Our History

From the first product to our Wellness portfolio of today

1922

Founding years

The company was founded in 1922 by Julius Schreiber, under the name of
Julius Schreiber – Flour, cereals and animal feed (Julius Schreiber – Mehl, Getreide und Futtermittel).
A few years later his son and grain businessman Karl Schreiber joined the company and intensified the good relationship to the baking trade and large-scale kitchens. Spices were added to the assortment.

1941

Years of war

In 1941, the company’s name was changed to K. u. J. Schreiber – Back und Nährmittelfabrik.
But during the years of war the company almost came to a halt and was completely destroyed by air raids in 1943. The company was evacuated to Steinfeld (Holstein) and later to “Boizenburg an der Elbe”. In 1945 the plant in Steinfeld was lost due to the total political and economic collapse. One year later the company in Boizenburg was finally closed down by the occupation of the Russians.

1951

Build-up

During 1951, production and administration emerged once again in Hamburg Wandsbek. The company developed positively in the ’50s. After the tragic death of his father in 1969, Herbert Schreiber continued to run the company with great enthusiasm and diligence.
In the ’60s and ’70s, the main sales drivers were spices, aromas, acidifiers (lemon juice concentrate) and food coloring

1978

New Markets

In 1978, Herbert Schreiber’s nephew, Norbert Stock, joined the company and ventured into new product areas including flavoring and essential oils.
Norbert Stock, looking for new business areas, started to produce fragrance concentrates for the wellness sector in the early ’80s. The first sauna fragrance concentrates to leave the factory are still bestsellers today and the recipes remains unchanged:

Eucalyptus
Spruce Needle
Mountain Pine
Mint

The wellness industry is growing and the company Schreiber Essenzen has a decisive influence on the sauna landscape in Germany. By the end of the 1980s, the portfolio had already expanded to more than 20 products, with an increasing demand for more fragrances. It was clear the existing factory in Hamburg Wandsbek did not offer enough space for the growing company.

1988

New factory & Diversification of the portfolio

The new Essenzen factory in Barsbüttel opened in January. The food and sauna departments are now separated.
Schreiber Essenzen is one of the first manufacturers to offer steam bath fragrances, further driving the trend towards Russian-Roman saunas.
The portfolio is extended by additional new categories:

• 100% fragrance oil concentrates (for sanarium, tepidarium, soft bath, herbal bath).
• Aroma fragrance concentrates

Aroma fragrances can be used in the classic Finnish sauna as well as in the steam sauna.

1990

Spa & Wellness trend

More and more hotels and thermal resorts were investing in new wellness and spa facilities. The industry continuing to grow steadily.
Successful partnerships are established with the largest sauna manufacturers and dealers of sauna equipment. The sauna fragrance sector already accounts for 60% of the turnover
More and more large customers wish individual packaging and labels. Today, Schreiber Essenzen offers more than 20 different bottles and container sizes. In addition, there is an increasing demand for individual fragrances to appeal to new consumers with seasonal and event sauna fragrances..

Internationalisation & DIGITALIZATION

In addition to the core markets of Germany and Austria, Schreiber Essenzen exports sauna fragrances to other countries. Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Romania, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and even Japan order spices, aromas and sauna fragrances from Barsbüttel. In 2017, Schreiber Essenzen conducted 20% of sales outside Germany.

In the meantime, all recipes from the last 100 years have been digitalized. Raw material and calculations are directly linked to all recipes.

Nevertheless, we don’t want to completely disconnect ourselves from the analog world! The old handwritten recipes and series of developments tests still exist on good old paper…

2000

The Portfolio is growing

In order to be able to deliver larger orders faster, the finished goods started to be stored in 500kg steel containers and bottled directly depending on the order. Hand in hand, the demand and the portfolio were now increasing. By the middle of the 2000s, more than 200 Items were available in the portfolio.
These developments required additional storage space, leading to the opening of a new warehouse in 2005.

2018

Internalization

The fourth generation (Michael and Stephan Stock) joined the company. Stephan took the role as Operative Manging Director and Michael developig within the area of Air Florage and new fragrance concepts. With an international background, the new generation adds a completely new perspective into the business. Important projects are a continuous internationalization and digitization.

The industry is constantly evolving. The wellness and health sector is still very exciting Schreiber Essenzen remains excellently positioned for all future challenges.

Premium Saunadüfte und Aromen vom Duft- und Geschmacksstoffhersteller

2022

100 years Schreiber Essenzen

Schreiber Essenzen celebrates its 100th anniversary!
The trustful and long-term cooperation with customers and many reliable suppliers and employees build the foundation of the 100 years of history.

The Corona pandemic in 2020 – 2022 and the resulting lockdown in large parts of our distribution channels (restaurants, saunas, hotels, etc.) result in a unique challenge in the history of the company. Nevertheless, the time of the pandemic could be used to focus on existing projects such as digitalisation and the expansion of the portfolio (organic sauna fragrances, pillow sprays, etc.). In 2022, a new module of the website will also go live, which enables customers to configure their own customised products.

We will not compromise on our quality standards along the entire value chain in the future, as this is the only way to successfully compete in the market for the next 100 years.