History
Foundation 1903–1950
The company was founded in 1903 by August Storck, who later changed his name to August Oberwelland. He was the owner of the Oberwellandhof in Werther (Westphalia) and opened the Werther candy factory. With only three employees, the factory supplied candy to retailers in the surrounding area. The First World War had a negative impact on development. In 1921, the management of the company was passed on to Hugo Oberwelland, the youngest son of the founder, who was ill at the time. In 1934, the " 1 Pfennig Riesen" came onto the market, which according to the company was the first branded candy in Germany. By 1937, the number of employees had risen to 71, products were distributed throughout the country, and in 1938 the first branch opened in Schötmar. After the Second World War additional investments were made. From 11 September 1942 to 7 September 1943, Storck operated a ''Frauenarbeitslager'' (Women's labor camp) in Werther. The camp was part of the ''Strafgefangenenlager Oberems'' (Oberems prison camp).Move to Halle and introduction of brands 1950–1990
After the war, a new factory was built in neighbouring Halle (Westphalia), which was considered to be an "industrial plant in the countryside" when it was built. By reforesting the area, voluntary compensatory measures were implemented, which since then has been made a requirement in planning approval procedures and development plans in Germany. The factory received a rail connection to the Haller Willem railway line. Storck bought its own tank wagons for the transport of raw materials and closed freight wagons for the transport of finished goods. In 1949, the "Storck 2 Pfennig Riesen" came onto the market. In 1950, Storck introduced a performance-related bonus for employees. In the course of the ''Wirtschaftswunderjahren'' (Economic miracle), both the number of employees and the production volume increased. In 1953, exports and in 1954, chocolate production began. In 1958, Storck introduced social benefits for employees. The second generation change took place in 1971, when Klaus Oberwelland took over the management of the company. In 1975, Storck introduced a company pension plan. From 1962 onwards, the company developed many of its most important brands to this day within two decades with ''nimm2'' (1962), ''Merci'' (1965), ''Campino'' (1966), ''Werther's Original'' (1969, sold in Germany until 1998 under the name ''Werthers Echte'') and ''Toffifee'' (1973). Storck later took over the ''Dickmann'' company (1981) and developed the ''Knoppers'' brand (1983).Recent developments 1990–present
In 1988, Storck took over the traditional company Bendicks of Mayfair from Winchester in England. In 1993, a new production facility was built in Ohrdruf, Thuringia. Further market launches followed, including ''merci Crocant'' (1994), ''merci Pur'' (1995) and ''nimm2 Lachgummi'' (1996). In 1998, the company was restructured, and management was moved to Berlin. The third generation change took place in 2003. Axel Oberwelland has been chairman of the management of August Storck KG since then, which is the parent company for the national subsidiaries. Another market launch since the change was Chocolat Pavot (2003). In 2005, Storck acquired the rights to the Rachengold and Atemgold brands from the Karlsruhe company Ragolds. August Storck KG's turnover was 1.2 billion euros that year. For its 100th anniversary, Storck developed a new company logo and slogan "Part of Your World". In addition, the name Storck has been printed on every brand packaging since then. From 2009, the previously independent sales companies Storck, Merci and Dickmann were gradually merged and a new pricing system was introduced. After Axel Oberwelland became CEO of Storck in 2003, brand management at the company changed from a purely single-brand strategy (one brand with one product) to numerous products under the same brand. Examples of this are the new variants of Werthers Original with Eclair, Caramel and Vanilla Cream. In the chocolate sector, numerous new variants were also launched under the merci Petits or the core merci brand. On 1 January 2014, long-time managing director Robert Mähler left the company. In 2023, the company built a logistics centre near the A33 and an additional factory entrance so that arriving trucks no longer have to drive through Halle (Westphalia). As of 2025, Storck continues its business operations in Russia despiteBrands
These are the most well-known products and the corresponding year in which they launched: * Bazooka (1970s to late 1980s under license from theWIHA
The Storck Group also includes the ''WIHA GmbH'' which produces exclusively forTrivia
* In the 1970s, a purple cartoon bear named Schleck advertised Mamba, Bazooka, Riesen and similar products. * In the mid-1980s, actorControversy
In February 2020, part of the company premises in Halle (Westphalia) was occupied. The reason was the planned clearing of a piece of forest on Steinhausener Weg on the factory site. Forest squatters erected platforms and high-wire structures on the trees of the forest they called ''Steini''. The barricade couldn’t be cleared due to the squatters' disobedience towards the forest workers and the police's lack of willingness. A new occupation took place at the beginning of the woodland clearing season in October 2021. Activists again occupied trees in the forest and built tree houses. The protest was directed against climate change and August Storck's unwillingness to disclose its supply chains. On 6 January 2022, one of the tree houses was cleared and a section of the forest was cut. Due to the destruction of natural and forest areas associated with the expansion of the company premises, Storck plans to develop parts of the Warmenau river and 5.5 hectares of adjacent land in a natural way. In addition, in 2022 Storck uncovered the Laibach stream, which ran through a pipe on the company premises. In the Chocolate Scorecard, a comparative overview of the environmental and social circumstances of the production of chocolate companies led by Australian universities, the company received the Rotten Egg Award and came second last among 38 companies in 2023.See also
*References
External links
* {{Storck Food manufacturers of Germany Food and drink companies based in Berlin Manufacturing companies based in Berlin Food and drink companies established in 1903 * German chocolate companies German brands German companies established in 1903 Privately held companies of Germany