German Wells Cooperative
| German Wells Cooperative
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|---|---|
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| legal form | cooperative |
| founding | February 12, 1937 |
| Seat | Kennedyallee 36, Bonn- Bad Godesberg |
| Branch | Provision of technical services |
| Website | www.gdb.de |
The German Wells Cooperative ( GDB ) is the central purchasing association of the German mineral water industry . Around 180 mineral water companies belong to the cooperative . It is based in the Bad Godesberg district of Bonn at 36 Kennedyallee .
The cooperative offers its members a range of goods with more than 3000 different items. The offer includes all systems, aids and operating materials that a mineral water company needs. The main business is mainly reusable bottles , crates and closures.
The best-known GDB product is the 0.7-liter glass bottle for mineral water, the so-called standard fountain bottle , colloquially known as the "pearl bottle" due to its appearance. The pearl bottle is used by almost all mineral springs in Germany and is therefore taken back by almost every dealer .
history
Colanade
The first bottle of Coca-Cola was available in Germany on April 8, 1929 . The brand gained market share within a very short time. In 1933 over 100,000 crates were filled each year.
In two meetings on February 2 and 12, 1937, 12 Rhenish mineral water companies founded the cola beverage production and sales cooperative. This brought its own cola on the market under the brand name Colanade . In taste and bottle shape, this product was very close to the American original. Coca Cola GmbH sued the Colonade manufacturers (who appeared under the GDB brand for “German Wells Beverages”) for violating copyright law . The process ended in a settlement. The bottle shape and logo were changed and the brand was renamed Kolanade .
The brand was so successful in the market that the number of GDB members rose to 32 within two years, although the war hampered production and sales. The general assembly of the cooperative decided on June 19, 1940, on the occasion of insufficient sugar deliveries , not to make Colanade with sweetener in order not to damage the brand; the production volumes should rather decrease. With the advancing war economy , production had to be stopped completely. Production was resumed in 1949. In 1951 there were over 50 licensees. The Kolanade brand was registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office in 1953 .
Establishment as a cooperative
In 1943, the Mineralbrunnen working together in the GDB decided to suspend their joint activities, which had already been reduced to a minimum due to the war, until further notice. In 1948 the first general assembly after the war took place in Koblenz. As a result, the new description of tasks as a cooperative emerges. At the general assembly on November 17, 1949 in Frankfurt, Mineralbrunnen decided to expand the GDB into a purchasing cooperative while retaining the previous areas of responsibility. One year later, on November 2, 1950, the company was renamed “Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen”.
Raspa
In the 1950s, GDB brought the orange lemonade Raspa onto the market. The drink is bottled from a total of 76 fountains across Germany.
1950s and 60s
The economic boom was also characterized by growth at GDB. The number of members grew from 49 in 1949 to 133 mineral water companies in 1960. In these years, the first plans for standard bottles for the mineral water industry were also made. In the 1950s, GDB counted more than 50 different bottle types and 200 different crate types in a policy paper. The conclusion is that the introduction of uniform packaging (bottles and crates) offers considerable economic potential. The first bottles with a lever lock were introduced as early as 1952. With this jointly used swing top bottle with a capacity of 0.7 liters, GDB's first reusable bottle pool is created.
The economic miracle and the labor shortage associated with it increase the demand for automated filling. In 1961, as part of its cooperative tasks, GDB delivers a system for the first time that can fill up to 20,000 bottles per hour. But with the faster filling, the technical requirements for bottles and crates grow.
Standard fountain bottle
In 1969 the pearl bottle or standard fountain bottle came onto the market and developed into the largest pool of reusable bottles in Europe.
Introduction of reusable PET systems
The introduction of PET as a material for beverages raises the question of whether the material is also suitable for mineral water bottles. After intensive discussion, the members of the GDB decided in 1995 to introduce a 1-liter returnable PET bottle in the design of the pearl bottle for soft drinks based on mineral water. 4 years later the reusable PET bottle for mineral water follows. A year later, the reusable PET pool was expanded to include a 0.5-liter and a 1.5-liter bottle. The GDB also takes on the control and quality assurance for the pools on behalf of the mineral springs.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Festschrift 75 years GDB, Bonn 2014, p. 63
- ↑ David Schahinian: "The Kola from the Kronthal"; in: Taunuszeitung from January 21, 2013, p. 17
- ↑ Festschrift 75 years GDB, p. 63
- ^ Ulrich Eisenbach, Mineral Water. From the origin to today, Bonn 2004, p. 257
- ↑ Soft Drinks - The Rediscovered; in: Gastgewerbemagazin ( Memento of the original from October 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Festschrift 75 years GDB, p. 65.
- ↑ Festschrift 75 years GDB, p. 72f
