The History of the Family Bakery Coppenrath
1825 Founding of the Business
- The Country Bakery Coppenrath
Founding of the business.
Company founder Heinrich Coppenrath (the first) started the country bakery “Coppenrath” in Geeste / Groß Hesepe in Emsland.
1890 expansion of product line
- Original tin for Coppenrath Zwieback
Expansion of the product line.
The son, Heinrich (the second), expanded the bakery assortment by creating the legendary Coppenrath Honey Cake. Moreover, Heinrich (the third) started the production of zwieback. At the time, horse-drawn carriages supplied the nearby food stores.
1924 intensification of business
- Delivery order from 1929
1924 intensification of business efforts.
Aloys Coppenrath (fourth generation) intensified the production of bread, zwieback and honey cake. The arrival of the first motorized trucks led to an expansion of the delivery radius, the production program now included sweets.
1942 Änne Coppenrath
- Änne Coppenrath
Änne Coppenrath.
Aloys Coppenrath had a tragic accident. His wife, Änne Coppenrath, continued to manage the firm through the difficult years of war.
1948 Franz Coppenrath
- Franz Coppenrath
Franz Coppenrath.
Due to the early death of his father, Franz Coppenrath (fifth generation) took over the parental business at the age of 19. Step by step the factory and oven facilities were modernized and expanded.
1962 business realignment
- Franz and Ursula Coppenrath
Business realignment.
Franz Coppenrath and his wife Ursula decided to leave behind the country bakehouse and take the next step toward a modern large-scale bakery. Taking high entrepreneurial risks, they constructed a new modern factory building. The wholesale supply was extended to the entire German market.
1968 distribution of sweets
Distribution of sweets.
Franz Coppenrath realized that there was a regional demand for wholesale sweets: The "sweets retailer Ems-Vechte” took up his commission. The first assortment consisted of 250 items. After the death of Franz Coppenrath his wife Ursula took over management of the firm, which today supplies all of Germany under the name “Naschwelt” (German: Nibble World).
1970 Export
- International Sweets Trade Fair 1971 (German: Internationale Süßwarenmesse ISM 1971)
Export.
Expansion of distribution activities abroad. Austria became the first important export market.
1978 the great fire
- The great fire of 1978 destroyed the entire fabrication facility.
The great fire.
On August 27, 1978 the entire fabrication facility of Coppenrath burned out. Within only two hours, flames consumed the entire production facility, including raw materials and the supply storage. Due to the dedicated effort of the employees, a new factory building was raised in the record time of only two months.
1994 Das Knusperlädchen
- A peak into the Scrumptius Store
The Scrumptious Store.
Franz and Ursula Coppenrath opened up the Scrumptious Store. Over the years Ursula Coppenrath, through her wholehearted commitment, expanded it into a flourishing factory outlet and café, giving it her own personal touch. In 2010, Ursula Coppenrath handed the Scrumptious Store over to her daughter Petra Coppenrath.
1997 company succession
- Andreas Coppenrath became the successor.
Company succession.
Franz Coppenrath died at the age of only 68 after a serious illness. Andreas Coppenrath (sixth generation) took management over from him.
1998 expansion of export activities
- The export business continually became more important.
Expansion of export activities.
Under the leadership of Andreas Coppenrath the company successfully expanded its market position domestically as well as abroad. Coppenrath supplied fine pastries to over 50 countries worldwide.
2003 logo revision
- Above the old, below the updated Coppenrath logo.
2003 logo revision.
The company Coppenrath presented itself with a distinctly revised company logo and new packaging that combined a traditional and modern look in a stylish manner.
2004 First IFS certification
- IFS logo (International Food Standard)
First IFS certification.
The Main Association of the German Retail Industry (German: Hauptverband des Deutschen Einzelhandels {HDE}) initiated this food -, quality - and safety standard. In 2004 Coppenrath, for the first time, submitted itself to be certified according to this standard.
2006 DLG: Price of the Best in Gold
- Medal Price of the Best in Gold.
DLG: Price of the Best in Gold.
Since then the quality standards that were, for the first time, certified in 2004 have been annually confirmed since then. Additionally, the company was awarded the “Price of the Best in Gold" (German: Preis der Besten in Gold). By awarding this prize, the DLG distinguishes companies that have earned the highest DLG distinctions by continuously proving their above-average quality for over 15 years.
2008 opening of the training bakery
- The historic “Olle Bäckerei” (English: Olle Bakery) has been elaborately restored and, presently, serves as a training bakery.
Opening of the training bakery.
Opening of the training bakery in Groß Hesepe. At the restored training bakery, the fabrication of continuously prepared baking goods in particular is explained to visitors who are interested in the baking trade. Additionally, it offers students an interesting opportunity for professional orientation.
2009 packaging relaunch
- Comparison of the old and new packaging design, using the example of house pastries.
Packaging relaunch.
Coppenrath redesigned the entire assortment in a completely new way. The noble and light design is characterized by a distinctively colorful or golden bow and, already at a first glance, shows the high quality standard of the Coppenrath products.
2010 practical resealable lid
- The innovative resealable lid keeps the pastries crisp after the package has been opened.
Practical resealable lid.
As a further improvement a practical resealable lid was added to the house pastries packages, a so-called “Reseal it label”. This label enables the effortless opening of the foil on the upper side of the packaging along a prepunched contour and the subsequent airtight resealing. With this closing mechanism, Coppenrath met the often-stated demand of single - and small households for an easy-to-open and adequate unit.
