Ethnic Value Matching Project

GERMAN ETHNIC HERITAGE

GLUHWEIN SYRUP:

WINTER’S GLOW

BY

Linda Crosby

Marketing 301

Prof. Carter

November 6, 2005
NEW ETHNIC AGRI-FOOD BRAND ARCHITECTURE

GLUHWEIN SYRUP

A Holiday Feast

For the Senses

This is a mock up of the front label of a 12 ounce, clear glass bottle containing a syrup made from spices, lemon rind and sugar. This syrup is ready to mix with wine or fruit juice and then heated for a delicious, traditional German beverage popular at Christmas Markets and at home during the holiday season.

The back label, in addition to the ingredients, will recite a brief history of the tradition of Gluhwein.

PACKAGING CONTINUED

BOTTLE CAP

Traditionally, this drink is made in a copper kettle over the hearth. To incorporate this concept, the bottle cap will be a plastic replica of the copper kettle. In addition to enhancing the packaging, the cap will serve a practical purpose. The volume of the cap will correspond with the correct measurement to be added for a single serving. This combines elements of functionality with nostalgia.

ETHNIC VALUE MATCHING PROJECT

PROJECT STEPS DOCUMENTATION

Project Objective “A” - People Values

1. Earth

These web sites document the physical environment of the “Old Country” and addresses the market traits that influence customer needs. This link addresses climate, geography, and topology of the various regions of Germany.

This link identifies the five geographical regions of Germany, as well as the geographical features and geological events that formed these regions. This reference also discusses the climate of each of the regions. These factors contribute to a geographically diverse country with rich farmland that is able to produce a wide variety of crops and agricultural products. This site documents land use and agricultural production.

The North German lowlands border the North and BalticSeas providing seaports to support commerce and trade. Traveling south, the terrain becomes more mountainous and the southern region of Bavaria is located in the Alps. Though considered temperate, the climate ranges from mild to cold. There is precipitation year around.

This site also addresses the physical environment and its ability to support the needs of the indigenous population. Located in the middle of the European continent, it has been heavily influenced by the surrounding countries.

The terrain is fertile with adequate water resources supporting not only agricultural production, but also plentiful livestock. This supply has resulted in a shift in emphasis from production, to storage. As a result storage techniques for smoking, marinating, and salting lead to an emphasis on preserved foods. Their neighbors influence the foods of Germany: Denmark and Scandinavia to the north and Austria and Italy to the south.

These two links provide maps of Germany. The first addresses the geography and topography. The second illustrates the major bodies of water including rivers, cities, and neighboring countries.

These maps illustrate the waterways and the relation of the major cities to those bodies of water. Most of the major cities in the country are located on or near a major body of water. This includes the port city of Hamburg, and the cities of Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, and Frankfurt all located along the Rhine River, the most important commercial waterway in Europe. Other major rivers are the Elbe, splitting east and west Germany, and the Danube in southern Germany.

This link provides a series of maps illustrating land uses in Germany, with distinction between East and West Germany. These maps document population distribution, natural resources, industrial production and agricultural land use.

The population is heavily concentrated in the large cities which is also home to the majority of industrial production including iron and steel manufacturing, transportation equipment, electrical engineering, and machinery and metalworking. Agricultural land use is predominantly mixed cropland and pasture, followed by production of potatoes, rye, barley, wheat and sugar beets.

2. History

The following links serve to address the market context from a historical point of view. The sites discuss the tumultuous political history that has lead to numerous wars, alliances and divisions, all of which have contributed to the identity of the German people.

This link provides a history of the country today known as Germany. The history of the area is very complex and the following events are only brief highlights.

• In the 4th and 5th centuries AD, German tribes overran most of the Roman Empire, and Slavic tribes occupied Germany east of the Elbe River.
• 800 AD, Charlemagne conquered the Saxons and extended the Frankish (French) domain in Germany to the Elbe River. He was crowned emperor at Rome.
• In the 10th Century, tribes from the north (Norsemen and Slav began invading Germany. This resulted in an economic breakdown and localization resulting in a manorial system and the growth of feudalism. At this time, Germany was still part of the Holy roman Empire but were unable to prevent the dukes from increasing their power at the expence of the central authority. Until the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, Germany remained a “patchwork of numerous small temporal and ecclesiastical principalities and free cities.”

The remainder of Europe in the 13th century was moving towards increased centralization. This was not the case with Germany and with a lack of wide authority lawlessness prevailed.

