganized it as Hannoversche Cakesfabrik H. Bahlsen. The company initially employed about ten people. Its breakthrough came with the Leibniz biscuit, developed in 1891 as a durable butter biscuit named for Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. International recognition followed quickly: Bahlsen received gold medals at exhibitions in Brussels and Chicago in 1893, and the product was being manufactured in the United States by 1894. The company became an early adopter of industrial food production and modern branding. In 1904 it introduced TET packaging, designed to protect biscuits from moisture and dust, alongside the TET symbol derived from an Egyptian hieroglyphic concept associated with permanence. In 1905 Bahlsen installed what is described as Europe’s first assembly-line production system. The business employed approximately 300 people by 1899 and around 1,700 by 1914. Hermann Bahlsen also helped popularize the German word “Keks,” a German adaptation of “cakes.” Plans for a model industrial settlement called TET-Stadt were developed in 1916 and 1917 but were never realized. After Hermann Bahlsen died on 6 November 1919, his son Hans assumed leadership. During the Nazi period, Bahlsen remained economically successful and was designated a war-critical company. It reduced its product range in response to raw-material shortages, produced crispbread and rusks, and supplied emergency rations for German soldiers. From late May 1940 until the end of the war, more than 800 forced laborers from occupied European countries worked at the Hanover factory. Most were women from Poland and Ukraine. Research published decades later found lower pay, discriminatory food and medical treatment, stigmatizing identification requirements for Polish workers, and confinement in a barracks camp. Bahlsen also cooperated with the SS and operated a biscuit factory in occupied Kiev; during the German retreat, equipment and materials were removed to Germany. After 1945, the company received a production permit as an important food supplier and rebuilt rapidly, although approximately 60 percent of its factory and nearly all distribution warehouses had been destroyed. Postwar growth included acquisitions in biscuits, cakes, chocolate and snacks. Bahlsen acquired Feurich-Keks in 1963, bought the Brokat cake factory in 1965, acquired Gubor chocolate in 1968, and developed a long-term relationship with Flessner, a potato-chip manufacturer whose business Bahlsen ultimately absorbed in 1985. International expansion included sales operations in Spain and the United Kingdom in the 1970s, the acquisition of Austin Quality Foods in North Carolina in 1980, and later production in Poland. Production at the historic Hanover plant moved to Barsinghausen in 1987. Following German reunification, Bahlsen acquired food factories in eastern Germany, including Dauerbackwaren GmbH in Radebeul and the Erste Thüringer Keksfabrik in Bad Liebenstein. The Radebeul facility was closed in 1992 or 1993. Between 1996 and 1999, ownership was divided among Werner Michael Bahlsen, Lorenz Alexander Bahlsen and Andrea von Nordeck. In 1999 the business was separated into sweet products under Bahlsen, savory snacks under Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-Gruppe, later Lorenz Snack-World, and a real-estate-oriented family group. Bahlsen introduced a two-brand architecture in 2002, emphasizing Bahlsen and Leibniz as distinct product identities. The company continued to modernize its production network. The Barsinghausen factory received the “Factory of the Year 2011” award after extensive renovation. In 2013, the theft and recovery of the gilded biscuit sign outside the Hanover headquarters became a widely reported publicity event. In 2018, a TET goddess statue by Bernhard Hoetger, hidden since the 1930s, was rediscovered and returned to the headquarters. In 2019, controversy over Verena Bahlsen’s comments prompted a public response and an independent historical review. The resulting study, published in 2024, documented the company’s wartime exploitation of forced labor. The family expressed regret and announced a remembrance program involving a memorial plaque, a headquarters exhibition and cooperation with local school history projects. Bahlsen remains a private family-controlled food company. Its product portfolio covers biscuits, cookies, chocolate-coated snacks, cakes, wafers and savory products, and it also performs private-label production. The company exports to approximately 55 countries. Its reported production locations in 2024 included Hanover, Barsinghausen, Varel, Berlin, Skawina and Jawornik, with the last two in Poland. Phil Rumbol served as CEO from 2020 until 2022, followed by an interim management arrangement; Alexander Kühnen became CEO in January 2023.
- 2024
Historical study published
[1]A study by Hartmut Berghoff and Manfred Grieger detailed Bahlsen’s use of forced labor and the discriminatory conditions imposed on workers.
- 2023
Alexander Kühnen becomes CEO
[1]Alexander Kühnen assumed the chief executive role on 1 January.
- 2019
Independent wartime-history review commissioned
[1]Bahlsen commissioned a historical investigation after public controversy over its treatment of forced labor during the Nazi period.
- 2013
Golden biscuit sign stolen and recovered
[1]The historic gilded biscuit sign disappeared from the Hanover headquarters and was recovered days later near Leibniz University.
- 2011
Barsinghausen factory recognized
[1]After extensive modernization, the Barsinghausen factory was named Factory of the Year 2011 by Produktion magazine.
- 2002
Two-brand strategy introduced
[1]Bahlsen developed distinct brand identities for Bahlsen and Leibniz products.
- 1999
Family business divided into segments
[1]The business was separated into Bahlsen sweet products, Lorenz savory snacks and a real-estate-focused family segment.
