Aseli

Aseli in Reinickendorf: Factory Outlet next to Production

Aseli is located on Granatenstraße in the northernmost part of Berlin, in a quiet industrial area between Provinzstraße and Koloniestraße, within walking distance of the Schönholz S-Bahn station. The street name refers to an artillery firing range that Frederick II had established here. This is not a shopping location, and that’s precisely what makes the visit special: the factory outlet is a small shop right next to the production line, where the foam sugar animals are cooked, decorated by hand, and packed. The entire current assortment is sold, in small bags as well as by the bucket. A 330-gram can of giant mice costs 7.80 Euros, a pointed bag of liquorice mice weighing 140 grams costs 3.50 Euros. Parking spaces can be found here on the roadside, unlike in Berlin’s candy stores in the city center. If you want to take more than one bag, you can opt for a bucket with 1200 grams of mini mice for 18.90 Euros. Those coming by S-Bahn should alight at Schönholz station, which is served by lines S1, S25, and S85 as well as buses 150 and 327.

Foam Sugar Mice based on a 1921 Recipe

Aseli was founded in 1921 by Alfred Seliger, the son of a confectioner, who initially sold his sweets from a handcart; the company name was derived from his initials. The company became famous for the white foam sugar mouse, which it is considered to have invented. Production continues to this day in the Berlin manufactory according to the original recipe: water and sugar are cooked in copper kettles, then the secret ingredients are added, and everything is piped, decorated, and packed by hand. Up to one ton of sugar animals are created daily, without artificial additives, gluten-free and lactose-free. In addition to giant and mini mice, there are woodruff crocs, liquorice, eggnog, blueberry, and KiBa mice, crocodiles, Berlin bears, as well as fruit gums and candies. If you don’t want to drive to Reinickendorf, you’ll find the Aseli boutique in the Hackesche Höfe, where you can fill your own sweet bag. The business is still family-owned, and shipping is done via its own online shop, free of charge for orders over 35 Euros. The texture is somewhere between marshmallow and gummy bear, which explains why the mice have been successful for decades.