Carl Kühne KG is a German food manufacturer which mainly produces

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

s and

delicacies A delicacy is a rare food item that is considered highly desirable, sophisticated, or peculiarly distinctive within a given culture or region. A delicacy may have an unusual flavor or be expensive compared to everyday foods. Delicacies va ...

. As one of the largest vinegar, pickled gherkin and

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...

producers in Europe, the family-owned business sells its products in over 50 countries. Kühne produces a range of

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

salad dressing A salad dressing is a sauce for salads, used on virtually all leafy salads. Dressings may also be used in preparing salads of beans (e.g., three bean salad), noodle or pasta salads and antipasti, and forms of potato salad. A dressing may even ...

s, pickled foods and sauces. In addition to its products for the end consumer, Kühne also supplies the gastronomy and food industries. Two-thirds of their sales are generated in Germany and one third abroad. Its products are distributed to the

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

and food sectors in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

Company data

Carl Kühne KG was founded in 1722. Its headquarters are located in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and employs 150 employees. The business's management is made up of Kai Bendix (Chairman), Christian Strey (Finance, Controlling, IT) and Heiner Opdenfeld (Supply Chain). Carl Kühne KG has production plants in various locations around Germany, including

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is a town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has a footprint o ...

Hagenow Hagenow () is a German town in the southwest of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, 30 kilometers south of Schwerin. Its population is approximately 11,300 inhabitants (2013). Hagenow is part of the Hamburg Met ...

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a town#Germany, city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding Schweinfurt (district), district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultur ...

Hamm Hamm may refer to: Places ;Germany: * Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia, a city north-east of Dortmund * Hamm (Sieg), a municipality in the eponymous ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the district of Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate * Hamm, Bitburg-Prüm, part ...

and

Straelen Straelen (; Low Rhenish: ''Strale'') is a municipality in the district of Cleves, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the border with the Netherlands, approx. 10 km north-east of Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in th ...

. Outside Germany is produced in France (

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

) and Turkey (

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

Brands

In addition to the Kühne brand, the group also includes the following brands: * Bornier (France) * Gundelsheim (Export) * Kauffmann * Luycks (Benelux) * TONOLI delicatessen (under the company name „Gritto-Werke, 19230 Hagenow“) * Uyttewaal (Benelux) * Téméraire (France)

History

* 1722: Johann Daniel Epinius founds a

brewery in

. * 1761: Epinius's widow sells the company to the Kühne family, namely Friedrich Wilhelm Kühne. * 1795: Construction ends on a larger vinegar factory in Alte Jacobstraße,

Berlin-Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990, it has ...

, which houses production for the next 40 years. * 1832: Carl Ernst Wilhelm Kühne takes over the business and is the first person to introduce Schützenbach's quick-vinegar manufacturing process. The company took on its present name. * 1835: Kühne builds a new, much larger factory in Neue Grünstraße, Berlin. * 1867: Carl Kühne takes over the company. * 1876: Kaiser Wilhelm 1st appoints Kühne as purveyor to the court. * 1888: Wilhelm Kühne succeeds his father. New factories are built in

and on the coast near the fish processing industry. * 1896: Kühne decides to include

in the production program. In Berlin, a new production facility is put into operation on Belle-Alliance-Straße (today

Mehringdamm The Mehringdamm is a street in southern Kreuzberg, Berlin. In the north it starts at Mehringbrücke and ends - with its southernmost houses already belonging to Tempelhof locality - on Platz der Luftbrücke. It is the historical southbound Berl ...

). * 1902: Kühne introduces

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...

into the German market as a finished product, according to the English model. * 1903: The production of

gherkins A pickled cucumber – commonly known as a pickle in the United States, Canada and Australia and a gherkin ( ) in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand – is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, v ...

begins. * 1905: Kühne includes

sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , ) is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugar ...

in his production program. Under the "Surol" brand, Kühne sells vinegar in bottles, creating one of the first branded products in Germany. * 1939: The company now has 20 branches, mainly in the north, west and east of Germany. * 1945: After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, almost all their companies were badly damaged or destroyed. The branch in Hamburg became the new headquarters of the company. Production began again. * 1949: Kühne sets up new businesses throughout Germany. * 1949 The old Berlin companies are replaced by a new facility in

Reinickendorf Reinickendorf () is the twelfth borough of Berlin. It encompasses the northwest of the city area, including the Berlin Tegel Airport, Lake Tegel, spacious settlements of detached houses as well as housing estates like Märkisches Viertel. Subd ...

. Here, the company produces vinegar and mustard, and later ketchup and barbecue sauces. * 1949: Kühne sets up a business in Straelen-Herongen. * 1957: Kühne is the first manufacturer to introduce a ready-to-serve pickled

red cabbage The red cabbage (purple-leaved varieties of ''Brassica oleracea'' Capitata Cultivar group, Group) is a kind of cabbage, also known as Blaukraut after preparation. Its leaves are coloured dark red/purple. However, the plant changes its co ...

, one of the first

convenience food Convenience food (also called tertiary processed food) is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) for ease of consumption, and is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily portable, have ...

s to enter the German market. * 1995: The vinegar factory at the Hamburg plant burns down completely. One year later, Kühne starts building a new vinegar factory in

(

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

). * 2008: Kühne opens a warehouse in Straelen-Herongen. * 2015: Launch of sub-brand ENJOY. Product launch of ENJOY salad dressings and

vegetable chip Vegetable chips (also referred to as veggie chips) are chips (crisps) that are prepared using vegetables other than potatoes. Vegetable chips may be fried, deep-fried, dehydrated, dried, or baked. Many different root vegetables or leaf vegetabl ...

s. * 2016: Launch of the sub-brand MADE FOR MEAT.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carl Kuhne KG Food and drink companies of Germany Companies established in 1722 Manufacturing companies based in Hamburg