Langnese

Langnese began selling honey in Germany in 1927. Since then, quality honey has been a mission of the company. 

Part of what makes Langnese honey unique from other honeys its production process. Langnese honey is not heated past pasteurization. Instead, it is heated to a maximum temperature of 95˚F, which is the temperature of a beehive. This ensures all the natural vitamins and natural benefits of honey are not cooked out of the honey. The honey is then sifted through a stainless steel mesh to remove any pieces of honeycomb. This gets rid of any large particles, but it cannot get rid of the pollen in the honey. Instead of treating it to eliminate the pollen, Langnese embraces the natural presence of pollen. The pollen is almost like a fingerprint, identifying the honey’s origin. All Langnese honey is naturally gluten free and is kosher certified.

After the Second World War, Langnese purchased honey farms in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. At these farms they instituted quality checks to ensure the highest standard of honey. Since doing so, Langnese has continually provided the best honey.

In 1925 Karl Rolf Seyferth was a young importer in Germany who on a whim decided to buy 5,000 kilograms of honey from California. This a risky maneuver because the company he was working for did not deal in honey. The choice ended up being wildly successful and just two years later Seyferth wanted to start his own honey company. However, he was looking for a shell company to help him get a head start. Seyferth put an ad out in the Hamburg newspaper, which was answered by Viktor Emil Henrich Langnese. Langnese at the time had a good reputation as a cookie manufacturer. The story goes that the two men met for a fancy dinner. Mr. Langnese made clear that he only wanted to sell the company to someone who could maintain the quality of the name. Seyferth then asked how much he’d be willing to sell for, to which Mr. Langnese replied “300 Reichsmark and the dinner tab.” Even back then, this was quite the deal for such a company. Thus, Seyferth became the owner of Langnese, a company that had been founded in 1888.

After World War II, Hamburg was still very much devastated. The Marshall Plan brought a shipment of honey to Germany, which Seyferth saw as an opportunity. Promptly, he opened a filling plant in the cellar of another Hamburg company. In 1950, Seyferth began reinvigorating the Langnese brand. This time, there was a strong commitment to the highest quality and best tasting honey available. This proved to be easier said than done. To maintain control over product quality, Langnese purchased honey farms in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. Langnese also instituted quality checks to the highest standards for the honey. Then, the company continuously product tested the honey among shop owners and customers for months until the perfect honey was found. By 1958, Langnese was the market leader. Through hard work, and a commitment to excellence, Langnese grew to what it is today.