Kissing

What Kissing does

Kissing GmbH is a German family-owned manufacturer founded in 1850 in Menden, Sauerland, and now in its fifth generation of family ownership under Managing Director Uta Kissing. The company operates two product lines: Host Baking Equipment (Hostienbackgeräte), including baking machines, dough stirring machines, host cutters (AM-LIN, HBo-83, HAM-2000, AM-H), humidifiers, and a used-machines secondary line; and Religious Devotional Items (Religiöse Devotionalien), comprising crosses, medals, car badges, key chains, rosary elements, and communion/confirmation souvenirs produced in brass, stainless steel, German silver, and noble woods. Production combines traditional craftsmanship with modern precision-manufacturing technology, including fine engraving of cast iron host baking plates (a capability for which founder Heinrich Kissing was honored in Düsseldorf in 1880), proprietary repujading (embossing) of cast corpus figures, a 1000-ton stamping press, high-speed coin press, modern galvanoplasty workshop with wastewater treatment, and laser engraving for rapid stamp and signature production. Sub-brands Kissing Medaillen (sport medals and awards) and Kissing Marken (tokens, coins, identification plates) extend the portfolio into adjacent secular verticals.

The business model is direct-sales-driven, with revenue generated from sale of capital equipment and devotional goods rather than recurring or subscription streams. Pricing is quote-based and non-binding, with no standard retail or list pricing published. Sales are conducted in over 130 countries through a multilingual website (German, English, Spanish, French), downloadable PDF catalogs, and direct phone/email contact, without disclosed third-party distributors or channel partners. The customer base is bifurcated between B2B/B2Vertical buyers (Catholic and Christian churches, parishes, monasteries, convents) purchasing host baking systems for liturgical production, and B2C individual religious customers purchasing devotional items for personal use and life-event gifting (First Communion, Confirmation). Sports and carnival organizations and general organizations requiring tokens or identification plates constitute secondary segments. No revenue, pricing, customer count, or financial performance figures are publicly disclosed, and the company has not raised institutional capital.

Name

Kissing

Legal name

Kissing GmbH

Website

https://kissing-menden.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kissing GmbH is a fifth-generation German family-owned manufacturer, founded 1850 in Menden, producing host baking equipment and Catholic religious devotional items. It sells directly via multilingual website and catalogs to churches, monasteries, and individual religious customers across more than 130 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Manufacturing / Liturgical Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Bread & Rolls Manufacturing (AFAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pastry, Cakes & Tortes Manufacturing (AFAKAAAB)

Keywords

• Host baking equipment
• Religious devotional items
• Communion wafer machines
• Liturgical metalwork
• Religious medals manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Menden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Host Baking Equipment Sales: Manufacture and sale of host baking machines and equipment including baking machines, stirring machines, host cutters, and humidifiers. Products range from simple devices to complex automated baking systems exported to over 130 countries worldwide.
2. Religious Devotional Products: Production and sale of high-quality religious devotional items and faith symbols made from various materials including crosses, medals, sister brooches, rosary elements, car badges, key chains, communion and confirmation crosses. Products made from noble woods, metals including brass, stainless steel, and German silver.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kissing GmbH manufactures and sells two core product lines: (1) host baking equipment, including baking machines, dough stirring machines, host cutters (AM-LIN, HBo-83, HAM-2000, AM-H), and humidifiers for producing communion wafers; and (2) religious devotional items such as crosses, medals, car badges, key chains, rosary elements, and communion/confirmation souvenirs. Production has been continuous since 1850, combining fine engraving, galvanoplasty, stamping, and laser engraving technologies, with exports reaching customers in over 130 countries.

Product overview

Kissing GmbH is a traditional German manufacturing company founded in 1850, specializing in two core product lines: Host Baking Equipment (Hostienbackgeräte) and Religious Devotional Items (Religiöse Devotionalien). The Host Baking Equipment line includes baking machines, stirring machines, host cutters (AM-LIN, HBo-83, HAM-2000, AM-H), humidifiers, and used machines. The Religious Devotional Items line includes crosses, medals, car badges, key chains, and communion/confirmation items. The company exports to over 130 countries worldwide and has been family-operated for five generations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kissing Medaillen: Sport medals, awards and pins
• Kissing Marken

Products and services

• Host Baking Equipment (Hostienbackgeräte) A complete line of equipment for producing communion wafers (hosts), including baking machines (suitable for both open fireplaces and electric operation), stirring machines for host dough, automatic host cutters (AM-LIN, HBo-83, HAM-2000, AM-H), humidifiers for host cakes, and pre-owned used machines. Designed for churches, parishes, and religious institutions that bake communion wafers in-house.
• Religious Devotional Items (Religiöse Devotionalien)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cavanagh's Religious Goods: Irish family-run supplier of hosts (communion wafers), host baking equipment, and church goods. Directly comparable to Kissing in the niche of host baking and Catholic church supply.
• Cathedral Art Metal Co. US manufacturer of religious medals, devotional items, and sacramental gifts. Directly comparable to Kissing in the manufacturing of metal religious medals and devotional products.
• LPi (Liturgical Publications Inc.): US Catholic publisher and supplier of religious and church goods, including devotional items used by parishes. Comparable as a multi-channel supplier to Catholic institutions in North America.
• Christian Art Gifts: US-based designer and distributor of religious gifts, crosses, jewelry, and devotional items. Comparable in religious devotional product category though primarily retail/D2C focused.
• Osborne Coin: US custom manufacturer of coins, medals, tokens, and identification plates. Comparable as a manufacturer of custom struck metal products (tokens, coins, medals) using stamping and engraving processes similar to Kissing's sub-brand Kissing Marken.

Broad incumbents

• Roman Inc. Large US-based religious goods manufacturer and distributor of devotional items including medals, crosses, rosaries, and inspirational gifts. Comparable in product category though much larger and broader in distribution.
• MIWE: German manufacturer of commercial baking equipment including ovens, proofers, and bakery systems. Comparable as a German baking equipment manufacturer, though operating at much larger scale across all bakery segments rather than the host-baking niche.
• König Maschinen: Austrian/German manufacturer of industrial bakery machinery including dough preparation, baking, and finishing equipment. Comparable as a baking equipment manufacturer, but focused on general commercial bakeries rather than religious host baking.
• Middleby Corporation: US-listed global leader in commercial kitchen, food processing, and bakery equipment, parent of multiple baking brands. Comparable as a baking equipment manufacturer at massive scale, but operating across the full food equipment spectrum rather than the religious niche.

Regional players

• Autom Industries (Liturgical Vestments): French manufacturer of liturgical vestments, church furnishings, and religious goods. Comparable as a regional European manufacturer serving the Catholic church market with religious products, though focused on vestments rather than host baking equipment or medals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kissing-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Kissing