This privately-owned firm was founded in 1891 to manufacture and market baking powder of proprietary formulation. It subsequently diversified into other products aimed at the home market - powder for dessert sauces, gelatin, pancake mix, ice cream powder, and other dessert specialties in different flavors; condensed soups; condensed milk; and meat extracts. In 1908 August Oetker established his first foreign subsidiary in Vienna, Austria, which also became a success. During the Great War the firm expanded its business by concentrating on the manufacture of rations for the Imperial Army. It survived the postwar financial turmoil and resumed its international expansion. In 1920 the firm produced about 300 million packages with the "Dr. Oetker" brand name on them, and new subsidiaries sprang up abroad, extending the company's reach to The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Nordmark, and Italy.
The firm was swift in adapting to new techniques in food processing and preservation. It had begun the manufacture of processed cheese for inclusion in military rations during the Great War, using the patents of Walter Gerber of Thun, Switzerland. In 1932 it licensed quick-frozen food technology from the General Foods Corporation of the United States, introducing frozen vegetables and fish to the German market. Diversification was also a major element of the firm’s growth. It acquired interests in several factories for the production of margarine and other fats, and founded deep sea fishing and whaling subsidiaries to expand its resource base. In 1934 it acquired a substantial share in the great Hamburg-South America Line.
Subsidiaries of the firm include:
Chemische Fabrik Budenheim KG, Budenheim (food additives)
Deutsche Margarine- und Speisefett-Fabriken AG, Bremen (margarine and fats)
Erste Deutsche Walfang-Gesellschaft, Hamburg (whaling)
Hochseefischerei Nordstern AG, Bremen (high seas fishing)
Könecke Fleischwarenfabrik AG, Bremen (meat processing)
Margarinewerk Ostfriesland AG, Emden (margarine and fats)
Vereinigten Margarinewerke Nürnberg AG, Nürnberg (margarine and fats)
Wilhelm Weber AG, Pfungstadt (condensed milk products)
Affiliates of the firm include:
Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschiffahrts AG, Hamburg (deep-sea shipping)
This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "BruceDuncan" (May 26th 2012, 8:42pm)