There were close to 700 brands in the GDR, many with their own design. A good number did not survive the Wende, the political turnaround of 1989–90, because after 1990 customers first wanted to try new things and left the familiar products on the shelf. Among the brands that remained, there are two paths: some made it on their own, others were taken over by new owners along with their old names.
Spee and other acquired East German brands
One example of an acquired brand is the laundry detergent Spee, which now belongs to Henkel. Brand rights are big business, because many customers buy brands rather than products. Good money can also be made with East German brands that had already been written off. They are bought mainly in eastern Germany.
Rotkäppchen, Radeberger, Vita-Cola: drinks with East German history
A textbook example of a brand that made it on its own is Rotkäppchen. The sparkling wine producer from Freyburg an der Unstrut was founded in 1856 and later even took over the Mumm and MM Extra brands. Hasseröder from Saxony-Anhalt is still around too, as are Radeberger from Saxony and Lübzer Pils from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; those two were rare and sought after in GDR times. Vita-Cola was developed in 1958 and is today the second most popular cola in eastern Germany. Pfeffi, a vivid green peppermint liqueur, has survived as well.
More East German brands: from Bautzener mustard to Florena
There are more East German brands in stores than you might think. Bautzener and Altenburger mustard have stayed good and affordable. Nudossi and Naschi are chocolate-nut spreads that people like to put on Filinchen (thin wafer crispbread) or Burger Knäckebrot. Then there are Florena (cosmetics), Spreewaldhof (pickles), Leckermäulchen (quark, a fresh curd cheese), Halloren (chocolates), Halberstädter and Die Thüringer (sausage), Zörbiger (sugar beet syrup) and Zetti (candy).