Gessler (company)

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"Grandfather" Gessler

logo
legal form Part of the grandfather Gessler - JA Baczewski Likörgenerung GmbH
founding 1777
Seat Vienna
management Gessler family
Branch spirits
Website www.gessler-baczewski.com

Advertisement by Siegfried Geßler (1903)
Leo Westreich, owner of the Siegfried Geßler company in 1908

The Gessler company (also spelled Geßler ) is the manufacturer of the herbal liqueur "Altvater" and was originally based in Krnov (Jägerndorf) ( Austrian Silesia ). The company is still family-owned today.

history

The company was founded in Bromberg in the 18th century under the name "Geiger Brothers, Spirits and Rosoglio Production" .

After the Austrian annexation of Bukovina , a branch of the original company was set up in Chernivtsi , the capital, in 1777 . Two more offices were added through marriages: a branch was opened in Lemberg in 1782 by the son-in-law Joseph Baczeles, later known as JA Baczewski , the other in Zuckmantel , Silesia, by the other son-in-law, Paul Gessler. The company was successful and delivered throughout the entire imperial and royal monarchy.

In 1873 the company was reorganized in Jägerndorf. The product "Altvater" ( Praděd in Czech , named after the mountain of the same name ) sold best and was awarded prizes at many exhibitions, experts attested it had positive properties on health. The owner, Siegfried Gessler, also supplied the imperial court, was appointed imperial and royal court supplier and became the chamber supplier to Archduke Josef . Further branches were opened at Felső Vaspálya utca 33 (today Korponai utca) in Budapest X and in Mocker , Prussian Silesia. There were also branches in Fulda , Arad , Bielitz and Cernăuţi .

The First World War and the collapse of the monarchy brought hard times for the company, as the traditional sales market collapsed and Jägerndorf was outside Austria. Independent branches were opened in the former crown lands. The manufacturing license was granted to these industries and Gessler products were manufactured in Vienna, Budapest, Chernivtsi, Bielitz and Zagreb , while the headquarters in Jägerndorf continued to exist and produced according to old tradition. The branch founded in Mocker around 1834 was relocated to Berlin and merged with the Danzig gold water manufacturer " Der Lachs zu Danzig ".

After the Second World War , numerous production facilities were nationalized, the family and the company had to leave Jägerndorf. Only the house in Vienna remained in family ownership. The owner Eduard Gessler rebuilt the company in Vienna and later bought the rights from JA Baczewski as a distant relative . The two companies merged and now operate under the common name "Altvater Gessler - JA Baczewski Likörproduktion GmbH" with headquarters at Strobelgasse 2/13 in the 1st district of Vienna. The production facilities are located in Deutsch-Wagram .

After Eduard Gessler's death in 1979, his son Elek Gessler took over the business. In 1980 he converted the company into a GmbH. Elek Gessler died on May 9, 2008, and was succeeded by Rasiel Gessler. To this day the company is owned and managed by the Gessler family.

Products

Before the Second World War, Gessler produced a wide variety of spirits, the recipes of which were passed on from generation to generation. These included caraway and herbal liqueurs, aquavit, curacao , ratafia , various creams, coffee house liqueurs, Polish national drinks such as Jarzębiak and Dereniówka as well as Gdańsk liqueurs , punch and czay essences, rum , slivovitz and cognac .

"Grandfather"

"Grandfather" herbal liquor

The best-known product from Gessler is the herbal liquor "Altvater", also known by its Czech name "Praděd". Made according to an old family recipe, it became very popular in the 19th century. From 1888 to 1904 "Altvater" received awards at all the exhibitions sent, the "grand prix" at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900 and other prizes in Melbourne, Barcelona, ​​Brussels, St. Petersburg, Paris and Vienna. During the monarchy the slogan was "3 words: Altvater-Gessler-Jägerndorf". According to a report by the “Freie Bildungsblätter” published in Karlsbad, the Académie de Médecine in Paris had found healthy ingredients in the “Altvater”, apart from the alcohol content. Richard Godeffroy , director of the chemical laboratory of the General Austrian Pharmacists' Association in Vienna, attested the herbal liqueur to have useful properties. In 1935 the Prince of Wales visited Budapest and apparently bought several boxes of "grandfather".

In Germany, the Rhön-Hessische Brennerei A. and W. Dworzak GmbH & Co. KG in Fulda produces "Altvater" under license.

The ingredients consist of herbs and spices, which are distilled together and give the golden color. The alcohol content is 38%. "Altvater" tastes spicy, herbal, tart and sweet and is suitable for cocktails, long drinks and as a digestive.

"Jägerndorfer bitters"

Jägerndorfer bitters

The Jägerndorfer bitters are another original Gessler product that is still in production. The recipe is also based on an old formula of herbs and spices and is traditionally swallowed from a small glass. The alcohol content is 50.0%. Like many other bitters, the Jägerndorfer bitters actually belong to the liqueurs due to their high sugar content.

A picture of the Altvaterturm (then Habsburgwarte ) built in 1912 can be seen on the label .

Individual evidence

  1. About Us. (No longer available online.) Grandfather Gessler - JA Baczewski Likörgenerung GmbH, formerly the original ; accessed on May 2, 2009 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.agjab.com  
  2. Production. (No longer available online.) Grandfather Gessler - JA Baczewski Likörgenerung GmbH, formerly the original ; accessed on May 2, 2009 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.agjab.com  
  3. Preis-Courant of the factory of the finest liqueurs Siegfried Gessler, 1909
  4. Siegfried Geßler. In: Anniversary number of the imperial Wiener Zeitung 1703-1903. Supplement commercial part. Alfred von Lindheim. Druck und Verlag KK Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna, August 8, 1903, p. 63 , accessed on May 2, 2009 .
  5. ^ Richard Godeffroy , head of the chemical laboratory of the General Austrian Pharmacists' Association in Vienna. GZ 5535/590 Vienna, July 28, 1886 .: Appraisals. In: Preis-Courant of the factory of the finest liqueurs Siegfried Gessler. Siegfried Gessler, 1909, accessed on June 9, 2009 : "The Gessler's genuine" Altvater-Kräuter-Liqueur ", which was given to me for assessment, contains absolutely no harmful ingredients and, due to its excellent composition and pleasant taste, is used as a stomach-strengthening agent for hunting , Travel and house purposes provide the best service. "
  6. grandfather. (No longer available online.) Rhön-Hessische Brennerei A. and W. Dworzak GmbH & Co. KG, May 27, 2009, archived from the original on October 30, 2008 ; Retrieved May 27, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dworzak-fulda.de
  7. OLD FATHER. (No longer available online.) Grandfather Gessler - JA Baczewski Likörproduktion GmbH, May 27, 2009, formerly in the original ; accessed on May 27, 2009 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.agjab.com  
  8. Grandfather Liqueur. Getraenkewelt-Weiser.de, May 27, 2009, accessed on May 27, 2009 .

Web links

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