Ditsch is a German chain of
pretzel
A pretzel (), from German pronunciation, standard german: Breze(l) ( and French / Alsatian: ''Bretzel'') is a type of baked bread made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical ...
bars also selling croissants and pizza snacks. It operates approximately 200 outlets in Germany but over the 2010s, it also traded in the United Kingdom with up to 13 outlets there at its height. Since 2012, Ditsch has been part of the
Valora group.
History
In 1919, master baker Wilhelm Ditsch founded a bakery shop in
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
.
The founder’s son, Heinz Ditsch, also a master baker, took the bakery into its second generation. He perfected his father’s recipe, and soon Ditsch pretzels were famous well beyond the borders of Mainz. In order to meet the growing demand, “Pretzelmen” in white clothing were walking around Mainz and offering fresh pretzels in baskets in the streets and restaurants. In the mid-1970s, Heinz Ditsch specialised in the manufacture of his very successful pretzel pastries.
His son, Peter Ditsch, grew up knowing about his father’s business activities. The qualified businessman took over his parents’ company in the third generation. He realised the trend towards outdoor consumption and fast food.
The administration of this family business, which today has more than 400 employees, is based in Mainz, next to their first production facility. A further production site in Oranienbaum (Sachsen-Anhalt) was built in 1999.
Ditsch now has around 200 outlets in Germany mainly in railway stations, shopping centres and
pedestrian zones
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
.
External links
Official website
References
{{UK Food
Fast-food chains of Germany
Pretzels