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History
Milestones
Here the development of the Oetker Group can be traced with the aid of many milestones which, drawn from all business fields, provide insight into the decisive moments in the history of this group of companies.
1891 - 1944
1891
The takeover of the Aschoff'sche Apotheke in Bielefeld (Germany) by Dr. August Oetker on January 1, 1891 is considered the founding date of the company.
1893
Dr. August Oetker launches its revolutionary baking powder Backin. This is the first genuine Dr. Oetker product.
1900
The company moves to a new factory building on Lutterstraße in Bielefeld.
1908
Dr. Oetker opens its first production facility abroad in Baden near Vienna (Austria).
1936
The Dr. August Oetker company acquires an interest in Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft, which was sold at the end of 2017.
1941
The Oetker Group acquires the luxury hotel Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden (Germany).
1944
The founder’s grand-son, Rudolf-August Oetker (1916–2007) takes over the management of the family business and continuously opens new divisions.
1949 - 1995
1949
Bankhaus Lampe, founded in Minden, East Westphalia (Germany) in 1852, moves into the ownership of Rudolf-August Oetker. He relocates the firm’s headquarters to Bielefeld. Today the company is one of the leading, independent private banks.
1952
The foundation stone for today’s Beer and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Division is laid. The acquisition of the Radeberger Pilsener beer brand gave the new name, Radeberger Gruppe.
1958
Acquisition of Söhnlein Rheingold Sektkellerei. Today’s international Henkell & Co. Group was formed through the later merger with Henkell & Co.
1960
Dr. Oetker takes over the frozen food division of AfU (Association of independent business people) in Mannheim. It is renamed ANTA Tiefkühlkost GmbH and the headquarters are moved to Bielefeld. This lays the foundation for the frozen food business.
1965
Founding of the logistics company Roland Transport.
1969
Acquistion of the Hôtel du Cap - Eden Roc in Antibes on the Côte d'Azur (France).
1981
Dr. h. c. August Oetker becomes General Partner of Dr. August Oetker KG and Chairman of the Executive Board of Dr. Oetker GmbH. He focuses the companies of the Oetker Group on core sectors and successfully drives internationalization.
1995
Founding of Oetker Daten- und Informationsverarbeitung, OEDIV for short, which is active in the IT sector.
2008 - today
2008
Founding of the Oetker Hotel Management Company (OHMC), which specializes in the management of unique, externally owned hotels.
2010
Richard Oetker takes over from his brother August. He has been a member of the Executive Board of Dr. Oetker GmbH since 1996. His successes include the establishment of the eastern European markets since the mid-1990s.
2015
Acquisition of Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese, the leading German manufacturer of frozen gateaux and cakes.
2016
Founding of the company Oetker Digital, which supports the Oetker Group moving into the future with digital innovations and business models.
2017
The former Chief Financial Officer of the Oetker Group, Dr. Albert Christmann, succeeds Richard Oetker in Group Management and as Chairman of the Executive Board of Dr. August Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG.
2019
Since 1 January 2019, the Spanish-German alliance Henkell Freixenet creates the world’s leading sparkling wine group.
2020
Takeover of flaschenpost, the successful beverage immediate delivery service in Germany.
2021
Split of the Oetker Group into two independently operating groups: Dr. August Oetker KG and Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen KG. In the future, Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen KG will include among others Martin Braun-Gruppe, Henkell Freixenet and Chemische Fabrik Budenheim. The other companies will remain unchanged with Dr. August Oetker KG.