German Gourmet has a long, successful history in the local Virgina/Washington D.C. area. Founded by Mr. Wilhelm Wenzel in 1962, the original store in Washington, D.C. was shortly moved to Arlington, VA. The construction of a major highway forced another move, this time to Lee Highway in Falls Church, VA. This store was operated continuously as a specialty German import grocery and delicatessen for 45 years.
In 1978, Mr. Wenzel retired and sold the business to Mr. Raimund Pagani of Switzerland. Over the 20 years that Mr. Pagani owned and operated German Gourmet he added new products from Switzerland as well as new deli services and gift items. Mr. Pagani sold the German Gourmet to brothers Michael Haene and Clifford Haene but continued working an additional 10 years. His dedicated service to the customers of German Gourmet made him a fixture in the Falls Church community.