Hermann Bahlsen(1859-1919)
After school, Bahlsen completed commercial training in Geneva. From 1879 he worked as an entrepreneur in various business areas in Hanover. Bahlsen's business activities also took him to London, where he learned a specific recipe for the typical English sweet pastry called "cakes", which he brought back to Germany. In 1888, Bahlsen initially joined a biscuit factory in Hanover as a partner. But just a year later, in 1889, he founded his own company there: the "Hannoversche Cakesfabrik H. Bahlsen". The small bakery initially had ten employees. By 1893 the number of employees had already risen to around 100. Bahlsen now also began producing the legendary "Leibniz Cake". The resourceful entrepreneur promoted what later became the most famous biscuit in the world with a short quote from the philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, after whom the product was named.
This unusual advertising method quickly promoted the spread of the biscuit. Another typical feature of Bahlsen products to this day is their special packaging, which guarantees the freshness of the product even when stored for a long time. Bahlsen patented the packaging in 1903. Bahlsen's company logo was also created shortly after the turn of the century, for which the entrepreneur sought advice from an Egyptologist: Bahlsen designed it from the hieroglyph for the word "TET", which stands for eternity and durability. Since then, the logo has symbolized the company's claim to produce a product that can be used in the long term. From 1905 onwards, Bahlsen biscuits were produced using streamlined methods, which also included the assembly line system.
Hermann Bahlsen died on November 6, 1919 in Hanover. His eldest son Hans Bahlsen and especially the second eldest son Werner Bahlsen later took over management of the company.
This unusual advertising method quickly promoted the spread of the biscuit. Another typical feature of Bahlsen products to this day is their special packaging, which guarantees the freshness of the product even when stored for a long time. Bahlsen patented the packaging in 1903. Bahlsen's company logo was also created shortly after the turn of the century, for which the entrepreneur sought advice from an Egyptologist: Bahlsen designed it from the hieroglyph for the word "TET", which stands for eternity and durability. Since then, the logo has symbolized the company's claim to produce a product that can be used in the long term. From 1905 onwards, Bahlsen biscuits were produced using streamlined methods, which also included the assembly line system.
Hermann Bahlsen died on November 6, 1919 in Hanover. His eldest son Hans Bahlsen and especially the second eldest son Werner Bahlsen later took over management of the company.