Great success comes from great ideas.
In the early 1970s businessman Aloys Coppenrath and his cousin, master confectioner Josef Wiese, come up with a plan to produce gateaux and cakes for customers across Germany to buy from their local retailers.
The buzzword of the day is “shock freezing”. The two cousins, whose families have been in the confectionery business for over 200 years, decide to freeze their products straight after baking them. By chilling them down to sub-zero temperatures, they ensure that their goods reach customers in oven-fresh condition. At the time, their idea is a revolution.
The company founders lay the foundations for their success by developing a unique technique that enables them to whip cream in an continuos process.
Businessman Aloys Coppenrath and his cousin, master confectioner Josef Wiese establish their own company. They create their first deep-frozen products in a converted dairy in a small town called Westerkappeln in Northern Germany. With 35 employees on the payroll, their first product is the „Vinnese Selection“ – an assortment of six pieces of cream cakes.
Demand for deep-frozen bakery products booms. Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese extend their product range to include a selection of classic cream gateaux. Among them is the Black Forest Gateau which is still one of the most popular cakes within the Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese assortment.
The Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese product range continues to grow and soon a variety of delicious cakes. Classics in this product category include apple cake, plum tart and cheese cake. The company also launches its first oven-ready product to be enjoyed hot: the apple strudel.
Start of construction in Osnabrueck Atter. Here the most advanced automatic high rack warehouse was consrtructed. The stored deep frozen products are packed and directly delivered to the customers.
Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese launches its first TV advertising campaign across Germany. In the mid-1980s, its products go international as the first Copperath & Wiese Strudels are sold in the UK. In 1990, the company opens its first independent sales organisation, Coppenrath & Wiese (UK) Ltd. With its office up and running in the Yorkshire town of Harrogate, Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese begins to sell an even wider range of other frozen desserts across the United Kingdom.
Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese continues to expand to neighbouring countries. In order to meet demand from Germany and beyond, the company builds a second bakery. Located in Mettingen, a small town in Northern Germany, the new facility opens in 1992. It produces up to 260,000 cakes and gateaux a day. In spite of the size, Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese continues to regard the skill and expertise of its confectioners as the key to its success.
Austria welcomes the Coppenrath & Wiese Sacher Torte. The specialist chocolate cake remains Austria's favourite Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese product to this day.
Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese wins the award „Goldener Zuckerhut“ which praises exemplary performance within the food industry.
Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese launches its first ready-baked, deep frozen bread rolls which are called „Unsere Goldstücke“. Produced in the traditional way, these bread rolls just taste the way they should. Their unique quality and original taste win the affection of customers immediately. In particular, the wheat roll from the "Unsere Goldstücke" range remains a firm favourite across Germany to this day.
The new product range „Cafeteria“ addresses the large target group of single- and two-person-households and serves with its individual pastries the growing snacking-trend.
Deep Frozen ready-baked products remain popular, both at home and abroad. To meet increasing demand, the bakery in Mettingen is extended and production transferred there from Westerkappeln. From now on, Mettingen is the production location of Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese and the hub from which its goods are distributed across Germany, Europe and later to the USA and Australia.
For the first time, products from Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese venture across the Atlantic. With an independent sales outlet in operation in the USA, Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese sells Cream Gateau, Mousse Cakes, Pastry Desserts and Strudels across the American market.
An innovation campaign à la Coppenrath & Wiese brings the new delight in the shape of "Sweet Dreams", a collection of four hand-decorated premium tortes with sophisticated ingredients and a distinctive dome shape.
Great taste in a small cup. In 2011, Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese launch the first deep frozen confectioner-dessert. It is of high-quality and convinces with its outstanding appearance and taste.
... Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese is a medium-sized family business and Europe's largest producer of frozen desserts. Every one of our products is made in Germany, where we employ more than 2,000 staff. Our product range comprises some 70 different items: Cream Desserts, Cakes and Tarts, National Specialities, such as typical German Strudels or British Cheesecakes, and Pastry Desserts.
