Sweet future ahead for Heidelmann & hitschler

Heidelmann announces a strategic partnership with the German family-run confectionery company hitschler. Philip Hitschler-Becker, Managing Director of Cologne-based hitschler, confirms, “Heidelmann is an ideal partner for our future direction. As well as its central location and cutting-edge logistics centre, it embodies a corporate philosophy and culture that are an excellent fit for hitschler.”

In Germany and beyond, hitschler is a name entwined with childhood memories – those “lucky bags” of Laces, Mallows and Sherbet UFOs, eagerly snapped up from corner kiosks or swimming-pool snack bars and quickly devoured. Now headed by the fourth generation, the family-owned company has distilled this eagerness and enthusiasm into its confectionery products for over 80 years. hitschler’s products are exported to over 30 countries. Passion, tradition, experience and quality are deep in the brand’s DNA, driven by the constant joy of developing new and innovative sweet treats.

The family-run Cologne-based confectionery SME has now found a new strategic partner. Logistics service provider Heidelmann, located in the town of Schwalmstadt in North Hesse, is likewise family-run and specialises in food and pharma logistics. From June 2021 its newly opened logistics hub will provide a full package of incoming and outgoing logistics services for hitschler International. Philip Hitschler-Becker, Managing Director of Cologne-based hitschler, confirms, “Heidelmann is an ideal partner for our future direction. As well as its central location and cutting-edge logistics centre, it embodies a corporate philosophy and culture that are an excellent fit for hitschler.” Both companies are independent family-managed businesses in the third and fourth generation, and thus pursue similar corporate cultures.

Heidelmann, founded in 1946 and now headed by the third and fourth generations of the family, currently employs 250 staff and operates a fleet of around 100 vehicles. The cool chain logistics specialist has been a partner of DACHSER Food Logistics for over 25 years and is a founder member of the European Food Network, an association of leading European food logistics companies. As a member of the European Food Network, Heidelmann provides its customers with daily group shipment distribution in over 30 countries in addition to its international cargo shipment operations. “The chemistry between hitschler International and Heidelmann was there right from our first meeting; our company philosophies and our mindsets were a perfect fit for each other. This common ground serves as a strong foundation for a successful and long-lasting partnership. With its new logistics centre and membership of the European Food Network, Heidelmann will supply hitschler International with a full package of logistics services that will provide impetus for future growth and open the door to new markets”, says Till Bischoff, fourth-generation Managing Director of the logistics specialist.