• Due to the lack of control by the central authority (Rome), they were unable to prevent the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. This resulted in greater religious and political divisions in Germany.
• After the Thirty Years War (1618 – 1648) Germany was in a state of misery and starvation, and lost much of their population. This service to perpetuate the institution of serfdom, which was declining on other parts of Western Europe.
• The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars brought an end to the rule of the Holy Roman Empire and forced German states to accept needed social,, political, and administrative reforms. The German military humiliation by Napoleon created a nationalist fervor for a strong unified state, resulting in the German Confederation.
• Bismark led Germany in the Franco-Prussian war and acquired Alsace and Lorraine from France. Germany became a power on continental Europe. Under Bismark’s autocratic rule (force of will, prestige and support of the emperor), Germany became Europe’s greatest manufacturing nation and accelerated urbanization. This Industrial Revolution came to Germany later than other countries. He developed social security laws that became models of welfare legislation throughout the world.
• At the end of World War I, a left-wing revolution overthrew the German government, resulting in a democratic and centralized federal constitution. The country was in economic crosis with high unemployment and inflation. The country struggled to return to economic prosperity. The Great Depression hit in 1929 causing increased political and social tensions. As a result, Nazi and Communist parties gained strength. In 1933, Hitler gained full dictatorial power.
• Hitler promised to build an empire that would last a thousand years. He attempted to make Germany economically self-sufficient, supervising industry, commerce, and foreign trade. Labor was state controlled. Germany was in a state of total collapse when World War II ended in 1945.
• The following years, as Germany became a battleground of the cold war, concern about guilt for the past subsided and focus was on the crippled German economy and serious food shortages. West Germany’s recovery and reindustrialization following World War II was remarkable.
• East and West Germany were reunified in 1990. At the turn of the century Germany maintains a dominant economic position in the European Union.
• October 10, 2005, Germany elected it’s first woman chancellor, Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Party.

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This reference again recounts the history of the German people with an emphasis on the events since 1871 when modern day Germany was formed.

The country as it is know today did not come into existence until 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian war. Immigration from Germany to the United States was heaviest during the end of the 19th century, as people left the country in search for a better life and freedom. Many were attracted to the United States by exaggerated stories of wealth.

3. Culture

This section discussed a dimension of the personal context, culture. This describes the

“socio-econocultural environment” in which our ancestors lived. These factors influence our tastes and preferences. According to the text, culture is everything that is learned and shared with members of a society.

This link relates the troubled history of the German people to the concept of Heimatkunst (Hiemat art). This term is used to categorize literature and art forms dealing with rural and provincial life.

Germany transitioned from a patchwork of states to a Prussia-dominated unified Germany in 1871. This created a tension between regional and national identities, which was intensified by rapid industrialization and urbanization. 1840 – 1900 (the period with the largest immigration to the United States) Germany became the second largest industrial power in the world. Prior to 1871, 2/3 of the people lived in rural communities of less than 2000. This was followed by a period of rapid urbanization. The concept of Heimat art provided a stable ground to help cope with change and provided a liveable identity. It created a sense of both national and local belongings and celebrated the “community of common purpose.” This gave rise to the genre of the village tale.

Culture refers to patterns of “human activity and symbolic structures that gives activity. significance.” According to this resource, “A world view, (or worldview) is a term from the German word Weltanschauung meaning "look onto the world". It implies a concept fundamental to German philosophy and epistemology and refers to a wide world perception. It refers to the framework through which an individual interprets the world and interacts in it. The German word is also in wide use in English, as well as the "translated" form world outlook.”

This site discusses German Romanticism, the dominant cultural movement of the 19th

century.

The German Romantic movement differed from other countries, since rather than serious, it valued humor and wit as well as beauty. It is considered that the Romantic Movement reached its greatest level of achievement in Germany and is most notable for the composers of the era: Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Brahms, Wagner and Beethoven.

This site provides a wealth of information about traditions, German holidays and festivals. Many of the German traditions were originally religious or rural-

agricultural in nature. As society evolves and becomes more secular and urban- industrial, some of these traditions may loose significance. Traditions serve to unite and build community, as well as provide an identity and a framework for each occasion. .

There are many similarities between German and American cultures and cuisines. American culture is filled with traditions that are German in origin: the Christmas Tree, Easter Bunny and wedding rings to name just a few. We also grew up with Grimm’s Fairy Tales and foods like mashed potatoes, not to mention kindergarten.

