Hipp Holding
Corporate brand
UnclaimedSwiss-based holding company associated with the Hipp group of baby-food, organic-food and infant-care businesses.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Hipp Holding is a privately held Swiss-based holding company associated with the Hipp family’s international food and infant-care businesses. The group is best known for the Hipp brand, a major European producer of organic baby food, infant formula, children’s foods and selected personal-care products for babies. Its Swiss headquarters are in Sachseln, while the German headquarters and principal historical manufacturing base are in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm in Upper Bavaria. The business traces its roots to the Hipp family’s bakery and confectionery activities in Pfaffenhofen. In 1899, Joseph Hipp began making rusk flour in his bakery. His son Georg Hipp later sold the product in Munich and developed it into a children’s food business. On 1 July 1932, Georg Hipp established Nährmittel Hipp and began producing baby food in a former hops hall on the family’s premises. Wartime disruption temporarily moved production to Munich, but after the Munich buildings were destroyed in 1944, the business returned to Pfaffenhofen and expanded into a significant food manufacturer. Hipp became an early industrial producer of packaged baby food in Germany. From the mid-1950s it produced baby food in cans, subsequently moving fruit and vegetable preparations into glass jars around 1959–1960 for hygienic and product-quality reasons. The company’s identity increasingly developed around organic sourcing, environmental stewardship and infant nutrition. Hipp’s product portfolio has included infant formula, milk and cereal preparations, jarred meals, snacks, drinks and personal-care products, although exact product ranges vary by market and period. Family ownership and management have remained central to the group. Claus Hipp, Georg Hipp’s son, joined the business in 1964 and assumed management in 1967. For many years, management included Claus Hipp and his brothers Georg Johannes Hipp and Paulus Hipp. Georg Johannes Hipp left the management structure in 2010. The group’s international organization also includes Swiss businesses connected with the family’s activities in Sachseln. In 1954, the family helped establish Somalon in Sachseln, a predecessor of bio-familia AG, which became associated with organic muesli and the familia brand. The Swiss headquarters of the Hipp group were relocated to Sachseln in 1999. Hipp expanded its manufacturing footprint in Germany in 2016 by taking over the Herford plant previously operated by Humana GmbH, a subsidiary of DMK. The Herford site produces milk powder and baby food. Through its operating companies and associated businesses, the group serves both branded and, in some areas, private-label or contract-manufacturing markets. Its products have been distributed across Europe and in other international markets. The company has promoted sustainability and organic production as key elements of its market positioning. It received environmental and sustainability recognition in the early 2000s and was repeatedly identified in German sustainability rankings. At the same time, several consumer and media controversies have challenged particular marketing, product-composition or environmental claims. In 2012, Foodwatch criticized the sugar content of Hipp instant fruit teas marketed to young children; Hipp said it withdrew those products and replaced them with unsweetened tea bags. Other criticism concerned genetically modified ingredients detected in samples, the continued sale of similar products under the Bebivita brand, and the use of carbon-offset certificates in climate-related claims. In 2022, Hipp paused new investment in Russia while retaining existing operations. Hipp Holding remains a private, family-linked group rather than a publicly traded company. No official corporate website, stock listing or current consolidated financial figures are specified in the available reference material.
