The main location of the Hengstenberg company in Esslingen.
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About us: Who we are

How Hengstenberg brings German cooking to international tables 

Our products are on many shoppers' lists - perhaps yours too: sauerkraut, red cabbage, vinegar, gherkins and many other delicious specialities. Since 1876, the name Hengstenberg stands for fine flavours, genuine taste and highest quality. That's why we are known and loved - and maybe even a little famous. Not only in our home country of Germany. 
By now we export to more than 30 countries all over the world - within Europe, to Africa, America, Asia and Australia. 
No matter how well you already know us, you will be interested in our clear attitude: As a food manufacturer, we select few but excellent raw materials and ingredients and refine them into the best products. That’s the mission behind the Hengstenberg brand: the best from the best. 
Finest German food. Since 1876.

Hengstenberg creates a new home cuisine

Nothing but the best products deserve the name Hengstenberg. And only these find their way into the kitchens and onto the tables - whether for a meal with your friends, your family or all by yourself. Our name is associated with coming together and enjoyment. After all, where people like to eat, they also like to be. People especially like to be and eat in their homeland and for us Hengstenberg represents this homeland - a piece of German cuisine that we send to your home. 

A plate with deer steaks and red cabbage.
A plate with courgette salad and falafel balls.
A employee smiling to the camera.
It's tradition and regionality as much as openness to new ideas. That is what we at Hengstenberg call New Home Cuisine.

Sabrina Lappe-SteinerHead of Marketing

It's tradition and regionality as much as openness to new ideas. That is what we at Hengstenberg call New Home Cuisine.

Sabrina Lappe-SteinerHead of Marketing

With our products, we like to be a part of your kitchen. It makes us proud that so many customers have been reaching for Hengstenberg consistently for many generations, placing their trust in us to create delicious food for them to enjoy. We think of you, whether you reach for our products regularly or just once a year.

Hengstenberg is tradition and innovation

A cucumber flyer on a cucumber field.

We stand behind our name - in every way and from generation to generation: as a producer of excellent food from regional production, as a mid-sized family-owned company, as an employer of over 500 employees. But don't worry: we don't hide behind the name Hengstenberg. 
Tradition is very important to us, and at the same time we are curious - just like our customers, who are constantly looking for new flavour experiences. That's why we continue to develop our products innovatively, because only those who find the best can make the best of it.

A cucumber flyer on a cucumber field.
A patent certificate for vinegar.

Hengstenberg is quality and partnership

A employee proofing a bottle of vinegar.

In everything we do, we pay attention to quality and a cooperative partnership. The reasons for this are obvious: eating and drinking are basic needs. For this reason, we pay very close attention to the highest quality - from sustainable cultivation of raw materials to the gentle processing of our natural products. With an eye for the big picture, we adapt every single production step to the requirements of the times. Innovative strength is one of our keys to success. What makes us strong: passionate employees with great know-how, a respectful corporate culture and contract farmers with whom we have been working in close partnership for many years. This unique combination results in the consistently high quality of Hengstenberg products. You can be sure of that! 

 
A field of cabbage.

How we think and act sustainably at Hengstenberg

Learn more

How we think and act sustainably at Hengstenberg

Learn more
A field of red cabbage ist getting harvested by hand.

Sauerkraut production - From the field to the jar

Learn more

Sauerkraut production - From the field to the jar

Learn more
 

Hengstenberg is a sense of home

Around 145 years ago - in 1876 - Richard Alfried Hengstenberg founded the Hengstenberg company in the southern German town of Esslingen am Neckar. Since then, the name Hengstenberg has stood for fine flavours, genuine taste, and highest quality.
From the beginnings and the founding years, through the path of becoming a successful producer of branded goods, to the modern days with a clear commitment to our roots - learn more about our company history here. 

A postcard with a gherkin and the city of Esslingen a.N.
The city of Esslingen from the view of the vineyards.

One thing that guided us since 1876 is our connection to our homeland. We have remained committed to this since the company was founded. Hengstenberg's head office is still located in Esslingen - from the day the company was founded until today. From our HQ you have a panoramic view over vineyards, the grapes used by Richard Alfried Hengstenberg to create the basis for our vinegars. Today, of course, we operate at several locations in Germany. But you can still see and feel our roots when you visit us in Esslingen.

Our history

Hengstenberg is sustainability

We focus on sustainable production "Made in Germany". Because even though we export all over the world today: Germany is and remains our home. We remain true to that, and nothing will change in that respect. The best examples of sustainable contract farming and production in Germany are our sauerkraut and red cabbage from Mildessa. We do this because, as a family business, we feel a special obligation to the people here. Moreover, we know that this is how the best products are made. You can taste the result. More about sustainability and the cultivation & production of our products:

Gherkin production: From the field to the jar

Gherkin production: From the field to the jar

Insights into our vinegar production

Insights into our vinegar production

Red cabbage production: From the field to your plate

Red cabbage production: From the field to your plate

 

Hengstenberg is teamwork

Hengstenberg is a family business. And our employees are of course also part of the Hengstenberg family. This is our basic attitude, with which we want to create an optimal working environment for each family member, where everyone feels comfortable together. For us, secure jobs and full opportunities for personal development are a big part of it.

By working together - as a team - we make the best of the best for you every day. With a lot of love, commitment, and dedication, we make sure that your trust in our products remains strong - and that you can enjoy them with the same passion as we do.

Employees sorting gherkins.
Two employees in the labour.

Hengstenberg is product variety and enjoyment

Sauerkraut and red cabbage, gherkins and vinegar, fine pickled veggies and delicacies: it is not one product that characterises us, but the variety of our range from sustainable farming. 
Together, they form our unique assortment, which makes Hengstenberg so special when it comes to real taste - and we are happy to pass this enjoyment on to you! 

Sauerkraut & Red Cabbage

Sauerkraut and red cabbage

Vinegar

Vinegar

Gherkins

Pickled gherkins

Fine vegetables and delicacies

Fine vegetables and delicacies

The hengstenberg brothers.

Hengstenberg is family-owned

When Richard Alfried Hengstenberg founded our company in 1876, he could not have foreseen the path Hengstenberg would take. Since many years, we have been a mid-sized company and export our products to many countries around the world. We have grown steadily, expanding, and adapting the product range again and again. And, typical for a company from the southwest of Germany, the so-called “Schwabenländle”: We have done this with care and consideration - as a family business. This is what we have remained over all those years. Hengstenberg is 100 % family-owned. Steffen Hengstenberg (on the left in the photo) and other members of the family are on the company's board of directors. And that' s how it should continue in the future so that we can make the best of the best for you, your friends and family. As we have done throughout the years since 1876.

 

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