Know How International

What Know How International does

Know How International GmbH & Co. KG is a German B2B supplier of custom-manufactured promotional articles and packaging, headquartered in Hirschau, Bavaria. Founded in 1998 by Peter Baumann, Markus Bothner, and Roy Nanka, the company specializes in job-order production across a broad material portfolio — tin cans, folding cartons, plastic, nylon/polyester, felt, porcelain/ceramics, cosmetics accessories, plush toys, metal/sheet metal, folding bags, and sustainable articles made from wood and recycled inputs. Production is executed through a network of audited manufacturers in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, with the company coordinating sourcing, customization, EU regulatory compliance (LFGB, QM), quality testing via third-party labs (LGA, SGS, Intertec, Hanse Control), freight, warehousing, and last-mile delivery — including CO2-neutral options through ClimatePartner.

The company serves enterprise customers in the food, beverage, and consumer goods industries, with named accounts including spirits brand Hearts 5, whisky producer GlenGrant, and Bosch (custom coffee tins). Pricing is quote-based per project, with minimum order quantities of 3,000–5,000 units and multi-year B2B contracts. The go-to-market model is sales-led direct consultation, supported by a marketing website, organic social presence on Facebook and Instagram, a corporate blog, and an Amazon Germany storefront for selected products. Group operating entities include Know How International Austria GmbH (Eisenstadt, operational since 2007 and formally consolidated into the group in 2020) and TCT-Marketing GmbH (Mannersdorf, Austria; acquired 1 January 2020). The company holds ISO 9001, Ecocert Greenlife, and ClimatePartner certifications and is a member of the PSI Network and VFI Deutschland.

Ownership and operations remain closely held by founding family members and senior management (Peter Baumann, Moritz Thamm, Michael Baumann as managing directors), with no external institutional investors or public listing. Headcount totals approximately 30–32 people across Hirschau (HQ), Losheim am See (key account management), Flieden/Fulda, and Eisenstadt, with additional support staff embedded in Asian production hubs. The business has accumulated more than 13,000 customized article executions since founding and operates with a non-stock, made-to-order production model.

Name

Know How International

Legal name

Know How International GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://know-how-international.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Know How International is a German B2B manufacturer and importer of custom promotional articles and packaging (tin cans, plastic, nylon, felt, porcelain, plush, sustainable materials), serving enterprise food, beverage, and consumer goods customers across DACH and beyond through audited Asian production partners and direct sales consultation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hirschau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Manufacturing & Import: The company generates revenue through custom manufacturing and import of promotional articles and packaging. Products are produced to customer specifications in terms of color, form, and material. The company works with selected audited and certified manufacturers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Know How International is a B2B custom manufacturer and importer of individualized promotional articles and packaging, producing tin cans, folding cartons, plastic, nylon/polyester, felt, porcelain/ceramic, cosmetics accessories, plush toys and metal items to customer specifications. The company manages the entire process from product idea and sourcing through audited Asian production, EU compliance testing (LFGB, QM), in-house quality control and logistics to European delivery, with no stock inventory and minimum order quantities from 3,000–5,000 units.

