Lambertz

What Lambertz does

Lambertz (legal entity Aachener Printen- und Schokoladenfabrik Henry Lambertz GmbH & Co. KG) is a family-owned German confectionery manufacturer founded in 1688 and headquartered in Aachen, with approximately 4,000 employees and nine production facilities in Germany, Poland, and the United States. It operates as the world's largest Christmas cookie supplier under a multi-brand architecture that includes the core Henry Lambertz line plus acquired specialty brands Weiss, Kinkartz, Haeberlein-Metzger, Dr. Quendt, and Wendler, spanning Aachener Printen, Nürnberger Lebkuchen, Dresdner Stollen, cookies, pastries, chocolate, nougat, and the Henry's Snacks range. Three flagship categories — Aachener Printen, Nürnberger Lebkuchen, and Dresdner Stollen — are protected by EU geographical indications, and the entire product line switched to Fairtrade cocoa in 2017.

The company generates revenue through B2B sales to enterprise retailers (Walmart, Sam's Club, Walgreens, and Trader Joe's in the US; EDEKA and other German retailers) and B2C sales via its own e-commerce platform (lambertz-shop.de), factory outlets, and specialty stores. It also operates Lambertz Polonia Sp. z o.o. as a manufacturing and distribution hub for eight Central and Eastern European countries and Henry Lambertz Inc. (New Jersey, established 2007) for the US market. Distribution channels include wholesale, retail, e-commerce, and direct factory outlet sales, supported by major annual marketing vehicles such as ISM and Anuga trade fairs, the celebrity-driven Lambertz Monday Night event, the Lambertz FineArt Calendar, and sponsorships of the amfAR Gala, Cinema for Peace, and the CHIO Aachen Media Night. Disclosed annual revenue is approximately €637M (with prior references of €656M and €666M for FY 2017/2018).

Name

Lambertz

Legal name

Aachener Printen- und Schokoladenfabrik Henry Lambertz GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://lambertz.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lambertz is a family-owned German confectionery manufacturer and the world's largest Christmas cookie supplier, producing Aachener Printen, Lebkuchen, Stollen, and other baked goods across nine factories serving retail, wholesale, e-commerce, and factory outlet channels in Europe and the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Confectionery and Baked Goods

NAICS

Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821), Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing (311813)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Cookies, Biscuits & Crackers (CRADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Pastry, Cakes & Tortes Manufacturing (AFAKAAAB), Premium/Artisanal Bakery Wholesale (AFAIAFAG)

Keywords

• Confectionery manufacturing
• Baked goods production
• Christmas cookies
• Lebkuchen specialties
• Seasonal pastries

Headquarters

HQ city

Aachen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Confectionery and baked goods sales: Revenue from manufacturing and selling cookies, pastries, chocolate, seasonal specialties (Christmas cookies, stollen, lebkuchen), and year-round baked goods through retail, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer channels
2. E-commerce and factory outlet sales: Direct consumer sales through lambertz-shop.de online platform and factory outlet stores

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lambertz manufactures and sells traditional German confectionery and baked goods, including Aachener Printen, Nürnberger Lebkuchen, Dresdner Stollen, cookies, chocolates, and seasonal specialties. Operating 9 factories globally with a multi-brand portfolio (Henry Lambertz, Weiss, Kinkartz, Haeberlein-Metzger, Dr. Quendt), the company produces year-round cookies, seasonal Christmas and Easter baked goods, organic products, and snack lines. All products use Fairtrade cocoa since 2017.

Product overview

Lambertz is a family-owned confectionery group (founded 1688) headquartered in Aachen, Germany, operating as the world's largest Christmas cookie supplier. The company operates under a multi-brand architecture consisting of its core Lambertz/Henry Lambertz brand along with acquired sub-brands: Weiss (Nuremberg/Augsburg Lebkuchen since 1925), Kinkartz (Lebkuchen specialties), Haeberlein-Metzger (Nuremberg traditional Lebkuchen), and Dr. Quendt (Dresden Stollen specialist). With nine production facilities and approximately 4,000 employees, the company generates annual sales of approximately 637-656 million euros. Product portfolio spans seasonal baked goods (Aachener Printen, Nürnberger Lebkuchen, Dresdner Stollen), year-round cookies and pastries, organic products, and the Henry's Snacks line. All Lambertz products switched to Fairtrade cocoa in 2017. The company maintains international operations in Poland and the USA (New Jersey).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Henry Lambertz: Main brand for Aachener Printen and chocolate products
• Weiss
• Kinkartz
• Haeberlein-Metzger
• Dr. Quendt
• Henry's Snacks

