Frequently Asked Questions

To continuously cover our diverse range, we have different production locations: Bad Friedrichshall in Baden-Württemberg (South-West Germany) and Fritzlar in Hessen (Central Germany) are our central agricultural areas. Since freshness and quality are very important to us, we source the majority of our pickled gherkins and 100% of our white and red cabbage from our partners from German, regional contract farming.

We aim to source all ingredients from Germany. However, some vegetables or spices - for example hot peppers and mustard seeds - do not grow here due to the climatic conditions. We therefore work with reliable partners in other countries in Europe - to guarantee our customers a limitless taste experience.

Our delicious vinegar is produced through a fermentation of alcoholic liquids and the use of acetic acid bacteria. 

In fact, a small amount of alcohol remains at the end of the process. In 100 ml of vinegar, a residual amount of about 0.2 g of alcohol is left. A tablespoon of vinegar with about 15 ml of liquid thus contains about 0.03 g of alcohol.By the way, did you know that commercially available fruit juices also contain a similar amount - in fact up to 0.3 ml of alcohol per 100 ml of juice? Converted, this means: the alcohol content in 1.5 tablespoons of vinegar is roughly equivalent to that of 1 tablespoon of fruit juice. Usually, you use much less vinegar than fruit juice during a normal meal. So, enjoy our different vinegar varieties.

You can find more information about the production of vinegar here.

The taste lies in the refinement: When preserving gherkins and other vegetables, a lot of attention to detail and technical skill goes into the creation of the infusion. This is a mixture of vinegar, water, sugar, spices, and other ingredients. It’s used in households and in the food industry in the same way.

Since the vinegar is only one of several ingredients, there is a high dilution effect. The residual alcohol content in vinegar is about 0.2 percent. In the infusion, this concentration is further reduced. In the overall product, the remaining alcohol is hence extremely low.

Wine is a central flavour carrier in some of our sauerkraut products. It forms the fine-aromatic contrast to the acidity of the cabbage.

During production, we adhere to the guidelines that apply in Germany. In concrete terms, this means Wine sauerkraut must contain 2 percent wine as an ingredient. On average, wine has an alcohol content of about 10 percent. This means that 100 g of wine sauerkraut has an alcohol content of about 0.2 g.

A portion of wine sauerkraut (130 g) thus has an alcohol content equivalent to that of 100 ml of fruit juice. As soon as the sauerkraut is heated or cooked, a large part of the alcohol evaporates. In (cooked) wine sauerkraut prepared at home, there is therefore only a very small amount of alcohol left.

Our red cabbage contains only traces of alcohol. These come from the residual alcohol content of the vinegar used in its production.

Red cabbage is usually eaten warm. As soon as the cabbage is heated or cooked, much of the alcohol evaporates. Therefore, only a very small amount of alcohol is left in the ready-made red cabbage.

Use of natural flavours* in our products: we use natural flavours in some of our sauerkraut and red cabbage products. As real and natural taste is very important to us, we only use natural flavourings for the following reasons:

• Standardisation of seasoning intensity: In comparison to fresh herbs and spices, natural flavours have a stable seasoning intensity that is not subject to fluctuation. This means we can guarantee our consumers a consistent taste experience every time they buy our products.
• Constant seasoning level: The use of natural flavours guarantees a constant seasoning level until the end of the best-before date. This way, the consumer experiences the full flavour over the complete life span of the product.
• A variety of flavours: By using natural flavours, we achieve a wide variety of flavours. This means that consumers can choose from a wide selection of products with flavours ranging from hearty and spicy to mild and mellow.
• Food safety: Unlike fresh herbs and spices, natural flavours are not contaminated with undesirable substances (such as microorganisms or metabolic products of microorganisms). Thus, the use of natural flavours increases food safety.
• Availability: Natural flavours are available all around the year. As a result, production is not linked to the fresh supply of herbs and spices.

* According to EU Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, natural flavourings are flavouring substances, or a mixture of flavouring substances obtained from vegetable, animal, or microbiological source materials by appropriate physical, enzymatic or microbiological processes. Natural flavouring substances are substances which occur naturally and are found in nature.

The legal requirements for flavourings and extracts are regulated in Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008. In contrast to natural flavourings, extracts do not contain any additional flavouring substances. Extracts are obtained directly from food, such as spices, by suitable processes. In this case, no further addition of isolated flavouring substances takes place, so that the flavour of the original spices remains unaltered. It corresponds to the flavour of the food from which the extract was obtained.

The impression of "salty" is one of the basic tastes that humans perceive. Salt gives a certain basic seasoning to most dishes. It can also be technologically necessary. For example, our Mildessa wine sauerkraut cannot be safely fermented without a defined proportion of salt ( improper fermentation could occur). A certain amount of salt guarantees the characteristic mild taste of Mildessa.

Are you interested in the production steps of our Mildessa products? Take a look "behind the scenes" and follow the journey from the field to the tin.

Sweetness is one of the basic tastes perceived by humans. It essentially determines the sensory appeal of a food. Sugar therefore gives a product "body" and serves to support the taste of other flavouring ingredients.

Sweetening red cabbage products is done both at home and in industrial production by adding sugar and/or by using apples or applesauce.

In our experience, gherkins that are only pickled in vinegar, salt and spices - but without using any sweetener - are not very popular among consumers (and also among our staff): the product tastes unbalanced salty and sour and lacks harmony in general.

