Podcast Episode 19: From Family Legacy to Future Project – The Brand Transformation of the Bauhöfer Family Brewery

Ein Traditionsunternehmen wagt den Schritt in die Zukunft – und macht sein Rebranding zum Vorzeigeprojekt.

A traditional company takes a bold step into the future – turning its rebranding into a showcase project.

The Bauhöfer Family Brewery, long known to many under the name Ulmer Bier, took a courageous step in 2021: it returned to its own family name. Ulmer Bier became Bauhöfer. What might sound like a simple name change was, in fact, a complex project that combined tradition, identity, and modern project management.

In the podcast Snacksize Project Management, Managing Director Katharina Schuler shared how she experienced this transformation – and what lessons other companies can learn from it.

When Katharina took over as Managing Director in 2019, she stepped into the footsteps of her grandfather. “It was a healthy mix of respect and anticipation”, she recalls. Her entry marked not only a generational change but also the starting signal for one of the most significant transformation steps in the company’s recent history.

Bauhöfer as a Brand: Quality and Regional Roots

The brand’s core is clear: quality, tradition, and regionality. These are exactly the values the company wanted to communicate even more strongly through the rebranding. Even before the relaunch, there were individual products bearing the Bauhöfer name – such as Oktobergold or Schwarzwaldmarie. With the relaunch, the family name was consistently established as the umbrella brand.

Rebranding Project: From Concept to Rollout

The official project launch took place in 2019, with the rollout in spring 2021 – a project duration of two years.

The structure:

• Strategic decisions made within the family circle and management

• Collaboration with an external agency for logo, tagline, and packaging design

• A small core team consisting of three internal and three agency representatives

• Regular involvement of employees and shareholders

Katharina herself was involved in all decision-making processes – from the design of the labels to external communications.

Challenges and Learnings

Of course, not everything went smoothly. The biggest hurdle was the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily brought the project to a halt. Yet Bauhöfer decided to cross the “point of no return” and see the project through to completion.

A key learning for Katharina was clear communication: “At the beginning, I relied too often on things simply happening. Today I know: decisions must be deliberately addressed and shared transparently.”

Market Response

Contrary to many expectations, the brand change encountered surprisingly little resistance. Customers and partners responded predominantly positively – not least because Bauhöfer communicated the move as a return to its own roots.

Four years after the relaunch, Katharina draws a positive conclusion:

• The project has paid off – for the brand, the market presence, and the team.
  
  
• New products, such as Bauhöfer Schwarzwälder Helles, have also gained momentum.
  
  
• The brewery sees its future firmly rooted in the region: “If we can say that we make the best beer in the Baden region, then I am satisfied.”

Conclusion

Rebranding as a Showcase for Project Management

The brand transformation from Ulmer Bier to Bauhöfer demonstrates that tradition and project management can go hand in hand. With a clear goal, bold decisions, and consistent execution, such a project can be successfully managed even in uncertain times.

Want to dive deeper into the rebranding of the Bauhöfer Family Brewery? Then tune in now to the latest episode of Snacksize Project Management.