History
The Hela success story begins on May 13, 1905, in Hamburg Barmbek. The young Otto Hermann Laue, a merchant in Hamburg, takes over the limited partnership Carl H. Rose & Co. Born in 1879 as the son of a farmer from Schafau in Prussia, he had already started as an apprentice with Carl Heinrich Rose in 1893 at the shop at Bachstraße 155, where he learned the trade in medicinal herbs and chemicals from the ground up.
In 1906, he changes the company name to Hermann Laue, Hela for short. The young entrepreneur states the trade in spices as the company's purpose.
In 1928, Hermann Laue moves the company headquarters to Kampstraße in Hamburg's Schanzenviertel district.
In the new premises, spices and seasoning salts for butcher shops are produced and traded. The new location is an excellent strategic choice, as it is in the immediate vicinity of the Hamburg slaughterhouse.
During the war years of 1939–1945, the spice trade is severely restricted. Nevertheless, Hermann Laue continues to sell goods in his shop on a small scale throughout this period.
In 1946, Hermann Laue resumes the production of spice blends.
His sons, Dr. Kurt Laue and Rudolf Laue, join their father's business in 1949, and with a great spirit of innovation, foresight, and Hamburg business acumen, the company continues to grow steadily.
The name Hela becomes a brand. The company focuses on selling spice blends for meat and sausage production. But food service customers also begin to appreciate the excellent spice quality of the Hermann Laue company.
After their father's death in 1954, his sons divide the management of the company between them. Rudolf Laue is responsible for purchasing and sales. His brother Kurt takes over commercial management.
In 1963, the famous Hela Gewürz Ketchup appears on German supermarket shelves for the first time. To this day, it is an absolute cult classic – in home kitchens, at barbecues, and in food service.
In 1972, the foundation stone is laid for a new building in the Schanzenviertel. One year later, the new building goes into operation.
In the early '70s, the company's steady internationalization begins. Today, Hela is represented by subsidiaries in Austria, Switzerland, Singapore, Canada, Australia, China, Chile, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
At the same time, under the leadership of Martha Laue, the wife of company owner Dr. Kurt Laue, product development is steadily expanded and the development of market innovations such as coated spices and seasoning oils is driven forward.
When his brother Rudolf Laue dies, Kurt Laue holds sole chairmanship of the company for several years.
In 1983, Kurt Laue dies, and his son Björn Laue takes over the management of the company. He further expands the company's internationalization and market penetration.
To create capacity for strong growth, the relocation of the company headquarters from downtown Hamburg to its current location in Ahrensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, begins in 1989.
In 2008, the state-of-the-art Hela Technikum is built as a new hub of innovation and the heart of product development.
In 2010, Björn Laue's eldest son, Alexander Laue, joins the company. Since 2013, he has been Managing Director of the Hela International business unit. In doing so, he ushers in the company's transition from the third to the fourth family generation.
In 2018, two additional production and storage halls with a total area of 1,810 square meters are built at the Ahrensburg site.
In 2019, Hela presents itself with a fresh, modernized brand identity across all sales channels.
With a new, dynamic brand logo, the international brand claim “Your taste. Our Mission,” and a packaging relaunch for the entire product range that guarantees both modernity and high recognition value for the brand. The communication and corporate design are also significantly redesigned.
Also in 2019, Hela is named Top Brand in the ketchup category for the fifth time by Lebensmittel Zeitung, which honors the 100 most successful brands in food retail every year.
In 2022, a significant milestone in the company's history was reached: the launch of our web shop.
After more than 100 years as a purely B2B company, we took the step into the B2C sector. This step marks not only an expansion of our sales channels but also a new era of customer proximity and digital innovation.
In 2024, Hela reached another milestone as part of the “Hela 2025” program. The modernization and expansion of the existing plant structure was successfully advanced. A central element is the new logistics center at the Ahrensburg site, which increases the efficiency of logistics processes and improves shipping performance in order to meet market requirements.
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