Superfest
Superfest was an East German brand of chemically strengthened drinking glasses designed to withstand substantially more breakage and thermal stress than ordinary glassware.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Superfest was a drinking-glass brand developed and manufactured in the German Democratic Republic, better known in its earlier development phase as CV-Glas or Ceverit. Its distinguishing feature was chemically strengthened glass produced through ion exchange: smaller sodium ions in the glass surface were replaced by larger potassium ions, creating compressive stress at the surface and making the finished article unusually resistant to impact and thermal shock. The technology was related to chemical-strengthening methods developed internationally in the twentieth century, but was adapted in East Germany for mass production of reusable commercial drinkware. The project emerged from research into stronger, thinner-walled commercial glassware during the 1970s. A Glass Structure Research Department established in 1973 by the Central Institute for Organic Chemistry investigated ion-exchange treatment as a way to improve the durability and heat resistance of conventional glass. On 8 August 1977, a four-person team led by scientist Dieter Patzig registered an East German patent covering a method and apparatus for strengthening drinking glasses by ion exchange. The development received unusually strong state support: in November 1978, the GDR Council of Ministers classified the project as particularly urgent and secured financing for it. The resulting glass was intended to last at least five times as long as an ordinary drinking glass, while testing reportedly achieved a service life as much as fifteen times longer. Other practical advantages included lower weight, resistance to thermal stress, and the ability to stack many designs efficiently. The product was initially called CEVERIT, a name constructed from elements referring to chemical strengthening and solidification. Production began in spring 1980 at the state-owned Sachsenglas Schwepnitz works, initially concentrating on beer glasses. Following a suggestion from West German sales representative Eberhard Pook, the market name was changed to Superfest. Superfest was treated as a strategically important potential export product. The production system was designed for throughput of up to 48,000 250-millilitre glasses per day and consumed approximately 250 to 350 kilowatt-hours daily. The range expanded beyond beer glasses to include different drinking-glass sizes, shot glasses, vases, ice-cream cups and other shapes. Most sales, however, were to restaurants, cafés, bars and other hospitality establishments inside the GDR. By the end of production, estimates indicate that roughly 110 to 120 million glasses had been made. The intended export opportunity in West Germany and other foreign markets did not develop. Potential commercial buyers regarded extremely durable glassware as a threat to replacement sales. The product therefore remained primarily a domestic East German hospitality-sector item rather than becoming an international tableware brand. The scientists and assistants involved in its development received recognition and a cash award, but, as state employees working in a state-owned industrial system, they did not receive the kind of commercial royalties associated with a privately owned invention. Production ended on 1 July 1990 during the political and economic transition surrounding German reunification. In July 1990, the Schwepnitz works became SAXONIA-Glas GmbH Schwepnitz, which was later liquidated by the Treuhand in 1991. The patent was abandoned by its inventors in April 1992. Superfest is now chiefly remembered as an example of late East German applied industrial research: a technically successful, highly durable consumer product whose commercial model conflicted with the economics of disposable or frequently replaced glassware.
History
Superfest developed from East German research into stronger commercial glassware during the 1970s. The effort sought to improve ordinary thin-walled glasses without simply making them heavier. In 1973, the Central Institute for Organic Chemistry established a Glass Structure Research Department that investigated chemical strengthening through ion exchange. In this process, sodium ions near the glass surface are exchanged for larger potassium ions. The resulting surface compression helps the glass resist impacts, cracks and rapid temperature changes. On 8 August 1977, a four-person research team led by Dieter Patzig registered patent 157966, describing a method and device for strengthening drinking glasses through ion exchange. The work was considered sufficiently important by the GDR government that a Council of Ministers decision in November 1978 guaranteed financing for a project classified as particularly urgent. The development team included scientific assistants whose work included measuring and documenting cracks in experimental pieces; Elfriede Hilma Matzko is identified among those contributors. The first name associated with the product was CEVERIT, derived from terms referring to chemical treatment and solidification. The intended performance target was a lifespan five times that of ordinary drinking glasses, but development work reportedly achieved a potential lifespan up to fifteen times longer. The strengthened glass also offered heat resistance, lower weight and stackability, all of which were valuable in restaurants and other high-use