Köllnflocken come from Elmshorn in northern Germany. Founded in 1820 by Peter Kölln, the company’s most important product is “Blütenzarte Köllnflocken”. A well-established brand for 80 years. From the steam engine era to the threshold of industrialisation 4.0, oat flakes have been part of a healthy breakfast in many households.

The company made its breakthrough into one of the best-known German brands in 1938. Until then, oatmeal was sold loose in grocers’ shops, and the profit margin was small. The owner of the company at the time, Peter Kölln, had the idea of packaging oatmeal in bags and enclosing collectible pictures with fairy tale motifs in the packaging. It was the beginning of a success story. To this day, the company from Elmshorn in Schleswig-Holstein is the market leader in cereal products for the breakfast table.

For the history series “Made in Northern Germany”, Manfred Uhlig goes in search of historical traces and also explores in the present what of the founder’s legacy is still being carried on today.