Bauer Brodo Trentino, granulated broth from Trento since 1928
Bauer Brodo Trentino is a family-run manufacturer from Trento that has been producing broths and seasonings since 1928, founded by brothers Augusto and Edoardo Bauer. Instead of opting for rapid drying, the family still relies on a slower, gentler process, alongside one of Italy's first organic certifications for vegetable broth.
Bauer Brodo Trentino stands for granulated broths and bouillon cubes from the Trentino region, produced by a family that has been manufacturing in the same location for nearly a century. What began in 1928 with the import of chicken bouillon cubes from Berlin is today one of Italy's oldest independent broth companies, with its own headquarters and an organic line that was certified as early as 1997. At Bauer Brodo Trentino, production has remained in family hands for three generations.
1928, an import from Berlin becomes a manufacturer
Augusto Bauer, a native of Trento, began importing chicken bouillon cubes from Berlin in 1928. His brother Edoardo went there specifically to learn the craft of bouillon cube production at a time when Italy hardly had any domestic manufacturers of its own.
The Great Depression brought a sudden end to the imports in 1930, and the brothers were forced to improvise. In 1933, they founded the first Italian company specializing in granulated chicken broth in the San Martino district of Trento—a gamble that paid off: the products quickly became a bestseller.
When the restrictions of the fascist regime threatened the chicken broth in 1940, Bauer switched to beef broth without compromising on quality standards. From 1960 onwards, sons Carlo Alberto and Claudio Bauer continued the family business and developed the first spice sauces based on Trentino recipes, including goulash, strangolapreti, and mushroom sauces like Fungarella. Thus, Bauer Brodo Trentino remained in the same family for over three generations.
Two Bauer classics, instantly soluble
In our assortment, you will find two classics from Bauer, both built on the same principle: dissolving quickly without losing flavor, and offering a savory, hearty, and down-to-earth character.
The Bauer organic granulated vegetable broth combines eight organic vegetables, including potato, carrot, celery, and tomato, into a granulate that dissolves in seconds and contains no glutamate. One teaspoon per 250 milliliters of water is enough for a clear, aromatic base, perfect for minestrone, risotto, or a quick tomato sauce.
The Bauer porcini mushroom bouillon cubes come in a set of six in a nostalgic cardboard box, which Bauer first introduced in the 1970s, discontinued at the end of the decade, and brought back in the early nineties at the request of customers. With 8 percent dried porcini mushrooms, they add a woody, earthy tone to risotto and dark gravy.
Both products carry the same legacy from 1986: that year, Bauer Brodo Trentino launched "Vegetalbrodo," the first 100% plant-based broth that dissolved instantly in boiling water, was gluten-free, and contained no monosodium glutamate. A process that still forms the basis for both products in our range today.
In Italy, the Bauer Brodo Trentino range is much broader today, featuring organic chicken and beef broths, seasoning cubes with ginger and turmeric, and since 2024, even a creamy bouillon cube variant called Dadocrema. In our shop, we consciously focus on the two classics that have proven most successful in German kitchens.
Gentle drying instead of rapid production
Where other manufacturers rely on cheaper, faster drying methods, Bauer has stuck to slower, low-temperature drying since the 1950s—more expensive to produce, but gentler on the aroma and nutrients of the ingredients.
Better gentle than fast; that is how the family continues to operate today, just as Augusto Bauer once stipulated. In 1997, after years of preparation, they received ICEA certification for their first organic products, an early step in a market that rarely spoke of "organic" back then.
In 2012, the family moved into a completely newly built headquarters in Trento, which, according to the company, was awarded the LEED Gold environmental certificate. Today, Bauer operates as a "Società Benefit," an Italian legal status that formally incorporates social and ecological responsibility into corporate goals—just as Carlo Alberto and Claudio Bauer had prepared with their expansion of the range back in the sixties.
Furthermore, there is a certification rarely found in food manufacturers: the Italian "Family Audit" seal for family-friendly working conditions. For a company that has been managed by a family for three generations, this is less about marketing and more about a consistent continuation of their own history.
A LEED Gold factory and an organic pioneer
Awards at Bauer Brodo Trentino rarely come in the form of medals, but rather as certificates that prove how seriously the family takes its principles.
2012 saw the LEED Gold certification for the new headquarters, the first project of its kind worldwide in the food sector. 1997 brought the ICEA organic certification for the first vegetable products, currently listed under control number IT-BIO-021.
In 2015, organic meat and chicken broths were added; in 2018, more exotic organic lines with ginger, curry, turmeric, and saffron; and in 2024, finally, the Dadocrema, the first creamy bouillon cube ever. Each of these expansions followed the same pattern: test for years, then launch with certification—never the other way around.
Hats off to a family business that has consistently maintained its principles for over ninety years without being loud about it. Bauer Brodo Trentino does not advertise with superlatives; they prefer to let their certificates and long company history speak for themselves.
Our tip for the classic and the porcini variant
Our tip for beginners: use the organic granulated vegetable broth ideally in the previous day's soup, once it has steeped overnight and tastes even more flavorful the next day. It is equally suitable for a quick tomato sauce for pasta when you don't have much time at the stove after work.
If you prefer something heartier, reach for the porcini mushroom bouillon cubes, especially at the end of autumn, when a ragout can simmer for a weekend and the sauce needs that precise earthy depth. One cube is enough for half a liter of rich mushroom broth; two cubes for a risotto that tastes like more than just rice.
Those who cook with stock more often will find alternatives with meat and bones in our Bone Brox collection, and the perfect pasta for a rich mushroom sauce in our Cipriani selection. Try both Bauer classics and you will notice how much of a difference a truly good granulate makes in everyday life—with Bauer Brodo Trentino, every spoon contains nearly a century of experience from Trento.
