Friedrich Kauffmann (entrepreneur)
Friedrich Kauffmann (born October 10, 1811 in Esslingen am Neckar , † July 22, 1874 in Denkendorf ) was a German company founder and one of the first mustard manufacturers in Germany.
In 1834 Friedrich Kauffmann founded a mustard and liqueur factory in Esslingen am Neckar, which moved to the building of the former Denkendorf monastery in 1838 . Liqueur production was later abandoned and the rest of the range expanded. The Kauffmann Klostersenf brand is named after the company's headquarters in Denkendorf . Friedrich Kauffmann was the first employer in Denkendorf who provided permanent and secure jobs outside of agriculture and who tried to connect the town to the railway network. As early as 1841, Kauffmann initiated the local community by founding the Liederkranz .
Company locations
The company stayed at the Denkendorf site until 1905. Kauffmann's grandson, the writer Fritz Alexander Kauffmann , describes attempts to modernize the area in his novel Leonhard , which, however, could not be used for the mustard factory in the long term due to the lack of a railway connection. In 1905 the company moved to the site of a former cement factory in Ebersbach an der Fils . In 1976 the company was partially relocated to Schlierbach .
Company development
Friedrich Kauffmann's factory initially prospered; In 1871 it had 24 employees and an annual turnover of 95,000 guilders. After Friedrich Kauffmann's death, it was initially continued by his widow Barbara, and from 1890 by his son Carl. Later, around 1920, it passed into the hands of the grandchildren Wilhelm and Rolf. In 1927, Rolf Kauffmann set up a pickling shop. The company was one of the first to produce pasteurized cucumbers. From 1972, Friedrich Kauffmann's great-grandchildren, Martin and Eckart, ran the company. In 1984 the company celebrated its 150th anniversary. At that time, about 160 people were employed at Kauffmann. The product range comprised around 40 items that were sold worldwide. The annual turnover at that time was 31 million DM. The construction of a new production hall in Schlierbach in 1999 was evidently too great a financial challenge; in 2000 Kauffmann had to file for bankruptcy. Carl Kühne KG continues to run Kauffmann as a brand today .
Products
Pickles were produced for the first time in 1901, and liqueur production was abandoned in 1911 and instead artificial honey was added to the range, which was an important market segment until the 1950s.
Web links
- Company history (PDF file; 87 kB)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kauffmann, Friedrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 10, 1811 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Esslingen am Neckar |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 22, 1874 |
| Place of death | Denkendorf (Württemberg) |