- 1987
Main production moved to Barsinghausen
[1]Production was discontinued at the historic Hanover plant and relocated to nearby Barsinghausen.
- 1980
United States production begins
[1]Bahlsen acquired Austin Quality Foods in North Carolina and began production in the United States.
- 1968
Gubor chocolate business acquired
[1]The company broadened its confectionery portfolio by acquiring Gubor in the Black Forest.
Products and positioning
A heritage German bakery brand positioned around dependable quality, recognizable product design, family ownership and premium everyday biscuits and snacks.
Biscuits · 1891
Leibniz Butter Biscuits
Bahlsen’s signature rectangular butter biscuit, introduced in 1891 and named after Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. It is marketed as a durable, everyday biscuit and remains the central product associated with the company. The range has been extended through different pack sizes and chocolate-coated variants while retaining the recognizable biscuit form.
Chocolate-coated biscuits
Choco Leibniz
A Leibniz biscuit product covered or partly covered with chocolate. It extends the core butter-biscuit proposition into a more indulgent confectionery format and is one of Bahlsen’s principal internationally marketed offerings.
Snack bars
Pick Up!
A branded snack format built around a biscuit and chocolate filling or coating. Pick Up! occupies the impulse-snacking segment rather than the traditional plain-biscuit segment and is among Bahlsen’s prominent modern products.
Savory snacks · 1935
Saltstick
A salted baked snack launched by Bahlsen in 1935. It reflects the company’s historical expansion from sweet biscuits into savory packaged snacks.
Biscuits and packaging identity · 1904
TET packaged biscuits
TET is primarily a historic trademark and packaging system rather than a single contemporary product. Introduced in 1904, its protective paperboard packaging was designed to preserve biscuit freshness, while the TET emblem became a distinctive part of Bahlsen’s visual identity.
Controversies
2024
Historical reassessment confirms corporate benefit from forced labor
Research by Hartmut Berghoff and Manfred Grieger concluded that Bahlsen profited from the Nazi forced-labor system. The Bahlsen family acknowledged shortcomings in addressing the company’s history and announced remembrance initiatives.
2019
Controversy over Verena Bahlsen’s wartime comments
Shareholder Verena Bahlsen was criticized after publicly asserting that forced laborers had been paid and treated like German workers. Subsequent reporting contradicted the pay claim. Bahlsen announced a historical review, and Verena Bahlsen expressed regret for her statements.
1940
Forced labor during the Nazi era
More than 800 foreign forced laborers worked for Bahlsen between 1940 and 1945. Later research found lower wages than those paid to German workers, stigmatizing treatment of Polish workers, restricted living conditions, smaller food rations and poorer medical care. The company also operated a factory in occupied Kiev and removed assets during the German retreat.
Marketing campaigns
- 201352,000 biscuit donation response
Germany
After the theft of the gilded biscuit sign from its Hanover headquarters, Bahlsen publicly offered to donate 52,000 biscuit packages to 52 social institutions. The number echoed the 52 teeth on the Leibniz biscuit and turned an unusual criminal incident into a charitable public-relations response.
Outcome. The biscuit was recovered and later returned to the headquarters; Bahlsen’s donation offer became part of the incident’s public narrative.
- 1914Field postcards
Germany
During the First World War, Bahlsen distributed illustrated field postcards designed by several artists, linking the company’s advertising activity to wartime correspondence culture.
Outcome. The postcard program continued through 1916.
- 1912Artist advertising stamps
Germany
Bahlsen issued collectible advertising stamps in multiple series, using designs by artists including Heinrich Vogeler, Otto Obermeier and Änne Koken. Customers could obtain the stamps through vouchers included in biscuit packages.
Outcome. The stamps became an early example of collectible product promotion and are now part of the company’s advertising history.
Brand decisions
2023
Appointment of Alexander Kühnen as CEOOtherBackground
Phil Rumbol left the CEO position in 2022, after which an interim management team led the company.
Action taken
Alexander Kühnen took over as chief executive on 1 January 2023.
Aftermath
Kühnen became responsible for leading the privately owned company and its European production and export operations.
2002
Two-brand architecture for Bahlsen and LeibnizStrategyBackground
The company sought to distinguish its corporate identity from the stronger consumer recognition of its flagship Leibniz product.
Action taken
Bahlsen introduced separate visual identities for the Bahlsen and Leibniz product brands in addition to the corporate logo.
Aftermath
The structure allowed the company to market a broader portfolio while preserving Leibniz as a distinct consumer-facing brand.
1999
Separation of sweet and savory snack businessesStrategyBackground
The family-owned business had developed interests in both sweet baked goods and savory snacks, alongside family real-estate holdings.
Action taken
The company was divided into Bahlsen for sweet products, Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-Gruppe for savory snacks, and a real-estate-focused family segment.
Aftermath
The restructuring created the distinct Lorenz snack business, later known as Lorenz Snack-World, while Bahlsen concentrated on sweet baked products.
1987
Relocation of Hanover productionStrategyBackground
Bahlsen was modernizing its manufacturing network and operating an increasingly industrial and international business.
Action taken
Production at the historic Hanover plant was discontinued and moved to Barsinghausen.
Aftermath
Barsinghausen became a major production center and was later extensively renovated.
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