What Capus does

Kappus 1848 GmbH is a German manufacturer of solid hygiene products founded in 1848, headquartered at Heitersheim with a second production site in Kehl. The company operates as a B2B contract manufacturer of soaps, syndets, and combars, running 14 production lines and producing more than 100 million bars per year across its two German sites. Its customer base spans cosmetics brands, hotel and hospitality chains, private-label retailers, and industrial users, served through both contract manufacturing and selected own-brand product lines.

Kappus's core technical capability is in-house soap base manufacturing — a proprietary compounding competency that underpins its private-label formulation work — supported by quality and natural-cosmetics certifications including ISO 22716, NATRUE, and COSMOS. These credentials, combined with 175 years of operating history, position the company as a qualified supplier in tenders where regulatory compliance and provenance matter, particularly in natural and organic personal care. The two-site footprint and 14-line configuration give it scale leverage on a process-manufacturing cost base.

Commercially, the company generates revenue through three streams: contract manufacturing on a quote-based pricing model for private-label and B2B customers, sales of branded products distributed through German retailers such as Edeka, Rossmann, and Müller, and industrial soap base sales. End-market reach extends to 30+ countries. The business is currently owned by private equity firm roell partners GmbH, which acquired the platform in 2023 and renamed it Kappus 1848 GmbH; prior ownership transitions include the 2020 acquisition by Ad_Astra GmbH, the 2021 acquisition of CosSavon (Kehl), and the 2016 acquisition of Hirtler GmbH.

Name

Capus

Legal name

Kappus 1848 GmbH

Website

https://kappus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1848

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kappus 1848 GmbH is a German B2B contract manufacturer of solid hygiene products (soaps, syndets, combars), producing 100+ million bars annually across two sites. It serves private-label cosmetics brands, hospitality chains, and retailers, complemented by selected own-brand lines distributed in 30+ markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Heitersheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

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. Contract Manufacturing / Private Label: B2B contract manufacturing for prestigious branded goods makers, trademarks, industry customers and private labels. Complete full-service offering from development through packaging and logistics.
2. Own Brand Products: Direct sales of proprietary soap brands through retail partners and own e-commerce channels.
3. Industrial Soap Base Sales: Sale of soap base to industrial processors for further manufacturing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KAPPUS is a German soap manufacturer that develops and produces solid hygiene products (bar soaps, syndets, combars) as a B2B contract manufacturer and private-label supplier for cosmetics brands, industrial customers, hotel chains, and retailers worldwide. The company also sells its own branded KAPPUS soap products through retail partners and e-commerce. Operations include in-house soap base production, three R&D laboratories, and 14 production lines.

Product overview

KAPPUS (KAPPUS 1848 GmbH) is Europe's leading producer of bar soaps and solid hygiene products, founded in 1848. The company operates as a B2B contract manufacturer offering development and production of solid hygiene products including traditional soaps, syndets (soap-free cleansing bars), and combars. The product portfolio encompasses multiple product series (aroma, care, med, nature, pure) and various soap types (Doctor's soap, scented soap, curd soap, natural cosmetics, sensitive, vegan). End-use categories include hand and foot care, hair care (shampoo bars, conditioners), facial care, body care, baby and child care, household cleaning, animal care, and hobby products. The company produces both conventional products and certified natural cosmetics (NATRUE, COSMOS compliant). Manufacturing capabilities include 8 high-speed production lines, 4 medium-speed lines, and 2 fully automated syndet lines, with in-house soap base production enabling rapid product development and execution. The company serves cosmetics manufacturers, industrial companies, private label customers, and hotel chains worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KAPPUS Brand Soaps: Company's own branded soap products sold under the KAPPUS name
• KAPPUS Private Label

