About Us: From Mainz to International Pretzel Success • Ditsch

Various pretzel pastries in a wooden basket against a light background.

About us

Our motivation

Because we love pretzels.

A well-known name with humble origins, Ditsch now brings its pretzels to the world! Our history goes all the way back to 1919 – to a small family bakery in Mainz where we laid the foundation for what so many people love today – pretzel products. With that unmistakable taste that you only get from Ditsch. A product that is chock full of the best ingredients. And that is made according to the highest quality and safety standards. Whether deep-frozen pretzels, pretzel variations, pretzel croissant specialities or BakeOff pizzas, Ditsch is the partner of choice for sustainable solutions and tasty ideas.

All driven by the unique magic of pretzel products. Because a fresh pretzel tastes as wonderful as sunshine feels on the skin. Because we help to create moments of joy every day with our ever-growing range of products. And because we produce more than a billion pretzel specialities and snacks every year. Why?

Because we love pretzels. And have done since 1919 – and every day a little more.

Hardfacts

That’s Ditsch.

1919

Founded by Wilhelm Ditsch – part of the Valora Group since 2012

World market leader

Number one producer of deep-frozen pretzel products, pretzel croissants and Bake Off pizzas

19 production lines

B2B business at four locations in Germany and the USA

200 Ditsch stores

B2C business with headquarters in Essen (Valora Foodservice Germany)

1 billion

Number of products sold worldwide – pre-proofed dough, fully baked products

More than 1,000

Employees at our Mainz, Oranienbaum, Kettering and Cincinnati sites

Over 40 countries

Sales to food services, bakeries, food industry, wholesalers and retailers

Our recipe for success.

The recipe for success

What is it that makes a pretzel product truly great? It’s when somewhere in the world, someone has a craving for a fresh pretzel – and thinks of us. Because when every bite is a treat in itself, that’s Ditsch. A byword for quality for over 100 years. Our pretzels are not only made with love but are the result of craftsmanship that has stood the test of time. Succulent scent, crispy crust and juicy crumb – a piece of pretzel tradition.

Whether in a bakery or coffee shop, topped with full-flavoured cheese or glazed with a salty caramel sauce – our products offer so many possibilities, each leaving our customers wanting even more.

Ditsch – authentic pretzel quality.

Our story

2025

Key milestones: capacity expansion and market entry in the UK

Capacity expansions at the German production sites; market entry in the UK through the establishment of Ditsch UK Ltd., followed by the acquisition of WorldBake Ltd. (Kettering, UK) and its integration into Ditsch UK Ltd.

23/24

On an expansion course: Ditsch continues to grow in the USA

In 2023, our Cincinnati facility was equipped with a new production line – and just one year later, the second Ditsch plant in the U.S. was opened.

2022

Bienvenido pretzel

Our parent company, the Valora Group, becomes part of the Mexican group FEMSA.

2019

100 years of Brezelbäckerei Ditsch

100 years of Ditsch & an entry in the Guinness World Records: for the largest human pretzel, capacity expansions with two new lines at the Oranienbaum site and one additional line at the Cincinnati plant.

17/18

Expansion & new beginnings: from Oranienbaum to Cincinnati

Expansion at the Oranienbaum site; acquisition of “Pretzel Baron,” Cincinnati & renaming to Ditsch USA in 2018

2012

Handover with vision

Peter Ditsch hands over the company to the Valora Group and becomes a member of the Board of Directors

98/99

Investment in the future

Opening of the new Ditsch plant with 7,700 sqm of production space in Oranienbaum near Dessau as a second production site. A promising location – not only from a business perspective. In addition, Ditsch enters the B2B trading business.

87/88

A new era: frozen products from Ditsch

Frozen technology is introduced at Ditsch: the entire product range for stores is now available as frozen products.

1972

Ditsch’s first pretzel stand

A brilliant business idea: a pretzel stand at Mainz Central Station, giving travelers the chance to quickly stock up on provisions for their journey before departure. In the beginning, the stand still had to be set up every morning and dismantled again in the evening.

1919

Everything began with Wilhelm Ditsch!

He laid the foundation for Ditsch’s 100-year tradition: in 1919, Wilhelm Ditsch registered his “bakery for pretzels and lye-baked goods” at Löhrstraße 17 in the commercial register of the city of Mainz.

Our values

Taking responsibility

... for quality
Our recipe for success is the formula 24-7-365. This ensures that our products meet the strictly defined quality and safety standards every day of every year.

Certificates

… for the environment
What have we achieved already? We now generate 50 percent less emissions since 2019 and use 100 percent renewable energies. What do we want to achieve? Zero emissions by 2050.

Responsibility

... for raw materials
Top products call for the finest ingredients. We work only with selected suppliers and obtain our raw materials from responsibly cultivated sources.

... for the product life cycle
The life cycle of a pretzel product doesn’t just begin in the kneader, but much earlier – we insist on fair working conditions and a safe, sustainable and transparent supply chain.

… for keeping customers happy

Tradition or change? Both. Preserving our tried and trusted baking traditions is of great importance for us – but so is integrating culinary trends and a constant stream of new recipes.