The story
Years of foundation and first business successes
The company was established by Franz Zentis on 20 June 1893 in Aachen as a trading company. Real breakthrough came in 1900, with the production of FAMOS, a jam made from dried apricots and sugar. The name FAMOS stands for "Feinste Aprikosen Marmelade Ohne Sirup" or Finest Apricot Jam Without Syrup. Local bakeries used this as a filling for their pastries.
In the 1960s, Zentis entered the dairy industry and developed fruit preparations with banana and pineapple for yogurts, quarks and drinks. In the mid-60s, Zentis developed warm flavours for the dairy industry. In the 1970s, sweet nut spreads, such as Nusspli, were added. In addition, the packaging was changed to plastic.
In 1998, Zentis was the first company to invent chocolate chips that do not dissolve in yoghurt. This is how stracciatella yoghurt was created for the first time.
Expansion and internationalisation
Zentis expanded into Poland in 1997, into Hungary in 2000 and Russia in 2003. More factories followed in the U.S. in 2007 and 2012.
In 2011, Zentis began producing savory vegetable preparations for dairy products and baked goods. The preparations are produced in Poland. Within a short time of entering the market, Zentis was already one of the market leaders.
Awards
2017 and 2018, Zentis was awarded the Bundesehrenpreis (Federal Award of Honour) by the federal ministry for nutrition and agriculture. The price honors continuous quality control, and striving for the highest possible standards of quality. Zentis was the first fruit processing company to receive this award.
Pope Benedict XVI is among the company's patrons; every December near Christmas, a German banker from Bavaria, a Munich native named Thaddaeus Joseph Kuehnel, hand-delivers sweets from the company to the Vatican, along with Bavarian sausages from the Pope's favourite restaurant, Franziskaner, and special mustard.
From Wikipedia’s article on Zentis, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5