History
Hipp Holding’s history begins with the Hipp family’s bakery and confectionery activities in Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria. Joseph Hipp began producing rusk flour in 1899. His son Georg Hipp sold the product in Munich from 1921 and gradually developed the family business around children’s rusk flour and infant nutrition. The family’s older gingerbread, confectionery and wax-working activities continued alongside the emerging food operation. On 1 July 1932, Georg Hipp founded Nährmittel Hipp. The company began making baby food in a former hops hall on part of the present Pfaffenhofen site. Political and wartime conditions disrupted operations: production was moved to Munich during the Nazi period, and the Munich buildings were destroyed in an air raid in 1944. The business subsequently returned to Pfaffenhofen, where it developed into an important German food manufacturer. Hipp was an early participant in the industrial packaging of baby food. From the mid-1950s it produced baby food in cans. Around 1959–1960, fruit and vegetable meals moved into glass jars, a format that became central to the company’s complementary-food business. The group later expanded its offer across infant formula, milk and cereal products, prepared meals, fruit products, snacks, drinks and baby-care items, with organic production and environmental responsibility becoming defining elements of its public identity. Georg Hipp’s son Claus joined the company in 1964 and assumed management in 1967 after his father’s death. For an extended period the business was managed by three brothers: Claus Hipp, Georg Johannes Hipp and Paulus Hipp. Georg Johannes Hipp left in 2010, while other family members became involved over time. The group has remained privately held and family linked. The Swiss part of the group developed from activities in Sachseln. In 1954, Somalon was established to strengthen the Obwalden business location and market food produced there. A relationship with Edwin Bircher, son of muesli pioneer Max Bircher-Benner, led to permission to use the name Bio-Birchermüesli. In 1959, Somalon launched its first Birchermüesli under the familia brand. The product expanded internationally, and in 1978 Somalon was renamed bio-familia AG. The Swiss business produced branded organic muesli as well as products for distributor house brands. Hipp’s group headquarters moved to Sachseln in 1999. In Germany, the group continued to expand its manufacturing network. In 2016, it took over the Herford plant formerly operated by Humana GmbH, part of DMK. The facility became associated with milk-powder and baby-food production. Hipp’s sustainability reputation has been supported by environmental awards and German sustainability rankings, including an Energy Globe-related sustainability award in 2002, environmental reporting recognition in 2003/2004 and repeated sustainability distinctions from Wirtschaftswoche. The company’s environmental and nutrition claims have also attracted criticism. In 2012, Foodwatch awarded Hipp the negative Golden Cream Puff for advertising it considered misleading in relation to heavily sugared instant fruit teas for toddlers. Hipp stated that it withdrew the products and replaced them with unsweetened tea bags. In 2013, Foodwatch raised similar concerns about products sold under the Bebivita subsidiary brand. The same year, a ZDF WISO investigation reported genetically modified vegetables in some tested Hipp organic baby-food samples; Hipp said it would investigate and intensify analyses. In 2022, Die Zeit criticized the company’s climate-positive claims because they relied on carbon offsets. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hipp paused future investments and new marketing or development initiatives in Russia while maintaining existing operations. The reference material also reports a 2026 recall involving Hipp baby-food jars sold through Spar stores in Austria and Germany, followed by reports of rat poison in a vegetable-purée jar in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The current status, scope and official findings of that reported incident require verification.
- 2016
Herford production plant is taken over
[1]Hipp takes over the Herford plant previously operated by Humana GmbH, adding milk-powder and baby-food production capacity.
- 2012
Instant fruit teas are withdrawn
[1]Following Foodwatch criticism of their sugar content, Hipp says it removes its instant fruit teas and introduces unsweetened tea bags as substitutes.
- 2010
Georg Johannes Hipp leaves management
[1]Georg Johannes Hipp leaves the company’s management structure.
- 2002
Energy Globe sustainability recognition
[1]Hipp receives the World Prize for Sustainability associated with the Energy Globe Award.
- 1999
Group headquarters move to Sachseln
[1]Hipp’s headquarters are relocated to Sachseln, Switzerland.
- 1978
Somalon becomes bio-familia AG
[1]The Swiss muesli company changes its name from Somalon to bio-familia AG.
- 1967
Claus Hipp assumes management
[1]Following Georg Hipp’s death, Claus Hipp takes over management.
- 1964
Claus Hipp joins the family business
[1]Claus Hipp enters the business founded by his father Georg Hipp.
- 1959
familia Birchermüesli is launched
[1]Somalon launches its first Birchermüesli under the familia brand.
- 1959
Fruit and vegetable baby foods move into glass jars
[1]Hipp begins using glass jars for fruit and vegetable menus, replacing the earlier canned format for these products.
Products and positioning
Family-owned, organic and sustainability-oriented infant nutrition and children’s food group, with a strong emphasis on product safety, environmental responsibility and European manufacturing.
Infant nutrition
Hipp infant formula
Hipp’s infant-nutrition portfolio includes milk-based formula and complementary milk products for babies. The range is associated with the group’s organic and family-oriented positioning, although formulas and regulatory classifications differ by market. Production and packaging are carried out through the group’s European manufacturing network.
