Nuremberg, September 26 2024. Nuremberg is famous far beyond its region as a city with a long tradition of brewing. However, what many do not know is that for a long time the Franconian metropolis was also the center of the global hop trade. Highly interesting proof of this can be found in the old accounting records of the company that today is the internationally operating hop specialist BarthHaas.
These records are now being painstakingly restored to preserve them for future generations. This is being made possible through support from the German Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage [Koordinierungsstelle für die Erhaltung des schriftlichen Kulturguts (KEK)] which has recognized the records as exemplary historical documents.
Those who dip into the BarthHaas archives will see Nuremberg’s tradition as the center of the hop trade brought to life. In the late 19th century, as many as 364 certified hop dealers sold the “green gold” here, and the export trade blossomed, too – thanks to the emergence of the railways which by 1862 already connected Nuremberg with all of Europe’s main cities.
As industrialization progressed and people flocked from the country to the towns in search of work, causing urban populations to explode, Johann Barth, the company founder’s grandson, likewise left the village of Betzenstein near Hersbruck for the metropolis of Nuremberg where in 1859 he entered his company – then trading as Joh. Barth & Sohn – in the commercial register.
Within just a few decades, the hop business had undergone a fundamental change. Around 1800, selling hops was still a door-to-door business. Johann Barth’s father Georg still drove his covered wagon from the hop growers to the local breweries where he would peddle his wares. Hops were still a long way from being considered economically important.
“The old accounting records wonderfully reveal the development from a door-to-door sales business to a market-oriented, international export trade,” enthuses Astrid Schneck who, as the BarthHaas archivist, is in charge of the restoration of these historical documents. “We’re dealing with extremely rare treasures here – namely what are probably the only remaining accounting records documenting the 19th century hop trade, although almost 400 businesses existed at that time.”
Over the course of the coming weeks, the old accounting records will be expertly cleaned and transferred to state-of-the-art archival boxes. Then the documents can be digitized and preserved for posterity. “Today, 230 years after its founding, BarthHaas is the world’s largest provider of hop-related services. Our innovative strength will also allow us to shape the future,” emphasizes Astrid Schneck. “That wouldn’t be possible without a deep rootedness in our tradition, which we are now bringing to life and making tangible again. Our historical archive will remind us of this, time and time again.”
It is thanks, too, to the subsidies from the KEK that the documents can be preserved for the long term and also be made available for research purposes. The KEK supports selected projects nationwide with subsidies from the Commissioner of the Federal Government for Culture and the Media as well as the Cultural Foundation of the Federal States.
Please note the photo credit: BarthHaas
About BarthHaas
BarthHaas is one of the world’s leading suppliers of hop products and hop-related services. The family-owned company specialises in the creative and efficient use of hops and hop products. As visionaries, instigators and implementers of ideas, BarthHaas has been shaping the market surrounding a unique raw material for over 225 years.
Contact
Thomas Raiser
Managing Director
BarthHaas GmbH & Co. KG
Tel. +49 911 5489 115
thomas.raiser@barthhaas.de