Hachez
German premium chocolate brand founded in Bremen in 1890.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Hachez is a German premium chocolate brand with origins in Bremen, where Joseph Emile Hachez and Gustav Linde established the company in 1890. The business developed from a regional chocolate manufacturer into a recognized German confectionery name, associated particularly with dark chocolate, pralines, finely finished bars, and the Braune Blätter product introduced in 1923. The Feodora chocolate and praline brand became part of the company in 1953, expanding the portfolio beyond the Hachez name. The company’s history reflects several changes in ownership and operating structure. After the Second World War, the Bremen factory required extensive reconstruction. Financing for the rebuilding was supported by the sale of half of the business to Zertus, then operating under the name Zuckerraffinerie Tangermünde. Zertus eventually acquired the remaining family interest in 1987. In 2000, Hasso Nauck and Wolf Kropp-Büttner regained control through a management buyout. Their ownership period ended in 2012, when the Danish confectionery group Toms acquired the company. Following the Toms acquisition, Hachez underwent substantial restructuring. The business was reported to be unprofitable after the takeover, and jobs at the Bremen site were cut in 2014. Packaging operations were moved to Poland later that year, while production initially continued in Bremen. Toms announced in 2018 that the Bremen factory would be given up at the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020. Since 2020, Hachez products have been manufactured in Nowa Sól, Poland. The change ended the brand’s long-standing physical production presence in Bremen, although Bremen remained important for administration, distribution, brand history, and the successor organization. Since 2019, the brand has been distributed by Hanseatisches Chocoladen Kontor GmbH & Co. KG, a Bremen-based successor to the former Hachez company. From the beginning of 2024, distribution and marketing were also handled with the involvement of an external company. Hachez additionally operated a permanent chocolate exhibition in Hamburg under the Chocoversum name from 2011 to 2021; the museum continued independently after Hachez ended its involvement. A remaining Bremen factory outlet closed at the end of 2024, partly because improved Polish production equipment reduced the quantity of broken chocolate available for sale. Hachez positions itself around traditional German chocolate-making, premium presentation, and refined cocoa flavor. Its production description emphasizes cocoa sourced mainly from South America, roasting in traditional drum equipment, fine grinding and rolling, and extended conching of up to 72 hours. The brand’s current identity is therefore less that of an independent Bremen factory than of a heritage chocolate label operated within the Toms Group and distributed through Hanseatisches Chocoladen Kontor.
History
Hachez was established in Bremen in 1890 by Joseph Emile Hachez and Gustav Linde. The Hachez family traced its ancestry to Joseph Johan Hachez, who had emigrated from Bruges to Bremen in the eighteenth century. In 1894, the company moved from Bremen’s old town to Weserstrasse in the Neustadt district, a site that remained associated with the business for more than a century. Otto Friedrich Hasse became a shareholder in 1910. In 1923, he developed the thin chocolate product Braune Blätter, or “brown leaves,” named for its leaf-like form. The product became one of the company’s best-known offerings. Following Joseph Emile Hachez’s death in 1933, Hasse became the sole shareholder. The Second World War left the factory almost entirely destroyed. Reconstruction began after the war, with financial support generated by selling a 50 percent interest to Zertus, then known as Zuckerraffinerie Tangermünde. The partnership enabled chocolate production to resume in Bremen. The Feodora brand of chocolate and pralines also became part of the Hachez business in 1953. Zertus acquired the remaining family stake in 1987. In 1990, Hasso Nauck, a grandson of Otto Friedrich Hasse, joined the company as managing director with Wolf Kropp-Büttner. Nauck had previously worked in marketing for Milka at Jacobs Suchard. In 2000, Nauck and Kropp-Büttner completed a management buyout, holding 60 and 40 percent of the shares respectively. The management-owned period ended in 2012, when the Danish Toms Group purchased Hachez. Nauck and Kropp-Büttner initially continued as managing directors, but Nauck left the position in January 2013 and Kropp-Büttner in September of that year. Both remained available in advisory roles until the end of 2014. Hachez encountered profitability and restructuring pressures after the acquisition. In December 2014, the company decided to reduce employment at the Bremen site. It also redesigned its packaging and shifted packaging work to Poland, while production remained in Bremen for several more years. By the middle of 2015, the German operation employed approximately 360 people, although the figure represents the broader German operation at that time and should not be treated as a current workforce measure. In February 2018, Toms announced that the Bremen factory would be abandoned at the end of 2019 or the beginning of 2020. Manufacturing moved to Nowa Sól, Poland, from 2020 onward, and managing director Christian Strasoldo resigned in connection with the closure. Bremen authorities secured a pre-emption right over the former site in 2019, and the property was later sold to Überseeinsel GmbH in August 2024. The Hachez brand continued after the factory closure. Since 2019, distribution has been associated with Hanseatisches Chocoladen Kontor GmbH & Co. KG in Bremen, the successor organization to Hachez. From early 2024, an external company also handled distribution and marketing activities. Hachez operated the Chocoversum chocolate exhibition in Hamburg from 2011 until 2021; the museum subsequently operated independently. The brand’s last remaining factory outlet in Bremen closed at the end of 2024. Hachez’s manufacturing method emphasizes cocoa mainly sourced from South America, roasting in traditional drum equipment, fine grinding and rolling, and conching for as long as 72 hours. The complete process is described as taking more than 100 hours. These methods support the brand’s premium and traditional positioning, even though manufacturing is no longer located in its historic Bremen factory.