This link discusses the term “Volk” and its significance in the people of Germany. Later used, and associated with Hitler, the original term originally symbolized the idea of a unified German people in the 19th century following the Napoleonic war.

The English translation of this word is folk, however that does little to describe the concept. “Volk” is the sharing of a common culture and mother language. It is a concept that goes beyond citizenship. It is tied to “volkish mysticism;” the connection between the land and people. It ties together the concept of romantic love and cruelty, struggle and war, giants and fairies. It is part of the people, arts, belief, views and souls.

4. Values

A dimension of personal context, values are conceptions of what is good and desirable versus what is band and undesirable. Values are the “bedrock” of culture. Each of the following quotations provide a perspective on traditional German values, some of which have remained intact with today’s German-Americans.

“Old Country”

This site provides sayings and proverbs of German origin. A proverb is a saying used for a long time by many people. As German proverbs are plentiful, they frequently express concepts that are valued by the people. Many were listed in this site. I have selected just a few that demonstrate the most significant values of the German people.

A little too late, is much too late.
German Proverb – Punctuality

Rast ich, so rost ich. (When I rest, I rust.)
German Proverb - Industrious

Work is our business; it's success is God s.
Proverb, German
Business

Charity sees the need, not the cause.
Proverb, German
Charity

A clear conscience is a soft pillow.
Proverb, German
Conscience

Who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet.
Proverb, German
Failure

In the morning of life, work; in the mid day give council; in the evening, pray.
Proverb, German
Life and Living

Prudent men woo thrifty women.
Proverb, German
Men

This quotation states the traditional role of women in German society.

“For centuries, a woman's role in German society was summed up by the three words: Kinder (children), Kirche (church), and Küche (kitchen). Throughout the twentieth century, however, women have gradually won victories in their quest for equal rights.”

This link provides tips for business etiquette in countries around the world. The following excerpt illustrates the value of punctuality when conducting business.

“When attending meetings in Germany do not spend too long on 'small talk' at the beginning. Germans expect to start on time and get down to business after a very brief "How are you?" and "How was your trip?" Also make sure that you have detailed answers ready to key question areas of the business at hand.”

“New Country”

This site discusses the significance of festivals for the German people in the Unites States as a way to maintain their ethnic heritage, while show their best side to their new American countrymen.

"These festivals afforded Germans in the company of their fellow countrymen the opportunity to indulge in the old-time German style and therein acknowledge that their national traditions and moral fiber were valid even this far away from their original source." At the same time, the festivals afforded "the German element the opportunity to depict itself to Americans from its most positive angle; German skills, German strength, German education and German happy ways ought to enter the open marketplace of American business and civic activity, and thereby gradually raise them to a higher level of dedication"

“We live according to what is customary in America, but we hold dear our German customs and traditions.”

Project Objective “B” – Product – Wine and Gluhwein (Glow Wine)

1. Form

This link illustrates the wine regions of Germany. The land and climate of this area, particularly along the Rhine River lend itself to viticulture.

This link provides a traditional recipe made from wine: Gluhwein, or hot spiced wine. A red wine is heated with spices including cinnamon, cloves, lemon rind, cardamon and sugar.

Today, Geman specialty stores carry “tea bags” of spices that can be used to prepare the traditional wine.

2. Function

This site makes reference to correspondence between German literary figures Goethe and Schiller which is quoted as saying, “A shot of punch helps heat up the parlour.” During the 18th and 19th centuries spiced wines were popular to share on winter evenings. This moved outside to the streets as a popular item at Christmas Markets.

The tradition of the Christmas Market, known in Germany as Weinachtsmarkt or Christkindlesmart, has been established since 1434. Originating in Dresden, when the duke allowed a Christmas bread, or stolen to be distributed to the poor, this has become a tradition celebrated in virtually every city and town since. Throughout the Advent season (5 weeks before Christmas) townspeople have come together to celebrate the season. Some of these markets have become festivals including music and plays in addition to an assortment of foods. Gluhwein has become a traditional drink at the Christmas Markets to take the chill off a cold winter evening.

Gluhwein is also a traditional piece of many family Christmas and/or New Year celebrations. Traditionally made in a copper pot, the spices are added and a cone of sugar balanced over the pot that has been soaked with rum. The lights are dimmed and the cone of sugar lit. As rum is added, the sugar drips into the spiced wine.