Andreas Christoffer was born in 1684, the son of Christoffer Sanftleben and his wife, Elizabeth Catharina.  He, his wife Dorthea Hinermann, and their nine children lived in the town of Lamstedt, midway between Stade and Bremerhaven and also midway between Stade and Cuxhaven. 

Family tradition and town records indicate that Andreas Christoffer was a prosperous baker who specialized in making relatively expensive white-flour products.  He was followed in his business by one of his younger sons, Andreas, who was born in 1733.

Like most merchants in 17th century Europe, bakers established their shops on the first floor of their homes.  Local regulations frequently required bakers to build stone homes and shops because of the fire hazards associated with their ovens.  One of these paintings by Job Berckheyde shows a baker's wife selling a loaf of bread to some children who have entered her shop.  The other shows a baker using a horn to announce that the morning's freshly baked bread was available for purchase.  Both paintings also show a specially made holder for displaying pretzels.