Rapunzel was founded in Germany in 1974 by three friends (Joseph Wilhelm, Hans-Peter Erlinger, and Jennifer Vermeulen) who shared the vision of promoting healthy living and sustainable agriculture by growing, manufacturing, and distributing premium quality, pure organic foods. The name Rapunzel was chosen to remind people of the importance of eating good, wholesome food, just as it was depicted in the fairy tale. In the Brother's Grimm story, the mother of the girl 'Rapunzel' urged her husband to get her some of the delicious salad from the witch's garden.

From its beginning, Rapunzel has been a vanguard in the international organic community, starting with its development and production of the first 100% organic chocolate bars, mueslis, organic dried fruits, nuts, and kitchen oils, up to the founding of its Hand-in-Hand Fair Trade Program. Today, Rapunzel is Europe's leading brand-name manufacturer and distributor of organic goods, producing over 600 delicious organic products and cooperatively working with thousands of organic farmers in more than 35 countries worldwide. It speaks for Rapunzel's team spirit that all three of the founders are still working at the Rapunzel headquarters in Legau, located in the alpine foothills of Bavaria, close to Lake Constance.