Made in Germany: German Gift Ideas our American Families Love
Whether you are shopping for the holidays, a loved one’s birthday, or just a surprise gift, we have found that there is a plethora of German-made products that delight our American friends and family. From handmade German toys, to unique foods, cosmetics and adult beverages like fine wines and spirits - we managed to check every box off on our Christmas list this year by shopping locally in Germany. Enjoy our list of German gift ideas!
Now it is important to underscore here: In this article we are NOT addressing German souvenirs. Don’t get us wrong, there are some pretty great souvenirs from Germany like beer steins and cuckoo clocks. But in our opinion, those are best suited for remembering a trip. Rather, on birthdays and holidays like Christmas, we like to get our loved ones presents that align with their interests and hobbies.
So if you are shopping for yourself or your loved ones, check out our list below for the Gifts from Germany that our American friends and families love to receive.
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Follow along on our German Christmas present haul!
Fagus Wooden Toys
Fagus is a German crafter of sturdy wooden trucks and vehicles made of solid Beechwood. In fact, the name ‘Fagus’ is latin for beechwood trees.
From simple cars all the way to the most complex cranes, garbage trucks and forklifts, Fagus vehicles are a long-lasting toy that will suit a range of ages. Featuring unique touches like knobby tires, wheels that turn and knobs and cranks that activate complex mechanisms - their products are great for older kids (and even kids-at-heart, like Jonathan).
But our favorite feature about Fagus is their production team. All of their products are made in their German workshop staffed by those with physical and/or developmental disabilities.
We purchased Jack this adorable tractor for Christmas this year, and he loves it.
Grimm’s Wooden Toys
A family owned and sustainably managed manufacturer at the foot of the Swabian Alb (right by the Black Forest!), Grimm’s wooden toys produce beautiful, safe, and educational toys made of wood. Their minimal design is perfect for developmental and educational gains, as well as fostering your child’s creativity.
During the development of their toys, they are guided by the principles of Waldorf education and other educational approaches, such as Montessori. With a few exceptions, everything is sanded and assembled by hand, giving each piece unique character.
Over the years, we have purchased many of their German gifts - from this wooden rainbow, to this block pyramid, and these adorable wooden race cars and trucks.
NIC Wooden Toys
NIC is another great option for wooden German toys that is located here in Baden-Württemberg. They have been producing great German made products for over 25 years.
NIC - toys are creative because ...
stimulate creative thinking and free design
they encourage children to let their imagination run wild in order to create their own play worlds
Practice social interaction among children in role play
they promote and support the development of motor skills and logical thinking
As a great German Christmas present for our family, we purchased this NIC rainmaker/ rattle tower. However, if you are looking for a more elaborate German gift idea, we also recommend this really cool marble and car run.
Other great Made in Germany wooden toy companies to look at:
Corvus “Kids-at-Work” Construction Toys
The company Kids at Work by Corvus is based in Kirchentellinsfurt (close to Tübingen,and just south of Stuttgart) in Baden-Württemberg and offers tools especially for children. The basic idea of Kinds at Work is that in an increasingly digitized world it is all the more important that children gain their first experience with real tools.
We recently purchased this leather tool belt bag and set, as well as a Philips and flathead screwdriver.
Djeco Toys and Puzzles
Djeco is known for its beautiful puzzles, imaginative dollhouses and original games. Technically they are not a German gift, but rather, a French one (but they are right across the Rhine, so we wanted to include them too). The company is a woman owned business that was started in the mid-50’s. But we especially love that their games are attractive, intelligent and fun at the same time.
You can typically only find these toys at speciality toy stores like the Holzpferd that we visited in Altstadt Freiburg. However, a range of prestigious museums also sell their toys including the Louvre in Paris, the Tate in the United Kingdom, MoMA in the United States and others in Germany, Denmark, and many more.
For Christmas this year, we purchased this wooden bead jewelry set and this wooden construction marble run set.
Kallisto Stofftiere
Interestingly, Kallisto stuffed animal manufacturer has been located throughout Germany in their lifetime. They started in 1990 in a city called Allgäu, in 1993 they moved here to the city of Freiburg but since 2009 they have been based in Berlin.
They have the cutest range of stuffed animals and puppets. Many of their products are vegan, and we love that they are super soft and cuddly.
This year we purchased this dragon for Jack as a German Christmas present.
Other great Made in Germany stuffed animal companies:
Gmeiner German Chocolates
As a special gift for the adults, we love purchasing chocolates and sweet treats made by our local chocolatier in Freiburg. For us, that is Gmeiner and their storefront near the Martinstor in Old Town is one of the most beautiful shops we have ever stepped foot in. Food might normally difficult to transport, but chocolates are always a great German gift idea!
This time of year you can purchase traditional German Christmas cookies and stollen… but they also have candied nuts, truffles, chocolate witches huts, and so much more.
And of course, you can always stop in for the best tortes and cakes in the city year-round. Their assortment is just as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat.
