Julius Grossmann, so-called „Hamburger Pfeffersack“ @museum.de

The procurement of spices was a time-consuming and highly risky business, accounting for very high prices up to weighing in gold. The high profit margins tempted courageous traders and adventurous sea farers to take the risk for the sake of big revenue.

Many men failed, lost their lives and are hardly mentioned. The successful adventurers, however, went down in history as discoverers or envied “Pfeffersäcke” (pepper sacs).
Gone are these legendary times, as is the associated nostalgia, the imagery of exotic cargo hoisted from sailing ships or steamboats, then stored in fragrant half-timbered storage houses.
In those days, a spice merchant, called “Pfeffersack”, was someone who voluntarily paid his taxes – hard to believe. A few sacs of pepper were as good as a bank: They were stowed in a safe place, and the owner was sure that the prices would rise. The “Pfeffersäcke” in Hamburg had a high income, yet the Fugger and Welser families in Southern Germany were far wealthier.

Jealousy was rampant, and the expression “Pfeffersack” obtained a mocking taste – although an oath had to be sworn to be entitled to be one. Allegedly, they sat fat and lazy on their sacs while waiting for their wealth to naturally multiply. The Danish King Christian IV insulted them enviously as greasy herring traders and bear skinners. In 2002, the local newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt titled: “Pfeffersack” is a honorary title!

Immerse yourself back into days gone by, when the spice trade still promised wealth and power and the prospect of a sac of pepper as dowry sweetened a man’s decision to marry … Learn about the history of spices and the “Pfeffersäcke” of Hamburg by looking at the company history of Julius Grossmann. He – more precisely, his company - “machte in Gewürzen” (made in spices – colloquial German) from 1853 until 1997. Unique exhibits from the 19th century, including an artful leather chest of 1903 – filled with gold-leaf panels documenting the history of Grossmann - bring back the ancient times.

Original “Preis-Couranten” (i. e. compilation of market prices of spices on a product price list for a precisely specified period of time) and business records as of 1853 (!) give a vivid picture of a brilliant time of trading in Hamburg.