Company

Love. Family. Passion.

Master Saddlemaker and dog owner Rolf Trautwein realised his dream of high-quality accessories for dogs at the age of 36 and founded the company HUNTER in 1980.

It´s a family business

The initially small range of leather accessories made in Germany evolved within just a few years into a diverse product range and the company name of HUNTER grew to become a leading brand in the pet industry. With high-quality equipment for dogs and cats as well as stylish accessories, the family business quickly

managed to conquer new market segments. In 2000, the daughter of the company founder, Nadine Trautwein, joined the Group and since 2007 has been leading the globally successful company with a team of around 160 committed employees who share the company’s passion for the brand and love animals. Marianne Trautwein, wife of the company founder, puts great passion into running the HUNTER SHOP on the company’s premises – a flagship for the brand and a real shopping experience for customers from all over the world.

Nadine Trautwein

The HUNTER DNA

As the daughter of a master saddlemaker, a love of leather is in my blood. When then company was founded I was just five, but even then I was fascinated by the processes involved in manufacturing our products, not least because I also grew up with dogs.

The HUNTER DNA

From an early age, I knew that one day I would work at HUNTER, because what could be better than putting all our passion, and an eye for detail, into making wonderful things for our loved ones? For our four-legged-friends, who enrich our lives and give us so much. Working with a beautiful, natural and, above all, sustainable material, which stirs emotions through its feel and smell alone, which becomes more expressive with use, which is long-lasting, robust and repairable, all at our factory in Bielefeld, fills me with joy each day.

Together with my team, I want to share that excitement with our customers – and we pursue that goal with dedication and a lot of enthusiasm.

»In the development of new products, the key aspect is always the motivation to bring pleasure and comfort to animals and their owners, and to provide the best possible functionality.«

Make metres

If you line up all the leather articles made in the HUNTER manufactory in one year, the total length is 300,000 metres. (This corresponds to the distance from Bielefeld to Berlin). But for us "making metres" doesn't just stand for plain numbers. For us, "making metres" means tireless commitment, passion, trust and progress. Since its foundation in 1980, the company has developed steadily. There have been countless memorable moments. We would like to share a few special milestones with you here.

1980
Foundation of HUNTER GmbH

by master saddler Rolf Trautwein

1992
Foundation of Dog Sport GmbH

zur optimalen Betreuung des Fachhandels durch eigenen Außendienst

2001
Relocation to Leopoldshöhe

with enlargement of the area to 2,700 m².

2006
Opening

1st Brand Store

2007
Nadine Trautwein

joins the Executive Board

2016
New construction

in Bielefeld

2019
Opening

25th Brand Store

2020
40th anniversary

 

»High quality is treasured – and we aim to create keepsakes.«

Hunter employees
SOCIAL
With passion for passion

»HUNTER helps« – under this slogan we support animal shelters and animal welfare organisations, because the welfare of animals and humans has been a project close to the heart of the owner family Trautwein ever since the company was founded over 40 years ago.

HUNTER helps

HUNTER is always committed to social projects and donations to associations in need.
In addition to regular donations to local animal welfare associations, such as the Sentana Foundation in Bielefeld, HUNTER is also happy to help internationally.
For example, in August 2020 the world's largest animal shelter, the Smeura in Romania, was delighted to receive a donation of 1,000 sleeping places with a retail value of €75,000.

But it is not only animal welfare organisations that HUNTER supports: A special affair of the heart are the associations »Live and Learn in Kenia Int’l« and »VITA e.V. Assistance dogs« which we support permanently through our long-term cooperations.

»Live and Learn in Kenia Int’l« is a German-based non-profit aid organisation with the aim of lifting the children of Kenya's Ronda slums out of poverty and permanently improving their living conditions and their future.

»VITA e.V. Assistance dogs« is a non-profit organisation that trains assistance dogs which are then placed at the side of children and adults with disabilities - regardless of their financial situation. Human and dog form a team that is cared for by VITA throughout their lives.