POPCORN & PIONEER SPIRIT
It all begins in a garage near Frankfurt am Main: 1974 Helmut Haase starts his first popcorn business with little money, but a great deal of pioneer spirit. He imports the first popcorn machines in adventurous ways from Southern India. He tours annual fairs in the region and convinces primarily concessionaires to invest in his popcorn and cotton candy machines.
1976 the first trade journal report about Haases machines appears in the Komet, the magazine for concessionaires. That same year, Haase exhibits at his first international trade show, the Interschau in Augsburg. 1978 the ANUGA international food exhibition is added.
1979 Move from Friedberg-Bruchenbrücken to larger company facilities in Rosbach.
SNACKS FOR SUCCESS
Success is the best advertising: 1982 the American concession industry makes contact with Haase. A cooperation agreement is made with Americas largest manufacturer of popcorn machines. Soon Haase develops into Americas largest selling export customer in the popcorn business. In addition to popcorn, cotton candy machines, almond roasters and accessories provide the foundation for todays fun food business. Later additions include crêpe and waffle cookers.
Haase, the popcorn pioneer, also proves himself successful in the movie cinema trade in 1983 by being the first to introduce popcorn to German movie theaters.
At the end of 1984 the corporate form of the firm is changed to a GmbH. In 1985 the first information technology system is implemented.
March1986 - publication of the first product catalogue.
Many concessionaires still rank among our customers. But also movie theaters, amusement parks as well as innovators in the food service industry increasingly count on Haases lucrative snack concepts.
A public relations report about the company appears in 1989 in the American NAC magazine. Move to the current company facilities in the Rosbach industrial park.
HAASE GOES EAST
By now Haase is supplying the needs of customers throughout Europe. The fall of the wall in 1989 opens a new market. The demand from Eastern Europe for American snack ideas is overwhelming. The Haase organization is expanded accordingly.
THE FUN FOOD CONNECTION
Time for a new logo: in 1992 the well-known Haase is replaced by the modern Fun Food Connection logo. That same year a joint venture in the Czech Republic is established. The company Paleta in Lipnice is the Czech Republics leading producer of gluten-free products. The second, but equally important, product line for the firm is the production of dough mixes and drink mixes for fun food products. An ideal complement to the product assortment of the Haase GmbH. The same year sees the establishment of Snacks and Sweets, a joint venture in Leipzig.
In 1994 the new, comprehensive Fun-Food-Katalog appears.
Beginning in 1996 the Haase product range is systematically expanded. With new partners, like the American blender manufacturer Vita-Mix and the Italian firm SPM Drink Systems, our Drinks & Ice product range establishes itself as a new focal point of our Fun Food program. From this point on Haase sources raw shelled popcorn from Southern France, a decision based on ecological concerns.
In 1997 the first Internet site is introduced and in 1998 the companys Intranet is implemented.
MILESTONES SINCE THE MILLENNIUM
A new Internet presence is introduced in 2000, bringing further innovations along with it: for the first time the Internet platform is linked to the merchandise planning and control system and connected to the database.
A live report is made about Haase on Deutschland-Radio. Premiere of the first Haase in-house trade exhibition.
"A trend is born": in 2001 Haase, jointly with Tchibo and Kaffee Extrablatt, introduces Frozen Cappuccino to the German market.
In 2002 the Homepage receives a facelift. A more modern and higher performance merchandise planning and control system is installed in the middle of the year. A milestone in the area of amusement parks is the furnishing of the German Legoland Park with fun food equipment. At the Hogatec exhibition Haase presents a fireworks of snack ideas. Frozen coffee specialties is the main attraction at the Coffee Shop special exhibition. For the first time the in-house trade exhibition is organized together with the Screen New Technologies GmbH, a neighboring company in the Rosbach industrial park. At the event-style exhibition there are 12 current fun food concepts to capture the amazement of the crowd.
At the beginning of 2003 the successful Internet pages are further optimized: more product illustrations and more detailed information provide an enhanced, customer-friendly experience. With the new Fun Food Catalogue 2003 an extensive range of product information in printed form is placed at our customers disposal. Frozen drinks are the hit at the Haase in-house trade exhibition and at the Internorga exhibition. The following hot summer rewards those customers who make the opportune decision in favor of one of Haases frozen drink concepts.
At the beginning of 2004 the rebuilding of our facilities is tackled. It was worth the effort: more open, more modern, more customer-friendly - such is the appearance of the facilities of the Haase GmbH since completion of the reconstruction project. The new telephone system is connected with the merchandise planning and control system, allowing us to provide even more efficient customer service.
In February 2004 Haase extends an invitation to an open house event and trend show titled Visions and Fun 2004. The motto Meet the Music provides the backdrop for non-stop premieres: a new nut product concept with fudge, caramel and cheese popcorn, new slush machines, and potato ovens for baked potatoes are just a few of the highlights presented.
The Internet site gets a facelift: since September 2004 funfood.de presents itself in a more clearly arranged, more customer-friendly, and more modern fashion. The expansion of the warehouse space in November 2004 also benefits the customer. The new layout of our offices permits a better overview of the business and provides shorter distances for both coworkers and customers. For product training sessions we now have a special training room available.
2005 sees the beginning of the successful training program "Top-Training". Participants learn all the essentials about the production of food and drink specialties in practice oriented workshops. Working together with the company Waring, an important American manufacturer of kitchen equipment, Haase expands the assortment to include the area of "Food Preparation". An extensive Asia trip supplies Helmut Haase with the beginnings of new and promising food and drink concepts. The first trends are already presented in the new catalogue "Best of Funfood". Particularly popular are "Global Food Trends" (with the emphasis on Asia), "Health Food" and "Gourmet Products".