HiPP Makes Organic Baby Food the Standard

“I stand behind this with my name”: With this promise, Claus Hipp first vouched for the top-quality organic standards of his baby food products in a TV commercial in 1991. More than 60 years ago, he traveled from farmer to farmer to inspire them to adopt organic farming and to build his own network of producers. Hipp thus made a significant contribution to today’s organic standards for baby food. 

And it has grown alongside the international industry leader: The company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of baby food. HiPP employs more than 3,000 people across seven production facilities in Germany and abroad, as well as at its sales locations. At its headquarters in Pfaffenhofen alone, about one million of its famous jars are produced every day. They were first introduced to the market in 1959. They are available in 

115 varieties are available. In addition, the product line now also includes infant formula, baby care products, diapers, and tube feeding formulas. To meet its annual demand, HiPP processes around 150,000 metric tons of raw materials. These come from more than 8,000 organic farmers who cultivate approximately 80,000 hectares. It’s hard to believe for a company that was actually born out of necessity.

The company’s history begins in 1899, when Joseph Hipp became the father of twins. One of the children could not be adequately nourished by breast milk alone, which worried him greatly—since three of his four siblings had died in infancy. Without further ado, he invented a baby porridge made from crushed rusks, which did his child good—and, as “J. Hipp’s Children’s Rusk Flour,” laid the foundation for the company that was finally officially founded in 1932. This year, HiPP is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The company remains family-owned. It is now led by the fourth generation of the family, Stefan Hipp, who—like his father before him—vows to use organic ingredients in his products and, as a passionate organic farmer, grows the raw materials for HiPP baby food himself. Awards such as the German Sustainability Prize and the German government’s CSR Prize underscore his commitment to sustainability. 

This extends to the company cafeteria at the headquarters in Pfaffenhofen, which has been serving certified organic meals for more than 20 years—an achievement for which it was recently awarded the highest possible category at Biofach 2024. “With its Gold Canteen, HiPP impressively demonstrates how to successfully combine sustainable business practices with culinary enjoyment,” announced Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, in his laudatory speech. In its anniversary year, HiPP is continuing to make strides in sustainability: Under the “Packaging Mission 2025,” all packaging is to be at least 90 percent recyclable. HiPP operates sustainably and thinks long-term, including in its partnerships. For the past six years, the Heidelberg-based general planner io has been a reliable partner to HiPP in areas such as logistics and SAP.