La Confiserie Wakefield
Küchle Wafers
Küchle Wafers
Founded by Jakob and Christof Küchle, the story of Küchle Company began in 1864 when Jakob Küchle registered his wafer paper bakery in Memmingen, Germany. This marked the humble beginnings of the wafer paper production that would eventually lead to the success of the company we know today. After Jakob's passing in 1876, his son Karl took over the business, while Christof Küchle, Jakob's brother, married into the Malzfabrik Stuber and Krieger in Günzburg. In 1908, Christof's son assumed control of the production site in Bahnhofstraße.
Both companies faced challenges during the First World War, but Wilhelm Küchle, one of Jakob's descendants, found luck amid misfortune. After a fire in his company, he was granted special leave and escaped harm when his army unit was attacked. Following the war, Wilhelm and his brother Hermann focused on producing chicory coffee as a replacement for "real coffee" in many households. The company then operated under the name C. Küchle u. Söhne GmbH from 1925. The 1920s brought an economic boom, and in 1926, Karl Küchle retired, leaving Wilhelm and Hermann to take over the wafer paper production from their cousin and relocate it to Günzburg. As of August 13, 1930, the company was officially registered as W. u. H. Küchle GmbH.
During World War II, the Günzburg production site suffered heavy damage due to bombings. However, by autumn 1945, despite material shortages, production resumed, marking a new era of peace for the company.
With the arrival of peace and the introduction of a new currency, Küchle experienced prosperity in post-war Germany. In 1953, Bruno Küchle assumed leadership, and the company underwent dynamic development. The first prototype of an automatic wafer baking machine was introduced in 1959, followed by the construction of a bulk storage terminal in 1966 and the conversion of power generation from coal to oil in 1970. Over the years, Küchle acquired several competitors, expanding its product offerings beyond baking wafers. Innovative products such as "susta," a patented protection against soggy cake bottoms, and "susan," a whipped cream stabilizer, were introduced in the 1930s. In 1964, the company launched its first whipped cream stabilizer for retail customers, and it continued to expand its product line to include instant glazes, juice stops, edible baking cups, sponge perfect, cake and dessert cream fillings, and a wide variety of baking mixes.
Today, under the leadership of Christof Küchle, the fourth-generation managing director since 1993, W. u. H. Küchle GmbH & Co. KG remains a family-run business. Consistent quality is a top priority, reflected in the company's certification according to the "International Food Standard." With a dedicated team of around one hundred employees, Küchle maintains its position as a market leader in classic wafer paper products while also introducing new and innovative products, such as Hello Kitty and Emoji baking mixes, that captivate the younger generation.