Product overview

Know How International is a B2B supplier and manufacturer of individualized promotional articles and packaging solutions. The company operates as a job-order production manufacturer offering a diverse portfolio organized by material categories: metal cans (BLECHDOSEN), folding cartons (FALTSCHACHTELN), sustainable products (NACHHALTIGE ARTIKEL), plastic products (KUNSTSTOFF), metal & sheet metal articles (METALL & BLECH), plush toys (PLÜSCH), nylon & polyester, felt (FILZ), cosmetics accessories (KOSMETIK), porcelain & ceramics (PORZELLAN & KERAMIK), and folding bags (FALTTASCHEN). These products are complemented by packaging finishing services (Verpackungsveredelung) and procurement optimization services (Einkaufsoptimierer). The company does not maintain stock inventory and produces exclusively to customer specifications, with minimum order quantities typically starting at 3,000-5,000 units. Know How International also offers an Austrian subsidiary, Know How International Austria GmbH, expanding their service coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BLECHDOSEN (Tin Cans / Metal Tins) Custom metal tin cans produced in various shapes and sizes for packaging, promotion and collector purposes, primarily used by food, beverage and consumer goods brands for branded packaging and POS promotions.
• FALTSCHACHTELN (Folding Cartons) Custom folding cartons manufactured to customer specifications for packaging a range of products across industries.
• NACHHALTIGE ARTIKEL (Sustainable Products) Sustainable promotional products manufactured from wood, recycled materials, RPET and bamboo — including coffee cups, RPET bags and bamboo items — for brands seeking eco-friendly promotional merchandise.
• KUNSTSTOFF (Custom Plastic Products) Custom injection-molded plastic products — including coffee cups, bottle openers, bathroom ducks, medication dispensers and ballpoint pens — produced to customer specification.
• METALL & BLECH (Metal & Sheet Metal Articles) Custom metal articles including flasks, pins, shopping cart chips, pepper mills, keychains, carabiners and metal mugs, frequently featuring laser engraving and bespoke finishes.
• PLÜSCH (Plush Toys / Stuffed Animals) Custom-made plush toys and stuffed animals produced to customer specifications, CE compliant, manufactured in quantities starting from 3,000 units.
• NYLON & POLYESTER (Custom Bags and Backpacks) Custom nylon and polyester promotional products including bags, backpacks and other branded items made to customer specifications.
• FILZ (Felt Products) Custom felt products for various promotional and packaging applications.
• KOSMETIK (Cosmetics Accessories) Custom cosmetics accessories — including brushes, beauty blenders, sponges, cosmetic bags and cosmetic containers — produced to customer specifications.
• PORZELLAN & KERAMIK (Porcelain & Ceramics) Custom porcelain and ceramic products for packaging and promotional purposes.
• FALTTASCHEN (Folding Bags) Custom folding bags produced to customer specifications for promotional and packaging use.
• Einkaufsoptimierer (Procurement Optimization Service) Procurement optimization service that helps customers achieve the best purchase prices for promotional articles including cans, ribbons, porcelain, bags, organza and felt products.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 13,000 customized articles realized

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ClimatePartnercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnow How International partners with ClimatePartner to compensate unavoidable CO2 emissions through support of climate protection projects, including reforestation in Germany and ocean plastic reduction initiatives.
• PSI NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotional articles industry association providing networking and industry representation.
• VFI DeutschlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman Importer Association providing industry representation and networking.
• IU (Internationale Mediengruppe)minorOthersPartnership/cooperation noted on website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sonoco Products: Global diversified packaging manufacturer with paperboard, rigid plastic, and metal packaging divisions. Comparable in custom folding cartons and packaging-finishing services but operates across many end-markets at industrial scale.
• Crown Holdings: Global metal packaging giant and one of the world's largest tin can manufacturers. Overlaps directly with KHI's BLECHDOSEN/tin-can packaging business but at vastly greater scale and with a mass-market focus rather than custom promotional niche.
• 4imprint: US-headquartered but UK-listed promotional products company with pan-North-American and UK presence. Operates a much larger direct-to-customer promotional-product distribution model that competes for the same enterprise buyer wallet share.
• HALO: One of the largest US promotional products distributors with integrated sourcing, decoration, and fulfillment. Comparable category overlap but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth than KHI.
• Boundless Network: US-based promotional products and branded merchandise platform serving enterprise buyers. Comparable category and customer overlap, with a heavier digital/e-commerce orientation and broader scale.
• Ardagh Group: Ireland-headquartered global metal and glass packaging supplier with deep food and beverage customer overlap. Comparable in custom and specialty metal packaging capability but operates at industrial scale across multiple continents.
• Geiger International: US-based family-owned promotional products distributor with global sourcing and enterprise account focus. Comparable customer profile and category, but larger scale and broader geographic footprint than KHI.

Direct peers

• PF Concept: Pan-European leader in custom promotional products and corporate gifts, with a sourcing network across Asia. Directly comparable B2B model, multi-category product portfolio, and similar mid-market enterprise customer base in Europe.
• Brand Addition: UK-headquartered custom promotional products and branded merchandise provider with strong European presence. Comparable B2B sales-led model serving enterprise FMCG and consumer-goods customers with custom sourcing and finishing.
• Giving International: Netherlands-based promotional products company with European-wide distribution and global sourcing. Closely comparable in business model (custom B2B promotional merchandise, multi-material sourcing, sustainability credentials) and target market overlap.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/knowhowint
• Instagraminstagram.com/knowhowint/?hl=de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/know-how-international-gmbh-co-kg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Know How International