Products and services

• Aachener Printen Traditional printed gingerbread-like baked specialty from Aachen protected by EU geographical indication, produced under the Lambertz main brand for consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's largest Christmas cookie supplier
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FairtradecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017All Lambertz products switched to Fairtrade cocoa in 2017, demonstrating commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability in supply chain management
• Ghana and Ivory Coast Cocoa InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the cocoa initiative representing the world's largest cocoa-producing regions, supporting sustainable cocoa sourcing
• World Consumer Goods ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the global industry alliance; Lambertz hosts International Evening at the Global Summit for 18 consecutive years
• FerrerominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetworking relationship at Anuga 2021 with Ferrero Head of Institutional Affairs and Sustainability
• amfAR (Cinema for AIDS Research)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-term sponsor of amfAR Gala in Cannes; Dr. Bühlbecker serves as Vice Chair for years
• Cinema for Peace FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor since first edition of annual gala held during Berlinale International Film Festival
• Ladies in Black AachenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partner of the volleyball Bundesliga team since October 2020, supporting regional sports commitment
• CHIO Aachen (Media Night)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor and initiator of Lambertz Media Night at the international equestrian tournament
• EDEKAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor German retail partner; EDEKA Chairman Markus Mosa delivered laudatory speech at Golden Sugar Loaf award

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bahlsen: German family-owned biscuit and cookie manufacturer (Leibniz, Pick Up, Cha!s), historically the most direct domestic peer to Lambertz in branded packaged cookies, with similar heritage positioning, scale (~€800M+ revenue range), and seasonal/gifting distribution through German and international retail.
• Griesson - de Beukelaer: German manufacturer of cookies, Lebkuchen and confectionery specialties (Tuc, Le Petit Beurrier) serving mass retail across Europe; directly comparable to Lambertz as a similarly sized German baked goods maker with a portfolio of sub-brands and strong seasonal cookie exposure.
• Lebkuchen-Schmidt: Specialist Nuremberg Lebkuchen and Christmas confectionery producer; competes head-to-head with Lambertz sub-brands Haeberlein-Metzger and Weiss in the traditional Lebkuchen category, with similar EU-geographical-indication positioning and direct-to-consumer mail-order channel.
• Coppenrath & Wiese: German premium frozen baked goods manufacturer including Stollen, cakes and pastries; overlaps with Lambertz/Dr. Quendt in frozen and pre-baked Christmas/seasonal segments, and is a comparable family-owned German specialty baker with similar retail distribution patterns.
• Hachez: Bremen-based premium chocolate and confectionery maker with deep German heritage; comparable to Lambertz in premium positioning, gift-channel sales, and specialty-store plus retail distribution across Germany and export markets.
• Rübezahl Schokoladen: Premium German chocolate and baked-goods manufacturer with comparable heritage positioning and specialty retail footprint; competes with Lambertz in premium chocolate and seasonal confectionery SKUs across German-speaking markets.
• Haribo: Iconic German family-owned confectionery producer (gummies, candies) with global distribution and similar premium brand-building via long heritage; directly comparable as a similarly scaled, family-controlled German sweet maker operating internationally across retail and DTC channels.

Broad incumbents

• Ferrero: Global confectionery incumbent with seasonal and premium confectionery franchises (Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, Mon Chéri) overlapping Lambertz's Christmas gifting and boxed assortment categories; relevant as a scale and channel benchmark rather than as a direct niche competitor.
• Mondelez International: Global snacks giant (Oreo, Toblerone, Cadbury) operating across cookies and seasonal confectionery; broad incumbent comparable for category economics, retailer bargaining dynamics, and international scale - not a direct niche peer in German specialty Lebkuchen.

Regional players

• Walkers Shortbread: Premium Scottish shortbread and biscuit maker with comparable heritage positioning, gift-tin merchandising, and traditional-recipe emphasis; overlaps with Lambertz in premium shortbread/butter biscuit SKUs but is UK-regionally anchored rather than a direct Continental European competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lambertz_gruppe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LambertzGruppe
• Facebookfacebook.com/Lambertz.Gruppe
• Instagraminstagram.com/lambertz_gruppe
• Pinterestpinterest.com/lambertzgruppe

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries12 records

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 Lambertz