Zeisner Feinkost GmbH & Co. KG

Zeisner Feinkost GmbH & Co. KG is a German delicatessen manufacturer specializing in ketchup and seasoning sauces. Founded in 1902 in Bremen by the pharmacist Waldemar Zeisner and his wife Juliane, the company is now based in Grasberg near Bremen and is run by the fourth generation of the Zeisner family. It is best known for producing Germany's first tomato ketchup in 1937 and for its Worcestershire sauce, which has been made almost unchanged since the company's early years. The company began by importing and trading English Worcestershire sauce, then developed its own version, marketed in the 1920s as "Deutsche Gewürz-Sauce." In 1937, Georg Zeisner, son of the founder, created Germany's first tomato ketchup, a niche product at the time. After World War II, ketchup became widely popular in Germany, and under the third generation, Günther Zeisner and his wife Ursula, the business expanded. In 1967, production moved from Bremen's city center to Grasberg due to odor complaints. Since 1995, Thomas Zeisner, great-grandson of the founder, has led the company, now as sole managing director. Zeisner supplies German retail chains, hotels, restaurants, snack bars, and the food processing industry with ketchup and seasoning sauces. The product range includes classic tomato ketchup, curry ketchup, shashlik sauce, spiced ketchup (mild and hot), burger sauce, barbecue sauce, curry sauce, China sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, including light and gluten-free/allergen-free variants for bulk consumers. Products are offered in various packaging sizes, from 20 ml portions to 1100 kg containers. Zeisner exports to Western European countries and other continents, including the USA and Australia. Its main export markets are Belgium, where it is among the leading ketchup brands, and the Netherlands. The company remains a family-owned private enterprise, registered in the commercial register of the Walsrode local court.

Zeisner was founded in 1902 by the trained pharmacist Waldemar Zeisner in Bremen, at Philosophenweg near the main train station. He appreciated English Worcestershire sauce, which he initially imported and traded. Together with his wife Juliane, he developed their own variant of the liquid seasoning, which became the company's first product. In the 1920s it was advertised as "Deutsche Gewürz-Sauce" and is still produced almost unchanged today, now sold as "Worcestershire Sauce." Georg Zeisner, son of the founder, experimented with other seasoning sauces and in 1937 mixed Germany's first tomato ketchup. This tomato-paste-based sauce, already common in England since the mid-18th century and in the USA since the mid-19th century, was still a culinary specialty in Germany at the time and had only been available as an import in specialty shops since the early 20th century. Ketchup was then used "not as a sauce but as a seasoning to round off dishes." That changed in the 1950s when the third generation, Günther Zeisner (1934–2016), took over the company. After 1945, ketchup had become more widely known in Germany through British and American occupation soldiers, and in the fifties demand rose sharply with the emergence of snack bars. Günther Zeisner and his wife Ursula expanded the business with annual production growth. Due to odor nuisances during production, the company site was relocated in 1967 from Bremen's city center to the surrounding municipality of Grasberg. At that time the company operated under the name Zeisner & Co. In 1995, the founder's great-grandson and son of Günther Zeisner, businessman Thomas Zeisner, joined the management. Today, Zeisner Feinkost GmbH & Co. KG is led solely by Thomas Zeisner in the fourth generation. The company is registered in the commercial register of the Walsrode local court. As a specialized food manufacturer, the company supplies German retail chains in the food retail sector as well as hotels, restaurants, snack bars, and the food processing industry with ketchup and seasoning sauces. Zeisner exports to Western European countries and other continents, including the USA and Australia. Main export countries are Belgium, where Zeisner is among the leading ketchup brands, and the Netherlands.

• 1995

  Thomas Zeisner joins management.

• 1967

  Production relocated from Bremen to Grasberg due to odor complaints.

• 1950

  Third generation Günther Zeisner takes over; expansion due to rising ketchup demand.

• 1937

  Georg Zeisner produces Germany's first tomato ketchup.

• 1920

  Own Worcestershire-style sauce marketed as "Deutsche Gewürz-Sauce".

• 1902

  Founded by Waldemar and Juliane Zeisner in Bremen.

Regional brand manufacturer in northwestern Germany with national and international presence, known for high-quality ingredients and spice blends.

• Tomato ketchup

  Classic ketchup based on the original 1937 recipe.

• Curry ketchup

  Ketchup with curry flavor.

• Spiced ketchup

  Available in mild and hot varieties.

• Worcestershire sauce

  Almost unchanged since the company's early years; also available in light and gluten-free/allergen-free variants for bulk consumers.

• Barbecue sauce

  Barbecue seasoning sauce.

• Burger sauce

  Sauce for burgers.

• Shashlik sauce

  Sauce for shashlik.

• Curry sauce

  Curry-flavored sauce.

• China sauce

  Asian-style sauce.

1. 1Zeisner – Ketchup und Saucen Made in Germanyzeisner.de
2. 2Zeisner Feinkost GmbH & Co. KG – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Zeisner (Unternehmen) – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org