environments. Industrial production began in spring 1980 at Sachsenglas Schwepnitz, a state-owned East German glassworks. The initial production focus was beer glasses. The product was subsequently renamed Superfest after a recommendation from West German sales representative Eberhard Pook. The production installation was designed for as many as 48,000 250-millilitre glasses per day and used approximately 250 to 350 kilowatt-hours of energy each day. The product range expanded to include multiple glass sizes and forms, including shot glasses, vases and ice-cream cups. The GDR viewed the technology as a possible export success and sought sales beyond its domestic market. Those efforts did not achieve the intended results. Potential buyers, including major commercial interests, were reluctant to adopt a glass designed to last for many years because replacement sales were part of the conventional tableware business model. Consequently, the main customers remained East German hospitality businesses. Superfest achieved substantial production volume despite its limited geographic reach. Between the beginning of production and the end of manufacture, approximately 110 to 120 million glasses were produced, with production ending on 1 July 1990. The political transition brought major changes to East Germany's industrial and research institutions. In July 1990, the Schwepnitz glassworks was reorganized as SAXONIA-Glas GmbH Schwepnitz. The company was liquidated by the Treuhand in 1991, and the inventors abandoned the patent in April 1992. The scientists and assistants behind the technology were honored and received a cash reward, but they did not obtain significant financial returns or royalties because they worked as state employees within a state-owned industrial system. Superfest therefore represents both a successful engineering achievement and a product whose exceptional durability limited its fit with established replacement-driven markets.
- 1992
Patent abandoned
[1]The inventors abandoned the patent associated with the strengthening technology in April 1992.
- 1991
SAXONIA-Glas liquidated
[1]The successor company was liquidated by the Treuhand.
- 1990
Production ends
[1]Manufacture ended on 1 July 1990 after approximately 110 to 120 million strengthened glasses had been produced.
- 1990
Schwepnitz works reorganized
[1]The glassworks became SAXONIA-Glas GmbH Schwepnitz during the economic and political transition following the end of the GDR.
- 1980
Commercial production begins
[1]Sachsenglas Schwepnitz began producing the strengthened glasses, initially as beer glasses. The product was marketed under the Superfest name after previously being known as Ceverit or CV-Glas.
- 1978
Government priority financing approved
[1]The GDR Council of Ministers secured financing for the glass-strengthening project and designated it as a project of particular urgency.
- 1977
Ion-exchange strengthening patent registered
[1]A four-person team led by Dieter Patzig registered East German patent 157966 for strengthening drinking glasses through ion exchange.
- 1973
Glass Structure Research Department established
[1]The Central Institute for Organic Chemistry established a research department to investigate glass structure and methods for making commercial glassware stronger and more heat-resistant.
Products and positioning
Durable, lightweight and heat-resistant commercial glassware for hospitality and everyday use, differentiated by chemical strengthening and unusually long service life.
Commercial drinkware · 1980
Superfest beer glasses
The first mass-produced Superfest items were beer glasses made for high-use hospitality environments. Their chemically strengthened surfaces were intended to reduce breakage, while their relatively light construction and stackability supported restaurant and bar operations.
Household and commercial glassware · 1980
Superfest drinking glasses
The broader drinking-glass range included multiple sizes and shapes. The products used ion-exchange strengthening to improve resistance to impact and thermal stress and were promoted primarily for long service life rather than frequent replacement.
Specialty glassware
Superfest specialty glassware
Later items included shot glasses, vases, ice-cream cups and other forms. These products extended the strengthening technology beyond the initial beer-glass format while retaining the brand's emphasis on durability and practical commercial use.
Brand decisions
1990
End of Superfest productionOtherBackground
Political and economic transformation in East Germany disrupted the state-owned glass industry and the institutions that had supported the technology.
Action taken
Sachsenglas Schwepnitz ended Superfest manufacture on 1 July 1990 and was subsequently reorganized as SAXONIA-Glas GmbH Schwepnitz.
Aftermath
The successor company was liquidated in 1991, ending the industrial production of the brand.
1980
Rebrand from Ceverit to SuperfestStrategyBackground
The strengthened glass was initially associated with the name CEVERIT or CV-Glas. A West German sales representative, Eberhard Pook, suggested the Superfest name as production moved toward commercial distribution.
Action taken
The product was marketed under the Superfest brand, beginning with beer glasses and later expanding into additional glassware forms.
Aftermath
Superfest became the best-known name for the chemically strengthened glass, although the product remained concentrated in the East German hospitality market.
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