Hitschler

Hitschler International GmbH & Co. KG is a German confectionery manufacturer headquartered in Hürth-Kalscheuren near Cologne. The business traces its origins to Ferdinand Hitschler, who began trading tobacco and cachous in Cologne-Klettenberg in the late 1920s. During the 1930s, he established a dedicated confectionery business under the name Hitschler's Cachou. After the Second World War, the company was renamed Ferdinand Hitschler & Sohn in 1946, reflecting the involvement of his son, Karl Walter Hitschler. Following Ferdinand Hitschler's death in 1953, Walter Hitschler renamed the business Hitschler International. The company subsequently developed beyond its original cachou and confectionery-trading roots. In the 1950s, chewing gum was manufactured for Hitschler at what was described as Germany's first chewing-gum factory. Hitschler later took over and expanded that production facility, establishing a manufacturing base in the German confectionery sector. The company has remained associated with a family-owned business tradition, although management temporarily moved outside the founding family after Walter Hitschler's death in July 2010. Walter had led the company for many years and died at the age of 88. For approximately seven years afterward, professional managers who were not members of the founding family directed the business. In November 2017, management returned to the family when Philip Hitschler-Becker, the founder's great-grandson, became responsible for the company. Hitschler's range centers on impulse and novelty confectionery. Its products include chewy candies, chewy candy dragees, fruit gums, chewing gum, wafers containing a fizzy filling, and foam-sugar products. The portfolio includes both conventional sweets and products formulated without gelatine. The company stated that it intended to move toward fully gelatine-free production from 2023, reflecting changing consumer preferences and the importance of vegetarian-friendly confectionery options. The business relocated its headquarters from Cologne to Hürth-Kalscheuren in 2020. In 2021, the consumer-facing brand was renamed hitschies, while the corporate identity continued to be associated with Hitschler International. The company also operates a production site in Michelstadt in the Odenwald region of Hesse. In a 2014 fruit-gum brand-strength ranking, Hitschler was placed fourth in Germany, behind Haribo, Storck's and Katjes and ahead of Trolli and Frigeo. The company reported turnover of €58.0 million for 2021. Hitschler's positioning is built around colorful, playful and often chewy confectionery, with a focus on distinctive textures, formats and sour or fizzy sensory experiences rather than premium chocolate or traditional bakery products.

Hitschler's history began in Cologne in the late 1920s, when Ferdinand Hitschler traded tobacco and cachous in the Klettenberg district. In the mid-1930s, he formalized the confectionery business as Hitschler's Cachou. The name changed in 1946 to Ferdinand Hitschler & Sohn after the postwar involvement of his son, Karl Walter Hitschler. Ferdinand Hitschler died in 1953. His son then renamed the business Hitschler International, a name that connected the family enterprise with a broader commercial ambition. During the 1950s, chewing gum became an important part of the company's activities. Hitschler had chewing gum produced at a factory described as Germany's first of its kind and later took over and expanded the facility. This helped the company move from trading and traditional cachou products toward industrial confectionery manufacturing. Karl Walter Hitschler ran the business for decades. He died in July 2010 at the age of 88. For the following seven years, management was handled by executives outside the founding family. In November 2017, the company returned to family leadership under Philip Hitschler-Becker, the founder's great-grandson. By the 2010s, Hitschler's portfolio included chewy sweets, fruit gums, chewing gum, candy dragees, fizzy-filled wafers and foam-sugar products. A 2014 German ranking of fruit-gum brand strength placed Hitschler fourth, after Haribo, Storck's and Katjes and before Trolli and Frigeo. This ranking indicated that the company had meaningful recognition in the German fruit-gum category despite competing with larger confectionery groups. The headquarters moved from Cologne to Hürth-Kalscheuren in 2020. In 2021, the brand adopted the name hitschies for consumer-facing activity. The company continued to manufacture in Germany, including at a production site in Michelstadt in Hesse. Its product strategy also addressed dietary preferences: some products were already made without gelatine, and the company planned fully gelatine-free production from 2023. Hitschler reported turnover of €58.0 million in 2021. The company is therefore best understood as an active, family-origin German confectionery manufacturer whose identity has evolved from cachous and chewing gum into a broader portfolio of colorful, chewy and novelty sweets.

• 2021

  Brand renamed hitschies

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The consumer-facing brand was renamed hitschies.

