About Us

Hanns G. Werner learned about confectionery production from his father. Together they tinkered with the production of chocolate kisses. This sparked the son’s interest in the confectionery industry. Although the father’s Hamburg production was discontinued in the turbulent post-war years, Hanns G. Werner owes his father, “how to build a manufacturing company from an idea and entrepreneurial courage even in difficult times”.

For 200 marks, Hanns G. Werner leased the old grain mill on Hafenstraße in Tornesch; he himself lived in subtenancy for ten marks. With only one employee and one apprentice, he concentrated on one main product: small, colored sugar pearls, decorative dragées for the chocolate, baked goods and ice cream industry – Nonpareils.

On your feet for up to 16 hours a day – that’s what a normal “everyday life” looked like. The hard work paid off: the customer base grew. And when a customer awarded Werner the first major order (including an advance payment of 2,000 marks), the lean times seemed to be over.

The company grew. Sales increased from year to year. However, this steady growth had its pitfalls: the production facility was “bursting at the seams”. However, the company premises only gradually acquired their current size through acquisitions. Hanns G. Werner GmbH + Co. KG was therefore not “conjured out of thin air”, but the financial possibilities and market requirements reasonably determined the growth.

“Topping-out ceremony” was celebrated fifteen times from 1968 to 2011, and a sixteenth is pending.

Whether craftsmen, construction companies or architects – they all come from the region. For the municipality, WERNERS FEINE DRAGEES are therefore economically important. The production facility, affectionately called “Bontsche-Werner” in Tornesch, is now surrounded by residential buildings. The management took an early interest in environmental compatibility. And that will remain the case when the next extension begins at another location next year.

Just as the “factory” underwent its structural changes, so did the machinery. What was still exuberantly celebrated as an innovation “yesterday” has to be discarded “today”.

In the beginning, the focus was on making work easier, the transition from manual stacking to palletizing robots. Then came the automation of production. The small kettle was followed by the coating machine. The technical “upheavals” also affected process control and the absolutely important quality assurance, apart from the latest generation of EDP in administration.

The most important asset of a company is its employees. Precisely because of the progressive “globalization”, medium-sized companies are dependent on the experience and loyalty of their workforce. For the management, this means that they naturally devote themselves to all the problems of their indispensable helpers and are always available as contact partners.

Firma Werner has the offer of workplaces close to home, the consideration of the interests of all employees and the possibility of personal contact at any time make the working atmosphere so pleasant. 150 “Werner’s” appreciate that.

In the age of globalization, medium-sized companies are increasingly dying out. Hanns G. Werner GmbH + Co. KG is spared this fate. The second generation was active for more than 40 years and set the course for sustainable and healthy growth at an early stage. In 2022, the third generation took over the helm. The three grandchildren of the company founder share the diverse operational tasks in a leading function.