Products and services

• Contract Manufacturing Services End-to-end B2B contract manufacturing service for solid hygiene products including traditional bar soaps, syndets (soap-free cleansing bars), and combars. Covers recipe formulation, scale-up, raw materials, geometry, packaging, and logistics. Targets cosmetics manufacturers, industrial customers, hotel chains, and natural cosmetics brands.
• Private Label Soap Manufacturing Manufacturing of custom bar soaps, syndets, and combars under retailer or third-party brand names for retail chains and private label customers, including hotel amenities.
• KAPPUS Brand Bar Soaps Proprietary KAPPUS-branded bar soaps organized into five series: aroma (fragrance soaps), care (gentle skin care with shea butter), med (medical-grade including Doctor's Soap with bacteriostatic properties), nature (NATRUE/COSMOS certified natural cosmetics), and pure (sensitive/fragrance-free). Products are vegan, free of microplastics, parabens, and silicones.
• Soap Base (Grundseife) and Syndet Mix In-house produced soap base (Grundseife) and syndet mixes sold to industrial processors for further manufacturing, enabling complete formulation control and faster product development cycles.
• Syndet Products (Soap-Free Cleansing Bars) Syndet (synthetic detergent) cleansing bars produced on two fully automated production lines from compounds and individual components, available as own-brand products or via contract manufacturing.
• Combar Products Combination (combar) soap products that blend traditional soap base with syndet properties, offered as part of the B2B contract manufacturing portfolio and own-brand product range.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ million bars produced annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Vivet Cosmetics NV (Belgium)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorImport agent handling distribution in Belgium. Contact: Steenweg op Waarloos 37, B-2638 Reet (Rumst), Belgium.
• Keton Im- und Export Handels GmbH (Bulgaria)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorImport agent handling distribution in Bulgaria. Contact: Marienfelder Allee 19, 12277 Berlin, Germany.
• Burton SRL (Italy)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorImport agent handling distribution in Italy. Contact: Via Cimarosa 89, I-40033 Casalecchio Di Reno – Bologna, Italy.
• EuroFour B.V. (Netherlands)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorImport agent handling distribution in the Netherlands. Contact: Vijfhagen 387, 4812 XT Breda, Netherlands.
• Dex Plus Sp. Z.o.o. (Poland)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorImport agent handling distribution in Poland. Contact: ul. Żytnia 13 lok. 151, 01-014 Warszawa, Poland.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Unilever (Personal Care Division): Global CPG giant whose Dove bar soap and other personal care bar brands compete directly with KAPPUS at retail. Comparable as a major bar-soap brand owner with overlapping retail customers, but Unilever operates a vastly larger global portfolio.
• Beiersdorf AG: German personal care giant (Nivea, Eucerin) headquartered near Hamburg. Comparable as a German-based personal care manufacturer with strong brand portfolio and skin-care expertise, though Beiersdorf operates at much larger scale and is headquartered in the same German manufacturing ecosystem as KAPPUS.
• Henkel AG & Co. KGaA: German multinational personal care, laundry, and home care company with historic bar soap brands (Fa, Schwarzkopf) and contract manufacturing. KAPPUS is highly comparable as a German soap manufacturer with overlapping B2B and B2C channels, but Henkel is a far larger diversified incumbent with broader portfolio.
• L'Occitane en Provence: International natural cosmetics group with a meaningful bar-soap heritage (Savon de Marseille-style products). Comparable as a brand-led natural cosmetics company with overlapping bar soap portfolio, hotel-channel distribution, and certified natural credentials.

Direct peers

• Ethique: New Zealand-based solid bar personal care brand covering shampoo bars, body bars, and household bars. Comparable as a sustainability-led solid-format personal care company serving overlapping product categories (hair, body, household) with similar plastic-free positioning.
• Bradford Soap Works: US-based private label and contract manufacturer of bar soaps, syndets, and specialty personal care bars. Directly comparable as a multi-line contract soap manufacturer serving private label and brand customers with similar scale and capabilities to KAPPUS.
• Dr. Bronner's: Family-owned US manufacturer of organic bar and liquid soaps with strong D2C and wholesale channels. Directly comparable as a vertically integrated, certified-natural bar-soap brand with private-label-equivalent quality positioning and sustainability-led marketing.
• Weleda AG: Swiss-German natural cosmetics brand and contract manufacturer producing bar soaps and certified NATRUE personal care. Comparable as a DACH-region manufacturer of certified-natural bar soaps with shared customer base in natural cosmetics retail and hotels.

Emerging players

• Dr. Squatch: US D2C men's bar soap brand that has expanded into broader personal care. Comparable as a bar-soap-led brand built on natural ingredients and plastic-free positioning, though operating at smaller scale and through a D2C-led model rather than contract manufacturing.

Regional players

• Savonnerie de la Licorne (La Corvette / Fer à Cheval): French manufacturer of traditional Savon de Marseille and traditional bar soaps based in Marseille. Comparable as a heritage European bar-soap manufacturer focused on traditional and natural solid formats, though primarily serving the French market rather than German channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Capus