Robbe & Berking

Robbe & Berking silver manufacturer since 1874 GmbH & Co. KG
legal form	GmbH & Co. KG
founding	1874
Seat	Flensburg , Germany
management	Oliver Berking, managing director
Number of employees	approx. 150 (2017)
Branch	Manufacturing
Website	www.robbeberking.com

The Robbe & Berking Silbermanufaktur since 1874 GmbH & Co. KG in Flensburg is a German manufacturer of cutlery made of sterling silver and silver-plated as well as table utensils made of real silver .

The company premises

Companies

The silver manufacture dates back to 1874. The Erzeugerpunze the manufactory is R & B or recently Robbe & Berking. The company employs around 150 people and processes around 20 tons of silver a year. Robbe & Berking is one of the most successful luxury brands in Germany today.

Robbe & Berking currently operates eleven of its own stores in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Flensburg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Kiel, Munich, Nuremberg and Vienna. In addition to the collections of the silver manufactory, bars and coins made of gold and silver are sold and bought here. The range in the precious metal segment is focused on well-known, common and fungible precious metal products.

Robbe & Berking sponsors sailing regattas for classic yachts and has launched the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup regatta series on the Flensburg Fjord . The experience gained in the restoration of the 12mR yacht Sphinx and the equipment used inspired the company management to found their own boatyard Robbe & Berking Classics GmbH & Co.KG in Flensburg in summer 2008 .

history

Founded in 1874

The silver manufacture was founded in 1874 by the then unemployed gold and silversmith Nicolaus Christoph Robbe (* 1843, † 1916). Together with his wife Luise, he lives on commissioned work for jewelers in the Flensburg area. They repair jewelry and make engravings in the workshop on Angelburger Straße .

Development from 1897 to 1925

The trained master silversmith Robert Berking (* 1872, † 1908) from Braunschweig fell in love with the daughter of the company owner, married her and took a 50 percent stake in the company in 1897 with an inheritance of 3,000 marks. A strong growth began with the employment of cutlery manufacturers. In 1907 the manufactory employs twelve journeymen in the workshop. In 1908 the company moved into its own house on Sophienstrasse in Flensburg. He coined a company philosophy that is still valid today: "Others may do it cheaper, but nobody can do it better than us." In the same year Robert Berking died at the age of 35 in a swimming accident in the Flensburg Fjord , whereupon Henriette Berking took over the business, supported by her father Nicolaus Christoph Robbe and her brother Arnold Robbe.

Development from 1925 to 1958

In 1925 the oldest - a trained silversmith - son Theodor Berking (* 1899, † 1964) took over the management of the company. In the following 40 years the company developed into a highly respected silver manufacturer with around 100 employees. It traded under the name of "Nordic Silverware Factory" and sells cutlery to jewelers. Theodor Berking designed the "Art Deco" cutlery pattern. In June 1943, by order of the Nazi authorities, the smithy had to close "in order to free workers for military operations". The company kept afloat with the production of army badges and merit crosses. After the war, the British occupiers allowed the company to start manufacturing again. Due to the lack of raw materials, initially only ashtrays and pipe holders were made from aluminum scraps. In the post-war years, however, the number of employees increased, so that in 1956 the company moved to a larger factory building on Zur Bleiche Street. The company has its headquarters here to this day.

Development from 1958 to 1985

In 1958 Robert Berking (* 1931) took over the management from his father. In 40 years under his leadership, the rather regionally operating company transformed into Europe's largest manufacturer of silver cutlery. He designed several successful cutlery models. Among others, old Copenhagen, Arcade, Art Deco, Avenue, Belvedere, Classic-Faden, Dante, Eclipse, Martelé and Navette. In addition to the production of cutlery, an own handicraft production facility for the production of table utensils and gift items was set up.

From 1985

In 1985 Oliver Berking (* 1962) joined the family business and took over management 12 years later. Contrary to the trend of relocating manual labor to countries with lower wages, all silver and silver-plated work is done in the workshops in Flensburg. In 2009, Robbe & Berking entered the precious metal trade and thus opened another business area.

Cutlery collections

Silver and silver-plated cutlery

Robbe & Berking Alta

12 "
Alta
Old Chippendale
Alt thread
Old Copenhagen
Old spade
Arcade
art deco
avenue
Belvedere
Classic thread
Dante
Eclipse
French pearl
Gio
Martelé
Hermitage
Navette
East Frisians
Riva
Rose pattern
spade
sphinx
Viva

Stainless steel cutlery

Atlantic diamond
Atlantic
Baltic
Como
Jardin
Lago
East Frisians
Pax
Scandia
Topos
York

Robbe & Berking family

Robbe & Berking Classics

2008 founded Oliver Berking the yacht shipyard Robbe & Berking Classics, builds exclusively wooden yachts and restored.

Tree & king

Together with the sister company Baum & König, the yacht yard is also active as a yacht broker.

Goose

The lifestyle magazine Goose has been published since 2011.

Yachting Heritage Center

The privately financed museum "Yachting Heritage Center" opened in 2016. The patron is Oliver Berking.

literature

Detlef Jens: They do everything with style. Robbe and Berking Classics, Flensburg. In: ders .: The classic yachts. Vol. 1: Festivals in Northern Europe. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2006, pp. 22–49. ISBN 978-3-7822-0943-4 .