What Bahlsen does

Bahlsen is a German family-owned bakery company that manufactures and sells sweet baked goods — cookies (Kekse), waffles (Waffeletten), biscuit mixtures, and cakes — under its own Bahlsen brand and the Leibniz and PickUp sub-brands. Founded in 1889 and headquartered in Barsinghausen, Germany, the company is structured as a private GmbH & Co. KG and employs 1,001–5,000 people. Its product portfolio includes filled cookies (Hazelnutcream & Choc, OhneGleichen, Chokini), chocolate-dipped waffles, the ABC Russisch Brot letter cookie line, seasonal items such as Messino for summer, and biscuit mixes. Distribution is concentrated in German retail stores, with three dedicated consumer brand portals (bahlsen.com, leibniz.com, pickup.de) supporting brand engagement alongside Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn channels.

The company operates within a category where Germany leads Western Europe in cookies consumption, holding an estimated 18.3% share of the European cookies market and per-capita annual consumption of 7.3 kg — the highest in the region. Bahlsen monetizes primarily through retail-channel branded sales to mass-market German consumers seeking convenient, everyday sweet snacks. Brand heritage of more than 130 years, particularly the Leibniz sub-brand, anchors the company's pricing and shelf positioning. Sustainability positioning ("FÜR MORGEN KÖNNEN WIR ALLE ETWAS TUN") and an active career portal ("gestalte deine Zukunft") reflect ongoing public-facing ESG and employer-brand efforts, though the input discloses no quantitative revenue, no geographic expansion, no M&A, and no leadership changes.

Business model mechanics are characteristic of a traditional branded CPG: third-party retail distribution in Germany, marketing-led consumer engagement, and portfolio management across multiple sub-brands and SKUs. There is no disclosed direct-to-consumer e-commerce, subscription pricing model, B2B channel, or international geographic footprint in the input — revenue concentration therefore sits in a single national retail channel with a fragmented end-consumer base.

Name

Bahlsen

Legal name

Bahlsen GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://bahlsen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Bahlsen is a German family-owned bakery company, founded in 1889, that manufactures and sells cookies, waffles, and cakes under the Bahlsen, Leibniz, and PickUp brands through retail distribution across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Bakery Products

NAICS

Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181)

SIC

Cookies & Crackers (2052), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Cookie & Brownie Shops (THAFAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pastry, Cakes & Desserts Wholesale (AFAIAFAB), DTC Bakery & Desserts Delivery (AFAIANAF)

Keywords

• Biscuit manufacturing
• Cookie production
• Waffle products
• Packaged bakery goods
• Confectionery snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

Barsinghausen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bakery Products Sales: Bahlsen generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of cookies, waffles, and cakes. The company sells branded products through retail distribution channels in Germany, operating under multiple brand names including Bahlsen, Leibniz, and PickUp.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bahlsen manufactures and sells cookies, waffles, biscuit mixtures, and cakes under its own name and sub-brands Leibniz and PickUp. The company produces chocolate-covered and cream-filled baked goods such as Hazelnutcream & Choc, OhneGleichen, Chokini, Waffeletten, ABC Russisch Brot, and Messino, distributing them through retail stores across Germany.

Product overview

Bahlsen is a German bakery company founded in 1889, producing a portfolio of cookies (Kekse), waffles (Waffeln), biscuit mixtures (Keksmischungen), cakes (Kuchen), and seasonal products. The core product line includes chocolate-covered and cream-filled cookies and waffles such as Hazelnutcream & Choc, OhneGleichen, Chokini, Waffeletten, ABC Russisch Brot, and Messino. The company also manages the Leibniz (www.leibniz.com) and PickUp (pickup.de) sub-brands. Products are distributed in Germany through retail channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leibniz: Brand website www.leibniz.com - separate branded product line operated by Bahlsen.
• PickUp

Products and services

• Hazelnutcream & Choc

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lotus Bakeries: Belgian family-controlled cookie/biscuit company best known for Biscoff caramelized biscuits — directly comparable in size, European footprint, and premium-biscuit positioning to Bahlsen.
• Walkers Shortbread: Scottish family-owned shortbread and biscuit specialist; analogous heritage brand with similar premium positioning and European distribution in the same sweet-biscuit aisle as Bahlsen.
• Pladis (McVitie's, Carr's): UK-headquartered biscuit maker behind McVitie's and Carr's; competes with Bahlsen in premium sweet biscuits across European markets and operates at comparable mid-cap scale.
• Continental Bakeries: Dutch private-label and branded biscuit manufacturer; directly comparable business model producing cookies and waffles for European retailers, often supplying the very discounters that compete with Bahlsen.
• Griesson - de Beukelaer: German family-owned cookie and waffle manufacturer producing private-label and branded biscuits; competes head-to-head with Bahlsen in the German retail channel at comparable scale.

Broad incumbents

• Mondelez International: Global snacks giant with major biscuit brands (Oreo, Belvita, Cadbury biscuits). Operates at much larger scale but competes directly with Bahlsen in European cookie aisles.
• Ferrero Group: Italian family-controlled global confectionery group whose wafer and chocolate biscuit products (e.g., Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, Mon Chéri) compete with Bahlsen in the chocolate-biscuit and wafer segments across European grocery.
• Nestlé (Biscuits division): Sells global biscuit brands (e.g., KitKat, Smarties, Oreo in select markets) and competes with Bahlsen in chocolate-covered biscuits and wafer formats across European retail.

Regional players

• Parle Products: India's largest biscuit maker with iconic brands (Parle-G); comparable in scale and category focus to Bahlsen, but operates in a different geographic market with distinct retail dynamics.
• Arnott's Biscuits: Australia/New Zealand biscuit leader (now part of KKR portfolio); comparable mid-cap branded biscuit business, but geographically distinct from Bahlsen's German/European core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Bahlsen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bahlsen
• Instagraminstagram.com/bahlsen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bahlsen