• 2020

  Headquarters relocated to Hürth

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The headquarters moved from Cologne to Hürth-Kalscheuren.

• 2017

  Family leadership resumes

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Philip Hitschler-Becker became responsible for the company in November 2017.

• 2014

  Fourth place in German fruit-gum brand ranking

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Hitschler ranked fourth for brand strength in a fruit-gum ranking, behind Haribo, Storck's and Katjes.

• 2010

  Death of Karl Walter Hitschler

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Karl Walter Hitschler died in July 2010, after leading the company for many years.

• 1953

  Renamed Hitschler International

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  After Ferdinand Hitschler's death, Karl Walter Hitschler renamed the company Hitschler International.

• 1950

  Chewing-gum manufacturing expands

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  During the 1950s, Hitschler expanded its involvement in chewing-gum manufacturing and later took over the relevant factory.

• 1946

  Renamed Ferdinand Hitschler & Sohn

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the name Ferdinand Hitschler & Sohn after the postwar involvement of Ferdinand Hitschler's son.

• 1935

  Hitschler's Cachou is established

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  In the mid-1930s, Ferdinand Hitschler founded the business under the name Hitschler's Cachou.

• 1920

  Ferdinand Hitschler begins trading in Cologne

  [1]Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Ferdinand Hitschler began trading tobacco and cachous in Cologne-Klettenberg in the late 1920s.

A German family-origin confectionery manufacturer focused on playful, colorful and texture-led sweets, especially chewy candies, fruit gums, chewing gum and fizzy confectionery. The brand also emphasizes product innovation around gelatine-free formulations.

• Chewy confectionery

  Chewy candies

  Chewy candies are a central part of the Hitschler portfolio. They represent the brand's emphasis on elastic textures, colorful presentation and accessible impulse formats, and sit at the core of its identity as a playful confectionery manufacturer.

• Sugar confectionery

  Chewy candy dragees

  These products combine a chewy candy center or texture with a dragee-style exterior. They extend Hitschler's chewy-sweets positioning into small, shareable and impulse-oriented formats.

• Fruit-gum confectionery

  Fruit gums

  Hitschler's fruit gums form one of the company's most recognizable product categories. The range places the brand in direct competition with major German fruit-gum producers and helped it achieve fourth place in a 2014 German fruit-gum brand-strength ranking.

• Chewing gum · 1950

  Chewing gum

  Chewing gum has been part of Hitschler's manufacturing history since the 1950s, when the company used and later expanded a German chewing-gum factory. It remains part of the broad confectionery range associated with the brand.

• Novelty confectionery

  Fizzy-filled wafers

  Wafers with a fizzy filling add a carbonated or tingling sensory experience to a wafer format. They illustrate Hitschler's preference for playful product structures and unusual mouthfeel rather than conventional candy alone.

• Foam confectionery

  Foam-sugar products

  Foam-sugar confectionery broadens the range with a light, aerated texture. These products complement the company's chewy and fruit-gum lines and reinforce its positioning in colorful novelty sweets.

• Special-diet confectionery · 2023

  Gelatine-free confectionery

  Some Hitschler products are made without gelatine. The company planned to make its production entirely gelatine-free from 2023, responding to vegetarian and other ingredient-related consumer preferences.

• 2023

  Planned transition to fully gelatine-free productionStrategy

  Background

  The company already offered some confectionery products without gelatine and identified demand for broader ingredient compatibility.

  Action taken

  Hitschler planned to produce its entire range without gelatine from 2023.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not confirm the completed implementation or its commercial results.

  Source

• 2021

  Consumer brand renamed hitschiesStrategy

  Background

  The company refreshed its consumer-facing identity after relocating its headquarters.

  Action taken

  The Hitschler brand was renamed hitschies in 2021.

  Aftermath

  The new consumer name became part of the brand's subsequent market identity, while the corporate company remained associated with Hitschler International.

  Source

• 2020

  Relocation of the headquartersStrategy

  Background

  The company had historically been based in Cologne and moved its headquarters to Hürth-Kalscheuren in 2020.

  Action taken

  Hitschler transferred its headquarters to Hürth-Kalscheuren while retaining German manufacturing operations.

  Aftermath

  The relocation established Hürth near Cologne as the company's headquarters location.

  Source

1. 1Hitschler (company)en.wikipedia.org