An interview with Toff & Zürpel

Beeswax wraps have become indispensable in many zero-waste households. Marie and Markus produce high-quality beeswax wraps and other natural products in Germany with their company Toff & Zürpel. We spoke with them about their production process and their vision.

The simplest of things, the best

Beeswax wraps are incredibly practical for covering leftovers and wrapping provisions. Plus, they look stylish and can be reused again and again. That's why they're a must-have at Mit Ecken und Kanten ! We've been working with Toff & Zürpel from Dresden for several years now. They produce exceptionally high-quality beeswax wraps, soaps, and more. In our interview with Marie and Markus, you can learn more about the founding of their company and the materials they use.

Hey, please introduce yourselves! Who are you, what can you tell us about Toff & Zürpel, and how did you come up with the idea for your own factory?

We are Marie & Markus, the founders of TOFF & ZÜRPEL®. We met nine years ago on the Camino del Norte pilgrimage route in Spain. Since then, we've been walking our path together. Our greatest passion is travel. We love going on pilgrimages, experiencing nature, and enjoying good food. While discovering new countries, foreign cultures, and people, we also encountered beeswax wraps. From then on, we couldn't imagine our kitchen or our travels without them, and in the fall of 2017, we founded our own manufactory in Dresden. In addition to our organic beeswax wraps, we have since developed other beautiful and sustainable natural products. Furthermore, with our fantastic team, we are continuously expanding our product range in the areas of "kitchen," "bathroom," and "travel."

What does "Toff & Zürpel" actually mean?

"Toff" is a loanword from the Yiddish בֿוט (YIVO: tov) and translates as "good, beautiful," while "Zürpel" comes from the Rhenish Hessian dialect and colloquially means "crease." "Toff & Zürpel" are also the guardians of the beehive in the "Maya the Bee" comic series from the 1970s and 80s.

What was the biggest hurdle for you when founding the company, and how did you overcome it?

Right from the start, there wasn't really one specific or biggest hurdle. We are still, and will remain, a growing manufacturer, so hurdles and challenges are part of our daily routine. Whether in production, with a special order, in product development, with a supplier, or within the team. And especially as a couple... finding time together again. Consciously taking time for ourselves again – outside of work. Thanks to our amazing team, this is possible again, and we manage it sometimes better, sometimes worse... we're working on it, too.

You guys have a lot of beeswax wraps – what's so cool about them? And why beeswax in particular?

Yes, our most important organic raw material is probably beeswax. Beeswax is a natural preservative, something humans have been using since ancient times. It has some truly wonderful properties! It's naturally antibacterial and breathable. In our soaps, the beeswax acts as a protective barrier for the skin and provides moisture. Furthermore, the wax (and especially the propolis) aids in wound healing and skin regeneration. We only use surplus beeswax from select organic beekeepers (Bioland certified!) in Germany.

One more thing about the beeswax wrap – I've used one now and it's creased. How can I smooth it out again? Do I need to treat my beeswax wraps somehow, like re-waxing them or something?

Your beeswax wrap will develop creases over time. This is a natural patina that does not affect the properties of your beeswax wrap. With proper care, our beeswax wraps last one to two years. Regular use or improper cleaning can cause the coating to wear down slightly or the wrap to lose its stickiness. In this case, you don't have to throw away your used beeswax wrap; you can easily re-wax or refresh it yourself with our DIY repair wax!

You can remove light soiling by holding the beeswax wrap under running, lukewarm water. If it's very dirty, it's best to use our natural household soap. We developed this soap especially for beeswax wraps. Besides organic olive oil, it contains the tried-and-tested ingredients of our beeswax wraps: organic beeswax, pine resin, and organic coconut oil! This allows you to clean your beeswax wraps very gently and extend their lifespan! It's also great as a solid dish soap for your plastic-free household!

Here at Unperfektshop you'll regularly find some of Toff & Zürpel's sustainable products at reduced prices. They're a little imperfect, but definitely no less beautiful and high-quality!

How does your product range development process work?

The best from simplicity. That's our motto, and that's how we design simple, beautiful, and practical natural products for an environmentally conscious everyday life – for home and on the go. All our products are lovingly handcrafted from natural raw materials. Sustainability is our top priority in every stage of production. Our high standards for product quality and design are as much a part of who we are as the meticulous attention to detail that goes into every product – focused on the essentials, with the imperfect beauty of nature.

We develop all our products ourselves. We involve our entire team in the process. Everyone can contribute ideas, and we work together to implement them.

Our mission at Mit Ecken und Kanten (With Corners and Edges) is to give imperfect products a second chance. What happens to imperfect products at your company?

They mainly end up with you. Otherwise, we also sell them through our online shop, in our workshop, and directly at markets as imperfect goods.

For you and for us, it's not just about selling products. What do you think should be done for a better future?

Consume less, consciously and thoughtfully. Repair and reuse secondhand items, limit climate change, use fewer raw materials, protect ecosystems, fight poverty…

Little bees buzz around

We wholeheartedly endorse this mission for the future! That's why we're all the more delighted to have Toff & Zürpel as partners by our side and to give their imperfect beeswax wraps and other products a second chance together with you.

If you'd like to see more insights into new products and their production, feel free to visit Toff & Zürpel on Instagram and send them our best regards!