Develops and produces tailor-made premium flavours for the tobacco, nicotine, vape and beverage industries – Made in Hamburg.
Hertz & Selck GmbH & Co. (KG)
Hamburg · Norderstedt · DubaiNew on Amplifa
About Hertz & Selck
Hertz & Selck is a flavour and fragrance manufacturer founded in 1931 and headquartered in Hamburg. The family-owned company develops and produces tailor-made flavours for the tobacco, shisha, nicotine, vape and beverage industries, complemented by tea and organic flavours. The value chain covers the creation and modification of recipes, distillation, extraction, maceration, blending and filling, supported by an application laboratory with panel tests. Production uses a fully automatic dosing system for hundreds of raw materials and modern filling systems according to FSSC-22000 and ISO-22000 standards. With more than 10,000 active formulas, the company supplies around 300 customers in more than 60 countries on four continents. At the headquarters at Tarpenring 23 (since 2012) and the second site in Norderstedt opened in 2025, R&D, production and warehousing work together; a branch in Dubai serves the Arab and Asian regions.
- Site
- Hamburg
- Processes
- Flavour creation / recipe development (flavour creation), Modification of existing flavour recipes (e.g. concentration increase), Application tests (panel smoke tests, tests for solubility, colour, taste, dosage), Production of flavours (blending/mixing), Distillation, Extraction, Maceration, Filling of flavours / e-liquids
- Materials
- Essential oils, Fruit concentrates, Tobacco, Natural flavours, Nature-identical flavours, Natural and refined extracts, e-liquid, Organic flavours / organic flavourings
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 22000:2018, FSSC 22000 (V6), EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 (DE-ÖKO-072)
- Industries
- Tobacco industry, Shisha tobacco, Smoke-free nicotine products, Vape/e-liquid industry, Beverage industry, Tea industry
- 01
Briefing and creation
- 02
Sample production in the laboratory
- 03
Application and panel tests
- 04
Approval
- 05
Blending/distillation/extraction/maceration
- 06
Filling
- 07
Quality control and batch release
- 08
Shipping
Materials & Raw Materials
Natural flavours
Used especially in tea and beverage applications.
Nature-identical flavours
Basis for tea and shisha creations.
Essential oils
The company's historical core raw material group.
Fruit concentrates
Original business field for the food industry.
Organic flavours, organic base materials, organic fruit juice concentrates,
Certified under EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 (DE-ÖKO-072).
e-liquid flavours
Portfolio with hundreds of flavours for POD systems, disposables, MTL and DL.
Distillates, extracts/tinctures, compounds
Base materials for spirits and non-alcoholic beverages.
Additives (e.g. white-ashes-and-burning promoter, harshness reducer)
Packaging, filter and cigarette paper flavours for the tobacco industry.
Sites
Hamburg (Tarpenring 23)
DEHeadquarters: R&D, laboratory analytics, production, administration
- Materials
- Flavours, raw materials, organic products
- Fully automatic dosing system
- Production and filling systems
- Blending lab and application laboratory
- Steam generator
- Photovoltaic system (approx. 100 kWp, expansion to 305 kWp planned)
Norderstedt (Nordportbogen 8)
DESecond site: production and warehouse halls, close to Hamburg Airport
- Materials
- Raw materials for flavour production, food-grade flavours
- Production and warehouse halls (expansion in stages)
Dubai Science Park (Al Barsha South)
AEBranch of Hertz & Selck Middle East FZ-LLC, hub for the Arab and Asian regions
Product Areas
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flavour creation / recipe development (flavour creation)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Natural and nature-identical flavours, Essential oils, Fruit concentrates |
| Modification of existing flavour recipes (e.g. concentration increase)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Application tests (panel smoke tests, tests for solubility, colour, taste, dosage)Testing | – | – | – | – | Tobacco, Shisha tobacco, e-liquids, Nicotine pouches |
| Production of flavours (blending/mixing)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Flavours, Raw materials |
| DistillationEngineering | – | – | – | – | Distillates, Spirits flavours |
| ExtractionEngineering | – | – | – | – | Natural and refined extracts, Flavour extracts |
| MacerationEngineering | – | – | – | – | Flavours, Extracts / tinctures |
| Filling of flavours / e-liquidsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Flavours, e-liquids |
| Production of organic flavours, organic base materials and organic fruit juice concentrates (EUEngineering | – | – | – | – | Organic flavours, Organic base materials, Organic fruit juice concentrates, Organic flavour extracts |
| Laboratory analytics and quality assurance (raw material inspection to batch release)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Storage of raw materials for flavour production and food flavoursEngineering | – | – | – | – | Raw materials, Flavours |
| Development of e-liquid flavours for POD systems, disposables, MTL and DLEngineering | – | – | – | – | e-liquid, Flavours |
| Flavours for beverages and spirits (incl. base materials/compounds, distillates, extracts/tinctures)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Flavours for non-alcoholic beverages, Flavours for spirits, Base materials / compounds, Distillates, Extracts / tinctures |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully automatic dosing system (raw material processing, hundreds of raw materials) | – | – | – | – | Hamburg (Tarpenring 23) |
| Production and filling systems | – | – | – | – | Hamburg (Tarpenring 23) |
| Steam generator | – | – | – | – | Hamburg (Tarpenring 23) |
| Electric steam generators and industrial heat pumps (planned, as part of electrification) | – | – | – | – | Hamburg |
| Photovoltaic system (currently just under 100 kW peak, expansion to 305 kW peak planned) | – | 1 | – | – | Hamburg |
| Refrigeration systems for raw material storage (with waste heat recovery) | – | – | – | – | Hamburg |
| Compressed air supply (redundant systems) | – | – | – | – | Hamburg |
| Laboratory for R&D, laboratory analytics and application (blending lab, application laboratory) | – | – | – | – | Hamburg (Tarpenring 23) |
| Production and warehouse halls (site expansion) | – | – | – | 2025 | Norderstedt (Nordportbogen 8) |
Quality & Certificates
Continuous quality assurance from raw material inspection to batch release is supported by state-certified food chemists, flavourists and panel approvals. Every raw material undergoes the same rigorous controls as the finished product.
| Evidence | Hamburg | Norderstedt |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | ||
| ISO 22000:2018 | ||
| FSSC 22000 (V6) | ||
| EU Organic Regulation 2018/848 (DE-ÖKO-072) |
History
- 1931
Founded in Hamburg by Alfred Hertz and Carl Selck; business field of essential oils, fruit concentrates and dried fruits.
- 1957
Günther Hertz and Joachim Hertz join the company; systematic expansion of the tobacco flavour business.
- 1966
Joachim Hertz becomes managing director; tobacco flavours account for 90 percent of revenue.
- 1972
Felix Schiffer becomes a limited partner and later managing director (until 2008).
- 2001
Jan Hertz becomes a limited partner and managing director.
- 2005
Lutz Dörning becomes managing director.
- 2012
Relocation of headquarters and production to Tarpenring 23 in Hamburg.
- 2013
Establishment of a dedicated beverage business division.
- 2018
New building for production expansion; 300 customers, exports to more than 60 countries.
- 2021
Relaunch of logo and corporate identity; new claim "WE FLAVOUR THE WORLD".
- 2023
Bianca Hinrichsen takes over management from Jan Hertz.
- 2024
Peter Hertz takes over responsibility for Human Resources.
- 2025
Opening of the branch at Dubai Science Park (UAE) and of the second site at Nordportbogen 8 in Norderstedt.
- 2026
Dr. Philipp Brüning joins Bianca Hinrichsen in management (dual leadership).