History of the Oetker Group

Milestones

History

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 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 his revolutionary baking powder Backin. It is the first genuine Dr. Oetker product.

Picture - The new factory building on Lutterstraße in 1902

1900

The company moves to a new factory building in Lutterstraße in Bielefeld.

Picture - The production facility in Baden near Vienna

1908

Dr. Oetker opens its first production facility abroad in Baden near Vienna (Austria).

Picture - Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft HH

1936

Dr. August Oetker acquires a stake in Hamburg Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft, which will be sold at the end of 2017.

1941

Rudolf-August Oetker acquires the luxury hotel Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden (Germany).

Picture - The founder’s grand-son, Rudolf-August Oetker

1944

The founder's grandson, Rudolf-August Oetker (1916-2007), takes over the management of the family business and continuously opens up new business areas.

1949 - 1995

1949

Bankhaus Lampe, founded in 1852 in Minden, East Westphalia (Germany), becomes the property of Rudolf-August Oetker. He moves the company headquarters to Bielefeld. The bank is sold in 2021.

1952

The acquisition of Bank für Brauindustrie lays the foundation for today's Beer and Non-alcoholic Beverages division. The bank holds majority stakes in the Frankfurt, Berlin and Dortmund breweries, which are expanded and subsidiaries are added. With the acquisition of the Radeberger Pilsener beer brand after reunification, the brewery group, which had long traded as the Binding Group, was renamed the Radeberger Gruppe.

1958

Takeover of Söhnlein Rheingold Sektkellerei. The subsequent merger with Henkell & Co. Sektkellerei creates the internationally active Henkell & Co. group.

Picture - Dr. Oetker exhibition stand at the Anuga Köln

1960

Dr. Oetker takes over the frozen food division of AfU (Arbeitsgemeinschaft freier Unternehmer) 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

Foundation of the logistics company Roland Transport.

1969

Purchase of the Hôtel du Cap - Eden-Roc in Antibes on the Côte d'Azur (France).

1981

Dr. h. c. August Oetker becomes personally liable partner of Dr. August Oetker KG and Chairman of the Management Board of Dr. Oetker GmbH. He concentrates the companies of the Oetker Group on core areas and successfully drives forward internationalisation.

1995

Foundation of Oetker Daten- und Informationsverarbeitung, OEDIV for short, which is active in the IT sector.

2008 - today

2008

Foundation of the Oetker Hotel Management Company (OHMC), which specialises in the management of unique hotels owned by third parties.

2010

Richard Oetker takes over from his brother August. He has been a member of the Management Board of Dr. Oetker GmbH since 1996. His successes include the development of the Eastern European markets since the mid-1990s.

2015

Acquisition of Conditorei Coppenrath & Wiese, Germany's leading manufacturer of frozen cakes and gateaux.

2016

Foundation of the company Oetker Digital, which accompanies the Oetker Group into the future with digital innovations and business models.

Picture - Porträt von Dr. Albert Christmann

2017

The former CFO of the Oetker Group, Dr. Albert Christmann, succeeds Richard Oetker on the Group Management Board and as Chairman of the Management Board of Dr. August Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG.

2019

Since 1 January 2019, the Spanish-German alliance Henkell Freixenet has formed the world's leading sparkling wine group. The company has been part of Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen KG since 2021.

2020

Acquisition of flaschenpost, the successful instant beverage delivery service in Germany.

2021

The Oetker Group is split into two independently operating groups, Dr. August Oetker KG and Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen KG. In future, Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen KG will include the Martin Braun Group, Henkell Freixenet and Chemische Fabrik Budenheim. The remaining companies will remain with Dr. August Oetker KG.