Cologne: Gaffel takes over Mühlen-Kölsch-what does that mean for the city?

Cologne: Gaffel takes over Mühlen-Kölsch-what does that mean for the city?

Köln, Deutschland - The Cologne brewing world is facing a drastic change: The traditional Kölsch brand Mühlen will be taken over by the Gaffel brewery in the future. This decision was announced on Monday when the contracts between the Malzmühle and Gaffel were signed. The malt mill, which will hand over the trademark rights, production and distribution of Mühlen-Kölsch, would like to concentrate more on their gastronomic businesses, including the brewery to Malzmühle and the ANNO 1858. During this transition for September 1, 2023, the employees of Mühlen-Kölsch were already informed in a company meeting about the upcoming changes.

The family -run malt mill, founded in 1858, will not only be affected by the takeover, but also personnel cuts are inevitable. Around 20 out of a total of 250 positions are to be deleted. Thomas Deloy, head of marketing from Gaffel, stated that further strategies regarding the takeover have not yet been communicated, but the Gaffel staff will be informed of the changes on Tuesday.

Kölsch-Markt under pressure

The takeover is part of a greater consolidation in the Kölsch market, which has been faced with challenges in recent years. The total sales of Kölsch fell by 2.5 % last year to around 1.42 million hectoliters. For comparison: In 2019, production was still around 1.785 million hectoliters on average. The Radeberger Group in particular hired its location in Cologne-Mülheim in 2019, where several Kölsch brands were brewed. The market is increasingly dominated by a few major players, which endangers the diversity of the breweries.

Currently there are around 32 different Kölsch brands in Cologne. Much of the market is dominated by the three large brands Reissdorf, Gaffel and early, which together achieve a market share of around 60 %. According to the Federal Association of the German Brauwirtschaft , the annual production of these three brands is about 1.6 million hectoliters, which underlines the importance of these brands.

The story of Kölsch

Kölsch is more than just a beer - it is a cultural phenomenon that is closely linked to the city of Cologne. The term “Kölsch” was discovered by Christian Sünner for advertising purposes in 1918 and thus created a brand core that still shapes many breweries. Another historical detail is that the oldest Kölsch brewery, the Sünner brewery, was founded in 1830. In the past centuries, beer production has changed significantly and improved the quality through technological progress, such as the invention of the steam engine by James Watt and cooling machines from Carl von Linde.

Today, beer breweries can act on the market thanks to modern filling techniques and better availability of their products. Cologne's passion for her beer remains unbroken, even if the trend towards cheaper offers shows that the competition is strong. According to the Cologne magazine Playing the turbulent history of the brewer and the influence of economic conditions an essential role in the development of brewing in Cologne.

The coming months should be crucial how the takeover of Mühlen-Kölsch will have an overall affecting the brand itself and the Cologne beer market. Compliance with traditional values ​​and adaptation to economic conditions will be a central challenge.