- 2024
Former Bremen site sold
[1]The historic factory property is sold to Überseeinsel GmbH.
- 2024
Factory outlet closes
[1]The remaining outlet for broken chocolate closes at the end of the year.
- 2021
Hachez leaves Chocoversum
[1]Chocoversum continues as an independent chocolate museum after Hachez ends its involvement.
- 2020
Production moves to Poland
[1]Manufacturing begins in Nowa Sól, Poland, following the withdrawal from the historic Bremen factory.
- 2019
Distribution transferred to Hanseatisches Chocoladen Kontor
[1]The Hachez brand becomes distributed by Hanseatisches Chocoladen Kontor in Bremen.
- 2014
Restructuring and packaging relocation
[1]Hachez cuts jobs at Bremen, revises its packaging, and relocates packaging activities to Poland.
- 2012
Acquisition by Toms Group
[1]Toms Group acquires Hachez from its management owners.
- 2011
Chocoversum exhibition opens
[1]Hachez begins operating a permanent chocolate exhibition in Hamburg under the Chocoversum name.
- 2000
Management buyout
[1]Hasso Nauck and Wolf Kropp-Büttner acquire Hachez through a management buyout, holding 60 and 40 percent respectively.
- 1987
Zertus acquires the remaining family interest
[1]Hasso Nauck sells the remaining 50 percent family stake to Zertus.
Products and positioning
Premium chocolate with German heritage, traditional processing, refined cocoa flavor, and gift-oriented presentation.
Chocolate confectionery · 1923
Braune Blätter
Braune Blätter is a thin chocolate product introduced in 1923 by Otto Friedrich Hasse. Its name refers to the leaf-like shape of the pieces. It became one of Hachez’s most recognizable products and represents the brand’s connection to historic Bremen manufacturing and distinctive product design.
Chocolate bars
Hachez dark chocolate
Hachez’s dark chocolate range supports the brand’s premium positioning through an emphasis on cocoa flavor, fine texture, and extended processing. Public reference material identifies dark chocolate as a characteristic part of the portfolio, but does not provide a complete current product list or formulation details.
Pralines and filled chocolates
Hachez pralines
Pralines and filled chocolates form part of Hachez’s traditional premium assortment, generally serving both everyday gifting and seasonal confectionery occasions. Specific current varieties and launch dates are not established in the available reference material.
Chocolate and pralines · 1953
Feodora
Feodora is a chocolate and praline brand that became part of the Hachez business in 1953. Its inclusion broadened the company’s brand portfolio and connected Hachez with a second established German confectionery identity. The available sources do not specify the full current range or the precise ownership structure of the brand today.
Brand decisions
2018
Close the Bremen factory and relocate productionStrategyBackground
Toms announced that it would give up Hachez’s historic Bremen factory after the business had undergone restructuring.
Action taken
The Bremen production site was closed around the turn of 2019 and 2020, and manufacturing was transferred to Nowa Sól in Poland from 2020.
Aftermath
Hachez lost its historic Bremen manufacturing base, while Bremen continued to have a role through distribution and brand administration. Managing director Christian Strasoldo resigned in connection with the closure.
2014
Restructure Bremen operations and refresh packagingStrategyBackground
Hachez was reported to be unprofitable after the Toms Group takeover and faced pressure to improve its operating position and consumer appeal.
Action taken
The company cut jobs at the Bremen location, redesigned packaging, and moved packaging activities to Poland while retaining production in Bremen temporarily.
Aftermath
The changes preceded the later withdrawal from Bremen manufacturing and the eventual transfer of production to Poland.
Sources2 sources
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