Lorenz Snack-World

Lorenz Snack World is a snack company from Germany with a history spanning over 135 years, founded by the Bahlsen family in 1889 in Hanover. It began with biscuit production and later evolved into a company manufacturing a variety of snack products under brands like Crunchips, Naturals, Curly, Saltletts, and Nic Nac's.

From Biscuits to Salty Snack Pioneer

The story of Lorenz Snack World began in 1889 when Hermann Bahlsen founded Hannoversche Cakesfabrik with just 10 employees. It started with the production of Leibniz Cakes butter biscuits. After only four years, the company's biscuits rapidly gained popularity in Germany, leading to an increase in staff from 10 to 100 people.

In 1893, the company's products received a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Chicago, USA, allowing the company to gain international recognition. Subsequently, the company began to diversify its product line, turning to the production of savory snacks such as American Crackers.

Navigating World Wars and Strong Recovery

However, soon after, the company faced a major obstacle when World War I broke out (1914-1918), hindering the company's growth path. Snacks were not essential goods for the German military. Furthermore, the war's impact led to raw material shortages, domestic consumers tightening their belts, and the company being cut off from export markets.

The company's situation worsened when Hermann Bahlsen, the company's patriarch, passed away in 1918. Consequently, the second generation of heirs, Hermann's children Hans, Werner, and Klaus had to take over management.

The three new executives faced the challenge of salvaging the company in the aftermath of World War I, a period of severe inflation in Germany and a major global economic depression. Nevertheless, the three siblings successfully revitalized the company by modernizing its production structure and replacing old machinery with more advanced equipment.

In 1935, the company launched another new product: Salzletten (now Saltletts), savory pretzel sticks. After their launch, these sticks quickly gained popularity in Germany and internationally, particularly in the United States.

Although the company successfully recovered after World War I, it faced another challenging obstacle when World War II broke out (1939-1945). Company employees were conscripted into the military, forcing the company to suspend all research and development activities and reduce its product portfolio to just 11 items. Furthermore, factories and warehouses were severely damaged by the war.

After World War II, they once again strove to revive the company. During this period, the demand for potato chips in Europe surged, especially from American soldiers stationed in Germany. As a result, the company invested in building Europe's first automatic potato chip production line and began manufacturing potato chips.

Growing into a Snack Leader and Organizational Restructuring

This led the company to exponential growth, becoming one of Germany's major snack producers. Then, in 1963, the company launched the peanut-flavored puffed corn snack brand ErdnußLocken, which became very popular in Germany.

In 1992, the company launched a new product: Crunchips, red-bagged potato chips that became the company's signature product. Around the same time, the company changed its name to Bahlsen Picanterie and restructured its production into two divisions: Sweet Goods and Savory Snacks.

Later, in 1993, the savory snack business officially separated from the Bahlsen Group's sweet goods business. And in 1999, Lorenz Bahlsen founded a new company named Lorenz Snack-World to specifically focus on snack development. This change led to new branding and strategies, including a new logo design and expansion into international markets.

In 1999, the company spun off all its snack products from the parent company and registered as Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-Group, establishing its headquarters in Neu-Isenburg, Germany.

Subsequently, the company began to revise its logo and plan marketing in new areas, as well as rebranding popular products like savory sticks from Salzletten to Saltletts. Later, the company changed its name again to Lorenz Snack-World, which remains in use today.

Lorenz Snack World Today: A Globally Growing Family Business

Currently, Lorenz Snack-World has production facilities in several countries, including Germany and Poland, and employs over 2,500 people. Lorenz products are available in over 80 countries worldwide, with a diverse portfolio of brands such as Crunchips, Crunchips Stackers, Chipsletten, Saltletts, Snack Hits, NicNac's, Curly, Pomsticks, Monster Munch, Naturals, Peppies, Snack Specialties, Tacitos, Nuts & Fruits, and Party Clubs.

Despite continuous name changes and business expansion, Lorenz Snack-World remains a family business managed across generations. It is currently led by the 4th generation of the Bahlsen family, Moritz Bahlsen.

You can find Lorenz Snack-World products at all Rimping branches.