Johannes Luehders KG Germany

The company history of the family-run business Johannes Luehders KG It all started in 1909 with a small grocer's store, leased in Hamburg-Wandsbek by the grandfather of the present-day owner. The assortment back then included items like dried figs, dates, bananas and plums. The dried fruit was cleaned and packed and soon offered for sale not only in the own shop, but also at other fine food dealers, since word got around in the Hamburg region of the quality of the fruit. The premises were soon too small to handle the increasing demand and in 1920 the business relocated close to Hamburg's central market. The new premises were more spacious and the product range was complemented with products such as ginger and candied fruit. Thanks to the outstanding quality of the Luehders products and strong demand, sales were extended to cover all of Germany. Encouraged by this success, it was decided to purchase a jam factory in Hamburg-Hamm, where candies would be produced in addition to fruit jams. The existing production plant was extended and the entire production and packaging relocated from Veddel to Wendenstrasse in Hamburg-Hamm. This was in 1923. Business went well until the Second World War. With the outbreak of the war, however, tropical fruit and ginger could no longer be imported. Still under the influence of the "new beginnings" after the war, Johann-Hinrich Luehders assumed management of the firm in 1958. He soon realized that the company's survival could only be secured by the implementation of modern production technology. Hence, an automatic casting machine for jelly and fondant products was purchased in the early sixties and 1965 saw the first electronic computer in use for invoicing. In 1971, the buildings rebuilt after the war were no longer big enough-the new machines alone required more space-and consequently the existing building complex was extended. The third generation, in the person of "Johannes Luehders", took over the reins of the company in January 1998, started selling the specialized confectionery to the food trade and entered the export business. Enormous growth and the need to optimize the workflow technically necessitated relocation of the operations to a new building in Stelle in April 2000. This modularly constructed plant was further extended in the following years, putting the infrastructure in place for nurturing the premium demand for our quality products and to further expand as required. Yours Johannes Luehders