With the beginning of 2022, the Cottbus Baumkuchen Manufactory has transformed into GROCH & ERBEN. But what is behind this new name and what impact does this change have on the future of our manufactory? Let's take a look into the past.
Origins of the Cottbus Baumkuchen Manufactory
In 1819, on a cold winter night, Maria Groch began baking her first Baumkuchen in the immediate vicinity of our current factory, thus laying the foundation for our current factory. Her daughter Wilhelmine was appointed purveyor to the Imperial Court, and numerous factories followed, making the region the best place in Germany for the "King of Cakes".
On December 2, 1900, master confectioner Max Lauterbach opened his eponymous “Conditorei & Café Lauterbach” in Cottbus. From the very beginning, he used Maria Groch’s original recipe for his “Original Cottbus Baumkuchen” and was appointed a Royal Court Supplier. Even then, he was delivering his delicacies as far as New York.
The legacy of Maria Groch and Max Lauterbach is now in the hands of the Hajek family. In 2006, they founded the "Cottbuser Baumkuchen Manufaktur - Max Lauterbach" to continue the production of the classic Baumkuchen of the "Conditorei & Café Lauterbach" at the new location with the traditional recipes and the same high quality craftsmanship. Little by little, they developed further and gained fans all over the world, making them one of the best places to go for Baumkuchen in Germany.
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Baumkuchen production in Cottbus in 2019, the idea arose to create a special memorial to Maria Groch. By renaming the company to GROCH & ERBEN, we would like to show our gratitude and respect to our founder. Here, the founder of the tradition and there, her artisanal heirs, who continue the Baumkuchen tradition of the city of Cottbus and make it known far beyond the city limits.
Goals for the future
With the takeover of the factory by the second generation of the family and the renaming to GROCH & ERBEN at the beginning of 2022, we as a German-Danish junior couple would like to bring a breath of fresh air to our Baumkuchen factory. Building on the success of the past years, we have set ourselves the goal of constantly challenging ourselves and creating new, unique products.
At the same time, we attach great importance to baking our traditional Baumkuchen with the same consistently high quality using traditional handcraft. To ensure this, we at GROCH & ERBEN continue to avoid any frills and reduce our ingredients to the essentials. In the future, we will continue to use only sustainable and honest raw materials. Artificial flavors and preservatives are prohibited in our house.