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1885- 1939: Once an Innovator ...
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Our founder:
Albert Boehringer (1861 - 1939),
Counsellor of Commerce, in 1910 |
Albert Boehringer was the grandson of Christian Friedrich Boehringer
who had started the family's chemical business in Stuttgart in 1817.
In 1885, Albert set up his own chemical factory in Ingelheim near
Mainz in the Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany). He initially employed
around 20 people to manufacture tartaric
acid salts used by pharmacies and dyeing works. Demand for his
product surged in the early years as fizzy lemonade and baking
powder became popular.
In 1895, Boehringer achieved a breakthrough discovery, that he
could use bacteria to produce lactic acid in commercial quantities -
becoming a pioneer of large-scale "biotech" production.
This new process, combined with high demand for lactic acid in the
leather, textile, dyeing and drinks/foodstuffs industries, resulted
in the company becoming the leading manufacturer of this agent.
Boehringer's company was already establishing a reputation for social
enlightenment and for technologically
innovative products.
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