Of course, we try to avoid an unnecessarily high sugar content. However, this is not always possible. For example, according to German law, gourmet red cabbage must have a minimum sugar content to be allowed to bear the designation "gourmet" (in German “Delikatess”).

We define vegan food based on the respective current version and requirement of the German Federal Government via the "Guidelines for vegan and vegetarian foodstuffs with similarities to foodstuffs of animal origin" and implement them accordingly.

We use the claim "lactose-free" if the food has a lactose (milk sugar) content of less than 100 mg/100 g. The claim "gluten-free" is used for foods with a gluten content of < 20 mg/kg. These two limits correspond to the current legal situation in Germany.

Both dietary forms are supplemented on the label by the addition "by nature" or “naturally” if the food cannot contain lactose or gluten by itself. This is the case, for example, with our "Mildessa wine sauerkraut": neither white cabbage, nor wine, nor cooking salt contain gluten (certain cereal proteins) or lactose (milk sugar) when produced conventionally.

The indication "according to commercial custom" is always added to our labels if the use of certain substances to which the indication specifically refers is legally permitted, but the use within the entire industry offering comparable products is not common in the market in Germany.

Do you suffer from food intolerances? We are happy to help with your specific questions via our consumer service.

Pre-packaged foods have a best-before date that usually begins with the phrase "Best before...". This is followed either directly by the date or by a reference to where it can be found on the package.

The indication of the best before date means: until this date, the food keeps its product-typical qualities, i.e., its taste, its smell, its appearance, and its nutritional value. Provided it is in its original packaging and has been stored correctly.

However, food is often still safe to consume beyond the best-before date, because the BBD is by no means a "throw-away date" or an "expiry date". If it is uncertain whether a food is still edible, it is always necessary to check on the individual case.

High product quality is a key characteristic for us. To ensure that you can enjoy our goods without worries even after opening a package, we ask you to note the following: once a package has been opened, a wide variety of factors determine the remaining shelf life. For example, temperature, humidity, and light exposure play a role during storage. As these general conditions vary, we are unfortunately unable to give any specific information on the shelf life after opening.

Our tip: Always transfer the leftovers from an opened package into tightly closed containers. Store them in the refrigerator. We generally recommend that once a product has been opened, it should be consumed within a few days.

You have looked very closely, that is important and reasonable. It is true that there is no indication of a best-before date on our vinegar products.

This is because the BBD is not legally required for this product group according to the European food law. Why has the legislator decided this? Vinegar is preserved by heating immediately before bottling. The high content of acetic acid has an additional preserving effect. Therefore, vinegar can be stored almost indefinitely. You can therefore use and enjoy the product for a long time.

Our products should be easy to use for everyone in everyday life.

PET offers many advantages as a packaging material: The material has only a low self-weight and is not fragile. The PET we use comes from an innovative generation of particularly high-quality and strong plastics. It complies with all EU legal requirements for food packaging. You can dispose of PET bottles without any problems. It is ideally suited for recycling. Another advantage is that PET does not contain bisphenol A.

Our packaging complies with the EU food law requirements. All our products meet the limit value for bisphenol A (BPA), and usually stay clearly below this level - which means that there is no risk to the health of our consumers.

We have been dealing with this issue intensively and insistently in cooperation with our packaging suppliers for some time and are looking for BPA alternatives. The good news: all our twist-off lids (jar caps) are already free of BPA (BPA-NI) today.

We do not use lids for our pickle products that “pop” or “crack” loudly when opened, but conventional "twist-off lids".

So when you open the lid, you only hear the air entering the vacuumed jar, which is more like a slight fizz. A typical "popping sound" does not necessarily occur. The particular jar was tightly sealed even if you do not hear a "pop" or "crack" sound.

We and our worldwide partners & distributors will be happy to help you find the right shop in your area. In order for us to take care of it, please use our contact form.

Please describe which product you are interested in. We also need your location with postcode.

We are very keen to bring our products closer to the consumer, especially new products from our range. It is exciting to get to know unknown flavours or to rediscover a taste that you may have known from the past. That's why we receive many similar requests every day. However, we cannot provide giveaways or samples free of charge.

At the moment we are not looking for new cooperation partners. Nevertheless, you are welcome to send us a message via our contact form including your contact details, media data and the link to your social media account / blog. We will contact you in case we are planning new campaigns.

We are very pleased with your interest in a factory tour. It shows that you want to learn more about our company, the production, and our products.

However, as a company in the food industry, we are bound to strict hygiene and safety regulations. Food manufacturers have to comply with numerous legal regulations. Therefore, we do not offer factory tours and ask for your understanding.

If you would like to expand your knowledge of the Hengstenberg production processes, we can send you information material. If you are interested, please feel free to send us your request via our contact form.

Your product does not have the quality you are used to, is damaged or has other defects? Then you can complain about it to us. To process the complaint, we need the product's coding.

The coding (the production code) is a unique code that is printed on each of our products. It is made up of a combination of letters and numbers and contains the best-before date. You can find the code in the following places on the product:

• Jars: on the side of the lid 
• Tins: on the flat side (lid or bottom) 
• Pouches: in a box on the back of the package 
• Bottles: on the back label or on the neck of the bottle

We do not need the number above the barcode. 

Please also state exactly which product is affected and the contents of the product being complained about.

Please fill out the contact form as completely as possible and select the "Complaint" field.