Our Heritage
Beerenberg Farm dates back to 1839, when the Paech family settled at Hahndorf three years after the state of South Australia was proclaimed.
The small farming community of Hahndorf, 28km from Adelaide, was settled by German migrants, who applied their work ethic to the fertile Adelaide Hills land and forged a productive district that has retained its farming heritage. The Paechs settled a property at Paechtown, near Hahndorf. The farm is now known as Beerenberg.
Current owners, Grant and Carol Paech, are the fifth successive generation of Paechs to work the farm.
They inherited what was a dairy farm in 1970 and introduced milk rounds to sell milk to the public. They also diversified by planting a strawberry crop for some extra income.
When the crop flourished, a surplus led Grant to create his first batch of strawberry jam in 1971, and a new South Australian icon was born. In these early days the jam was made on the kitchen stove and sold in pots from roadside stalls and at local markets.
The success of the jam led to the planting of other crops and the introduction of new varieties of jam, followed by condiments and sauces.
By the early 1980s Beerenberg had established a reputation for quality and full-flavoured natural products. In 1985, the company entered a new stage when it began producing small glass jars of jam for Qantas, which had previously used imported products.
After the success of this venture, the mini jars were introduced in luxury Australian hotels, where the farm-style quality of the jams was an immediate hit.
Buoyed by the growing reputation of his products, Grant Paech then focused on taking on European jams in luxury hotels overseas. Beerenberg products are now on the breakfast trays of 300 of the best hotels in the Asia-Pacific region.
Beerenberg products are now sold globally in 24 countries.
In 1993 small foil packs were launched to meet growing demand from the hotel and tourism markets. Industry respect for the quality and integrity of the products has led to Beerenberg controlling more than 70 per cent of this sector in Australia.
Production has expanded at a managed rate in order to maintain Beerenberg's high standards.
The fifth and sixth generations of The Paech Family are the current stewards of Beerenberg Farm. Grant and Carol Paech are still involved in the business, while eldest son Anthony Paech is Managing Director, second son Robert is Farm Manager and daughter Sally is Marketing Manager.