Complementary baby food · 1959
Hipp jarred baby food
Jarred fruit, vegetable and complete meals are among Hipp’s most recognizable offerings. The company began industrial baby-food production in the 1930s and shifted fruit and vegetable preparations into glass jars around 1959–1960. The products are designed for different stages of infant and toddler feeding and are marketed with an emphasis on ingredient quality and organic sourcing.
Baby cereal and snacks · 1899
Hipp cereal and rusk products
The company’s origins lie in rusk flour, and cereal-based infant foods remain part of its broader complementary-feeding portfolio. These products include preparations intended to be mixed with milk or other foods, as well as snack formats for young children. Specific products and formulations vary across national markets.
Baby personal care
Hipp baby personal care
Hipp also operates in personal-care products for babies. The category extends the brand beyond food into everyday infant-care needs and supports its positioning around gentle, family-focused products. The available reference material does not specify a complete current product list.
Organic breakfast foods · 1959
familia organic muesli
The familia line originated with Somalon’s launch of Birchermüesli in Sachseln in 1959. It developed into an internationally distributed organic muesli business associated with bio-familia AG. Products have been sold under the company’s own brand and produced for distributor private labels.
Food manufacturing · 2016
Milk powder and baby food from Herford
The Herford plant, taken over by Hipp in 2016 from Humana GmbH, manufactures milk powder and baby food. The site complements Hipp’s historical production base in Pfaffenhofen and forms part of the group’s German manufacturing infrastructure.
Controversies
2026
Reported poison-contamination recall
The reference material reports a recall of Hipp baby food sold through Spar stores in Austria and Germany because glass packaging was suspected of contamination with poison. Subsequent reports stated that rat poison was found in a vegetable-purée jar in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The incident’s verified scope and final investigation outcome are not established in the supplied material.
2022
Greenwashing criticism concerning climate-positive claims
Die Zeit criticized Hipp’s description of itself as climate-positive, arguing that the result depended on purchasing carbon certificates that more than offset the company’s stated emissions. The criticism focused on the distinction between direct emissions reduction and compensation.
2013
Bebivita products criticized after Hipp tea withdrawal
Foodwatch alleged that products similar to the withdrawn Hipp instant teas continued to be sold under the Bebivita brand, which is described in the reference material as a Hipp subsidiary.
2013
Questions over genetically modified ingredients in organic baby food
A ZDF WISO sample investigation reported genetically modified vegetables in almost one quarter of the Hipp samples examined. Hipp said it would investigate the findings and intensify product analyses.
2012
Golden Cream Puff criticism over instant fruit tea
Foodwatch gave Hipp its negative Golden Cream Puff award for what it considered misleading marketing of instant fruit teas to young children. The organization highlighted the products’ very high sugar content and argued that sweetened drinks were inconsistent with healthy guidance for toddlers.
Brand decisions
2022
Pause new investment in RussiaStrategyBackground
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created geopolitical and reputational pressure on companies operating in the country.
Action taken
Hipp paused future investment, development and marketing initiatives in Russia while retaining existing operations.
Aftermath
The group did not fully withdraw from the Russian market according to the supplied reference material.
2016
Take over the Herford plantM&ABackground
Hipp sought to expand or maintain its German production network for milk powder and baby food.
Action taken
Hipp took over the Herford plant previously operated by Humana GmbH, a DMK subsidiary.
Aftermath
The Herford site became part of Hipp’s manufacturing network.
2012
Withdraw instant fruit teas and offer unsweetened tea bagsOtherBackground
Foodwatch criticized the sugar content of Hipp instant fruit tea granules marketed to children from 12 months.
Action taken
Hipp stated that it removed the instant teas from the market and replaced them with simple tea bags without added sugar.
Aftermath
Foodwatch later argued that similar products remained available under the Bebivita brand.
1959
Move fruit and vegetable meals into glass jarsGeneration changeBackground
Hipp had produced baby food in cans since the mid-1950s. For hygiene and product-handling reasons, the company changed the packaging of fruit and vegetable menus to glass jars around 1959–1960.
Action taken
The company adopted glass jars for key fruit and vegetable baby-food products.
Aftermath
Jarred baby food became a defining part of Hipp’s product identity and manufacturing history.
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