Josef Wiese (baker)

Josef Anton Wiese (born May 21, 1932 in Mettingen ; † September 16, 2009 there ) was a German baker and confectioner as well as an entrepreneur and inventor . Together with his cousin Aloys Coppenrath , he founded the Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese in 1975 , the largest manufacturer of frozen baked goods in Europe.

Life

Starts as a baker and confectioner

Mettinger Marktplatz with the Grotemeyer house (right), Josef Wiese's parents' house, in 2008

Born in Mettinger, Josef Wiese grew up with four younger sisters in their parents' house on Marktstrasse in the Grotemeyer restaurant and pastry shop. He first attended the Ludgeri School and then the Rector's School. After the early death of his father - he died when Josef Wiese was eight years old - he had to give up his career aspiration as a designer and was forced to take over his parents' bakery. He completed an apprenticeship as a baker in Rheine from 1947 to 1950 and then trained as a pastry chef in Oelde from 1950 to 1952 . At the age of 20, Wiese took over his parents' business in 1952 and attended evening courses to prepare for his master craftsman examination , which he passed in 1955. At the age of 26, his mother made him run the grocery store and the Grotemeyer economy.

In 1961 he married his wife Aloysia nee Voss. The marriage resulted in four children - two sons and two daughters.

In the 1960s, the master confectioner tried to expand the business, mainly through the production of fresh cakes . In 1968 the bakery was finally relocated from the town center to Wittenbrink, where Wiese set up a company for pure cake production with the company Marina-Kuchen. In 1972 he sold the company to a London company, but initially remained there as managing director until 1974.

With Coppenrath & Wiese rise to a large company

Coppenrath & Wiese company logo

In 1974 Josef Wiese and his cousin Aloys Coppenrath developed the idea of bringing frozen cream cakes onto the market and thus occupying a niche in the market. That was the hour of birth of the Coppenrath & Wiese confectionery , which they founded on January 1st, 1975. For this purpose, the cousins ​​leased the former dairy in Westerkappeln . While Coppenrath took over the commercial management, Wiese got involved in the company as a baker, confectioner and tinkerer. He mainly took care of the development of the production machines. With that he finally fulfilled his dream of being able to work as a designer. His wife once characterized him with the following words:

"My husband is someone who loves to build and is the only one I know who makes money with his hobby."

His most important invention is the process of continuously whipping cream in 1975, which made it possible to produce cakes in large quantities. In doing so, he solved the problem that had stood in the way of the production of frozen cakes until then: cream flakes when frozen and is therefore actually unusable for frozen food.

Following the success of the first Coppenrath & Wiese product, the "Wiener record," Wiese had with its development of Aufback buns major contribution to the success of the company, whose development he influenced two decades prevail. In addition to the operation in Westerkappeln, a deep-freeze high-bay warehouse in Osnabrück was added in the 1980s and a confectionery in Mettingen, which he had helped to plan, in 1992. After its expansion in 2003, it replaced the Westerkappeln site. Wiese also played a decisive role in this. As a result of these expansions, the company developed into one of the most modern confectioneries in Europe and one of the most important international manufacturers of frozen baked goods.

On January 1, 2005, the Josef Wiese family left the group of shareholders and sold their shares to the Aloys Coppenrath family. At the same time, Aloys Coppenrath and Josef Wiese, both now over 70 years old, withdrew from the operational management.

Commitment to his hometown and honorary citizen

In addition to his economic commitment, Josef Wiese has always campaigned for his home town of Mettingen. For many years he was deputy chairman of the Mettingen gymnastics club (TVM), which made him an honorary member, and a member of VfL Eintracht Mettingen, which he also supported very much. He was also a member of the CDU , the Bürgererschützengesellschaft of 1711, the Kolping Family and the church council of the parish of St. Agatha. He was also a member of the board of trustees of the St. Elisabeth Hospital at the time and the board of trustees of the “Cardinal von Galen School Foundation” established in spring 2008. He also stepped into the breach financially for the community: When Josefstrasse, which ran right in front of his doorstep in the center of Mettinger, was expanded, Wiese took over the pre-financing.

For his services to the community of Mettingen, they made him their fourth honorary citizen in 2005, after Clemens Brenninkmeyer (1932), Franz Brenninkmeyer (1969) and Theodor Kersting (1973) . After receiving the letter of honorary citizenship, Wiese also signed the community's golden book.

Josef Wiese died unexpectedly on September 16, 2009 at the age of 77 in his home in Mettingen.

literature

• Oliver Langemeyer (-ola-): Mettinger fulfilled a dream . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from May 21, 2002 ( online version in the Westline local archive)
• Klaus Rotte (-kr-): A stroke of luck for Mettingen - Josef Wiese is an honorary citizen . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from October 22, 2005 ( online version in the Westline local archive)
• Oliver Langemeyer (-ola-): Mettingen will miss his commitment. Josef Wiese has died - co-founder of Coppenrath & Wiese and honorary citizen . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from September 18, 2009

Web links

• It all started with a revolutionary idea - an outline of the Coppenrath & Wiese company history

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Frank Klausmeyer (-fk-): From small baker to boss of 1000 employees - Josef Wiese celebrates his 60th birthday . In: Westfälische Nachrichten of May 21, 1992.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} -mo-: Working in the company is his hobby - Josef Wiese is 60 years old . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from May 21, 1992.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Oliver Langemeyer (-ola-): Mettinger fulfilled a dream . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung dated May 21, 2002 ( online version ( Memento of the original dated April 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove it Note. In the Westline local archive). 
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Klaus Rotte (-kr-): A stroke of luck for Mettingen - Josef Wiese is an honorary citizen . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from October 22, 2005 ( online version ( Memento of the original from April 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove it Note. In the Westline local archive). 
5. ^ The Wiese family sells their shares ; In: Manager Magazin , online edition from February 15, 2005.
6. ↑ Vera Konermann: Laumann demands: Rediscover old goals . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung dated August 7, 2006 ( online version ( memento of the original dated July 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove it Note. In the Westline local archive). 
7. ↑ ^{a b} Oliver Langemeyer (-ola-): Mettingen will not be there. Josef Wiese has died - co-founder of Coppenrath & Wiese and honorary citizen . In: Ibbenbürener Volkszeitung from September 18, 2009.