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The next generation is already making big contributions


Rapunzel Naturkost – a family business

Since its foundation by Joseph Wilhelm and Jennifer Vermeulen in 1974, Rapunzel has been shaped by family. Today, the company is 100 percent family-owned – and the next generation has already been taking on responsibility for some time. Leonhard Wilhelm has been Managing Director since 2019. His sisters, Rosalie Dorn and Seraphine Wilhelm, joined the management team on Rapunzel's 50th anniversary. Prior to this, they were both working as department heads in the company.

Joseph Wilhelm is pleased: “What could be nicer than the children living out Rapunzel’s values, joining the company and taking on responsibility, freely and driven by their own convictions? They will make their own contributions and help to design the company’s future in accordance with their skills and the requirements of the time.”

Leonhard Wilhelm confirms that the young generation is contributing its own new ideas: “I won’t simply follow in my parents’ footsteps but will make my own way.” As a passionate sportsman and skateboarder, he knows that consciously pushing boundaries can ultimately lead to success, once the necessary skills have been acquired.

Rosalie Dorn and Seraphine Wilhelm are also looking forward to actively shaping the future of the organic food pioneer:

"Fair trade and organic farming will remain a top priority for us in the future. Seeing how much we, as Rapunzel, are achieving worldwide motivates me every day!” Rosalie Dorn explains. At Rapunzel, she combines her preference for process optimisation with her passion for sustainability.

"A centrepiece of the company is the Rapunzel brand and how it is communicated to the outside world. Together with the employees, I am very much looking forward to using my energy and passion to propel the company and the brand into the future," Seraphine Wilhelm concludes. She lived in New York and Berlin for more than 20 years, bringing international experience to the Allgäu region.


100 percent in family ownership

In 1974 Joseph Wilhelm and Jennifer Vermeulen created the self-supporting community that would grow into the Rapunzel company. In order to be free from economic external considerations when making decisions, Rapunzel is very deliberately 100% family owned. Since 2017, all of Joseph Wilhelm's children have been shareholders in the company. In 2019, Leonhard Wilhelm joined the management team, followed by Rosalie Dorn and Seraphine Wilhelm in 2024.

All of Joseph Wilhelm’s children have been Rapunzel shareholders since 2017.
All of Joseph Wilhelm’s children have been Rapunzel shareholders since 2017.
All of Joseph Wilhelm’s children have been Rapunzel shareholders since 2017.

Introducing the next generation of Rapunzel

Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Leonhard Wilhelm
Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Leonhard Wilhelm

Leonhard Wilhelm

 

Son Leonhard Wilhelm has been with the company for the longest.
After his apprenticeship as a wholesaler and export merchant, he began working at Rapunzel exporting raw materials, and after some time supported the department head of purchasing as a team leader in raw materials trading. As an assistant to management, he consolidated his insights into the departments’ operative areas and also prepared himself for management responsibility with a master’s degree in management.

He has been part of the management team since 2019, and has been responsible for trade with purchasing and sales as well as production and technology since 2024.

Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Rosalie Dorn
Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Rosalie Dorn

Rosalie Dorn


Before she obtained her degree, Rosalie Dorn completed an internship at Rapunzel Turkey. With her bachelor thesis, she designed Rapunzel’s first sustainability report. As sustainability manager, she has stayed loyal to the topic and coordinates intradepartmental exchanges on the topic. After her master’s degree, she worked for an international auditing company and gathered experience in the fields of processes and IT. Since 2019, she supported commercial management at Rapunzel.


Today, as part of the management team, she is in charge of logistics and IT as well as financial accounting, controlling, process management and sustainability.

Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Seraphine Wilhelm
Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Seraphine Wilhelm

Seraphine Wilhelm


Seraphine Wilhelm started her professional career at Rapunzel with an apprenticeship as a wholesale and export merchant. She then moved to New York, Boston and Berlin, where she gained many years of professional experience in the event sector and in gastronomy, as well as a master’s degree in business administration. She started Rapunzel’s Instagram account and created recipes and images for this medium for many years.
Since 2018, she supported Rapunzel’s management as an assistant.

As part of the management team, she is now responsible for the marketing, product management and quality assurance departments as well as the organic market in Legau.

Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Justina Wilhelm
Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Justina Wilhelm

Justina Wilhelm


For many years now, Justina Wilhelm has worked as a freelance photographer. Her professional career also began at Rapunzel as a trainee in the marketing department. Later, she completed an apprenticeship as a photographer.

She now spends a lot of her time travelling on behalf of Rapunzel and always makes sure to take her camera with her, for example when visiting suppliers all over the world. Many of the photos on rapunzel.de are hers. Her images and recipes are a popular feature of Rapunzel’s Instagram channel.

Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Justina Wilhelm
Das Familienunternehmen Rapunzel: Justina Wilhelm

Meike Bauer


Meike Bauer works in the teaching profession. She is active in the foundation council of the RAPUNZEL One World Organic Foundation, meaning that she is closely connected to the social and ecological involvement of the Rapunzel company.

Three generations united at breakfast

One spreads Samba on his bread, the other eats her delicious Original Muesli for breakfast – the tastes of three generations can be very different. But everyone can agree on one thing: a family breakfast together is always a great experience. In this short video, you can see the Rapunzel family of founders Joseph Wilhelm and Jennifer Vermeulen, starting their day together with their children and grandchildren.

The breakfast taking place here on a small scale takes place every day on a larger scale at Rapunzel Naturkost – at the free employee breakfast together, where the whole company gathers. In the cosy and stylishly decorated Rapunzel Casino, gathered around small benches and large wooden tables, plenty of conversations and mutual meetings take place, and employees can go on to perform their daily tasks, in a good mood and freshly fortified.
HAND IN HAND

Fair trade and organic farming are central for Rapunzel


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