Ritter Sport Chocolates
While speciality chocolate makes for an indulgent gift, we have also found that our family back in the United States delights from our “everyday” things as well. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to bring back some of the magic of life in Germany.
And again, while Gmeiner chocolates are “on-another-level”, I personally really love Ritter Sport Chocolate. Their dark chocolate with hazelnuts is divine.
We usually buy a few just to share and have out on the table. The little kids love trying to read the packaging in German and guess the flavor of the chocolates.
Haribo Gummy Bears
I don’t think this list would really be complete without mentioning Haribo Gummy Bears. Like the Ritter Sport chocolates, these are just a great, inexpensive gift to bring back with you. In all fairness, you can find Haribo back in the United States, but along with the chocolates we bring them back because the kids love looking at the German packaging. I don’t think I even knew growing up that Haribo was a German brand until I moved to Germany.
Plus, they pack great in your suitcase and are always good to share with a group of people.
This year we brought back an assortment, including traditional Haribo Gummy Bears, Sour Gummy Bears, and Cherry Gummies.
Gummies in a German beer glass.
Bären Company Gummy Bears
But while Haribo might be the most “famous” gummy bear brand - they certainly aren’t the only ones. There’s a local store in Freiburg that sells these really creative gummy bear gifts called The Bären Company.
The gummy bears are actually produced in Herbolzheim, which is a small town just 45 minutes north of us!
Wine from the Staatsweingut Freiburg
If you have ever visited Freiburg, you’ve probably seen that the south-facing hillside overlooking Old Town is covered in grapevines. And in fact there are hillsides all over the city dotted with small vineyards - most of which are owned by the Staatsweingut Freiburg.
That’s because the state winery serves the scientists of the Freiburg State Winegrowing Institute as a test farm. This University City even extends academia to its wine and we are happy to do some taste testing… for science….
Although you can buy their wines from a number of local vendors, you can actually visit their shop in the Merzhausen district and purchase wine directly from them or go on one of their wine tours.
But we love bringing back wine from our area and sharing it with our family. It isn’t really a “present” that they open but just a “thank you for hosting us at your house”. So we purchase a couple of bottles for my family and a couple of yours.
FAUDE fine BRÄNDE
Don’t get me wrong, Germany has a great history of beer and wine production… but there’s actually also a really great collection of small batch liquor distilleries located in the Black Forest and surrounding area. For Jonathan’s birthday a couple of years ago, I took him on a distillery tour of the Monkey 47 Gin which was amazing.
But we were super excited when we found out about Faude fine Brände. Located in the Kaiserstuhl in the town of Bötzingen, they take the fruit that is grown in the volcanic soil from this world renowned wine producing region and create small-batch brandies, spirits and other liquor.
This year we purchased this trio gift box of fine spirits, and we think it will be a great addition to our family member’s collection of international spirits.
Sans Soucis
So although the name is French for “no-problem”, Sans Soucis is a German cosmetic company located in Baden-Baden. And as the name Baden-Baden suggests, for those of you who have not visited, Baden-Baden is a city in Baden-Württemberg that is known for their thermal baths.
So the exclusive Baden-Baden thermal water with numerous minerals and trace elements is what forms the basis of all of their products. So not only are all of their products are "Made in Germany", they are actually developed, produced and manufactured in the Unesco world heritage site of Baden-Baden. A really unique and inventive German gift idea!
This year, we picked up an assortment of cosmetics and self-care items, including: a refreshing charcoal face mask, papaya face cream, and cleansing foam.
Art Deco Cosmetics
Although Art Deco is sold around the world, they are still a family owned company in Karlsfeld near Munich. It’s a really nice, affordable German cosmetic brand.
And although sustainability is still a huge issue in the cosmetic industry, one of the things I appreciate about Art Deco is their commitment to moving towards more sustainable production. Their facilities in Germany are solar powered, they have actually had a refillable system for eyeshadow, blush, foundation and powder since our founding in 1985. Which is pretty cool and makes them a great German gift.
This year, we purchased some Art Deco nail polish, and lip gloss for the girly girls in our family.
We hope you enjoyed this list of German-made, produced and designed gifts. However, we know that this is not an exhaustive list and would love to hear from you on what we should include on next year’s list of German gifts. If you have any great ideas, let us know down below in the comments box!
German Beer Stein
So we have to admit, no one really drinks out of these fancy looking beer steins anymore in Germany. However, they are still very cool to look at and our American friends and family love them. They are still a great German gift idea. Here are a few to choose from:
This cuckoo clock was a gift for Ashton’s Mom
German Made Cuckoo Clock
OK, so we are located in the Black Forest, the home of traditional German cuckoo clocks. We couldn’t end this German gift idea article without including this. There are many options available for all budgets from about 50EUR up to thousands of euros. The more you spend, the more details you get, the bigger the size and also some moving items.
There are plenty of non-German made options, but we do highly recommend purchasing a cuckoo clock from a local German maker. Here are a several made-in-Germany options with a range of prices: