Karol Wedel came to Poland from Berlin and in 1851, set up his own business in Warsaw.

In the tasteful interiors at Miodowa Street, Karol Wedel, accompanied by his wife, Karolina, served drinking chocolate. In addition to the sweet delicacies, ”Cukiernia E.Wedel” (E.Wedel Confectioner’s Shop) offered also pharmaceutical products: malt syrup, cough caramels and peppermint pastilles.

Wedel’s delicacies were highly popular among the local people, who visited the shop in crowds, tasting the interesting flavour compositions not yet known to them.

Having already gained appropriate skills under the watchful eye of his father and after having practiced in the confectionery art in Paris for two years, Emil took control over the company in 1865.

Immediately after receiving the company as a wedding gift, Emil moved the factory to a tenement at Szpitalna Street in Warsaw, where a brand shop and an E.Wedel Chocolate Café ”Staroświecki Sklep” (Old-fashioned Shop) are located to this day.

Wedel’s chocolate was so popular that fakes began to appear quickly. In order to eliminate them from the market, Emil decided to affix a handwritten signature to each bar of chocolate.

With the passing of time, the E.Wedel signature became the identification of the brand and grew into its history so strongly that it successfully operates to this day, only in a slightly modified form.

Emil, similarly as previously his father, Karol, also educated his son, Jan, so that one day he could take over the family heritage.

Emil and Jan Wedel jointly managed the company at Szpitalna Street since as early as 1912. The father trained his son to become his worthy successor.

Finally, Jan took over the heritage in 1923, when both of his parents were already dead.

In 1932, the company ”Emil Wedel i Syn” (Emil Wedel and Son) transformed into ”Fabryka Czekolady E.Wedel, Spółka Akcyjna” (E.Wedel Chocolate Factory).

A boy on a zebra - Jan Wedel, heir to a family company engaged in the production of sweets E. Wedel, commissioned the preparation of the symbol of the company. He invited Leonetto Capiello, a popular poster artist, author of caricatures and commercials, also a painter, working in Paris. Nowadays, this artist is often called the "father of modern advertising" because of his innovative approach to posters. He was the first poster artist to use expressive characters emerging from a black background.

In 1931, Jan Wedel moved the factory to Zamoyski Street in Warsaw.

Construction of the new factory stirred many emotions among the citizens of Warsaw. For Jan, however, the changes were necessary — he imported the most up-to-date machinery for the manufature of hard and aerated chocolate as well as the first equipment for wrapping caramels in shiny wrappings in Poland

The factory operates at Zamoyski Street in Warsaw to this date.

Jan Wedel modernised the logistics department of his factories: during this term, cars with the inscription ”E.Wedel” and a characteristic bar of chocolate were purchased, as well as an RWD–13 airplane which promoted the Wedel sweets while flying over the Polish coast.

Additionally, Jan began employing women for the manufacture of chocolate and increased the factory’s overall employment fivefold. He also ensured excellent welfare conditions, inter alia, dentist, pre-school and holiday trips for the employees’ families.

Jan Wedel, inspired by his travel around France, decided to begin the manufacture of marshmallows covered in original Wedel chocolate.

This was an innovative product with a surprising taste, which turned out a great success.

Ptasie Mleczko® is Wedel’s flagship product, which to date delights Polish palates and has been awarded many times for its taste and quality.

The factory operated during the siege of Warsaw, and was ordered to manufacture chocolate only for the Germans.

However, Jan Wedel secretly organised educational courses and served meals for the local people.

After surrender of Warsaw, Jan Wedel was arrested and transported to the camp in Pruszków.

The factory’s employees prudently bricked in part of the products in the factory, so as to protect them from German inventorying.

In September 1944, the remaining factory’s possessions were stolen by the Russian army.

The factory and subsequent brand shops in Warsaw and other Polish cities, inter alia, in Łódź, Gdynia, Zakopane, Ciechocinek, as well as Lviv, Vilnius, or Paris remained the property of the Wedel family as long as until 1949.

After the end of war, Jan Wedel worked as an advisor in his factory for a short period. However, he was forced to leave after a few months. He died in 1960

In 1949, the Factory changed its name to Zakłady Przemysłu Cukierniczego im. 22 lipca d. E.Wedel (22nd July Confectionery Industry Factory, prev. E.Wedel).

In 1989, transformation began and the long-awaited changes and the period of privatisation of Polish companies started.

Nestle began to be interested in the factories, but in the end it was the American PepsiCo that purchased the shares.

However, it turned out quite quickly that the investment was not entirely in line with the development strategy of the PepsiCo concern, which decided to divide and sell the factories.

In 1999, the manufacturer of sweets, PepsiCo’s Syrena factory in Warsaw was sold to the Finnish Leaf, the chocolate part was purchased by a British brand, Cadbury Schweppes, while the cookie factory in Płońsk became the property of the French Danone.

Entrepreneurship, leadership and cooperation in strengthening the Wedel Brand are crucial to LOTTE Wedel. We choose new directions for our development which are aimed at highlighting the brand’s tradition, high-quality products, uniqueness and focus on the customer.

In Wedel, it is the people that matter: their creativity and readiness to take up new challenges. LOTTE Wedel wishes to continue the work of the Wedels and influence people by cooperating with them.

LOTTE Wedel bears in mind that a long-time success and the brand’s strength are built upon the dedication of the people who create it.

In March 2011, Wedel became the first National Sponsor of UEFA Euro 2012TM.

All actions relating to this prestigious event aimed at bringing a smile to the faces of European Football Championships participants. Wedel accompanied all fans, with its products as well as with all activities connected with EURO 2012.

Wedel confectioners created a chocolate sculpture of the National Stadium, for which they used 400 kilograms of chocolate.

Wedel products are gaining more and more fans abroad with perspectives to expand on new markets. Anticipating customer expectations, we continue to widen our portfolio, with international availability as one of the focus areas. We already export our products to over 50 countries worldwide, but USA, Canada and UK are currently key markets