MartinBauer is a German company that produces plant-based teas, beverages, extracts, and botanicals. It is part of the "the nature network".[2][3] The company, founded by Martin Bauer in 1930, is headquartered in Vestenbergsgreuth.[3]

MB-Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Company typeGmbH & Co. KG
Industryfood and beverages industry; Animal nutrition
Founded1930
FoundersMartin Bauer
HeadquartersVestenbergsgreuth, Germany
Revenue707,1 Mio. (2021)[1]
Number of employees
4,394 (2021)[1]
Websitemartin-bauer.com

History

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The company founder, Martin Bauer (1902–1998)[4] had an interest in collecting wild herbs. During the 1920s, he started to sell various herbs to pharmacies, drug stores, food stores, and hospitals. In 1930, he founded his company in his home village Vestenbergsgreuth in Middle Franconia. He named the business after himself.[3][5][4]

At first, Bauer grew herbs including peppermint, marshmallow root and chamomile in his garden. Following a growing demand, Bauer began sourcing additional herbs from suppliers.[6][4]

In the 1950s, Martin Bauer's son-in-law Hans Wedel joined the company.[6] The increasing use of tea bags in Germany's post-war era helped the company to grow and expand.[5] Hans Wedel established long-lasting contacts in Eastern Europe for the increased supply of herbs and plants.[6]

In 1960, the company started to use a fine-cutting system that enabled the processing of ten tons of fine herbs every day. In addition to fruit and herbal teas, the company started producing teas and blends for medicinal purposes.[6] During the 1960s, the business grew rapidly under Hans Wedel.[3]

In 1980, the subsidiary Plantextrakt was founded, which entered the plant extract business.[5] In 1986, the MartinBauer company developed a new technology for decaffeinating black tea.[5]

In 1998, MartinBauer acquired the German company Paul Müggenburg in Alveslohe near Hamburg, also a producer of plant-based raw materials. MartinBauer took over their 150 employees.[5][7]

Since the 1990s, MartinBauer has increasingly entered the international market. It opened locations in Spain, Italy, the United States, Turkey, and China, among other countries.[5][8][9]

In 2002, the MB-Holding GmbH & Co KG was founded as the parent company for different subsidiaries of the Martin Bauer Group.[10]

At the start of 2022, the name "MartinBauer" was introduced for the main brand and a leaf was introduced as the new company logo.[11]

MartinBauer targets climate neutrality for their company by 2030.[6]

Corporate structure

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Since the re-organization of the company, the MB-Holding GmbH & Co KG is the parent company of several subsidiaries. The subsidiaries of the holding company together form the so-called "the nature network".[3][10] In 2021, the network had more than 4300 employees and more than 30 locations in 15 countries.[6][1]

The third and fourth generation of the Bauer family are still involved in the family business as members of the executive board.[12]

In addition to MartinBauer brand, the network consists of three other business divisions:

  • Finzelberg, a division in Andernach and part of the company since 1986. Finzelberg, which was originally founded in 1875, is responsible for the development and production of herbal active ingredients for the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets.[10][13]
  • PhytoLab, a consultancy and testing laboratory for the analysis and approval of herbal products (including drugs) for the pharmaceutical industry, and also for other industries like healthcare products, food, and cosmetics. Next to the products of MartinBauer, it also tests the products of several other companies.[10][14] PhytoLab was founded out of the quality control department of the MartinBauer company in 1993. It is also located in Vestenbergsgreuth.[14]
  • Europlant Group, a manufacturer of liquid herbal pharmaceuticals and medicinal teas. The company is located in Eastern Europe.[15]

Products

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MartinBauer manufactures and supplies herbal and fruit teas, botanicals, tinctures, powders, and nutritional supplements.[2][16]

The company works with more than 200 raw materials from over 400 raw material suppliers in over 80 countries.[17][18] In 2011, MartinBauer implemented the so-called mabagrown standard to enhance product quality, transparency, and sustainability across a broader portion of the supply chain. The product standard is accepted by the Rainforest Alliance and by the Union for Ethical Biotrade.[19][20]

Sponsoring

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MartinBauer is the main sponsor for the football club TSV Vestenbergsgreuth since its founding in 1974.[21] In 1995, the first men's soccer team TSV and the Spielvereinigung Fürth joined forces and became the SpVgg Greuther Fürth, which is also sponsored by MartinBauer.[22][23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c MB-Holding GmbH & Co. KG (13 January 2023). "Konzernabschluss zum Geschäftsjahr vom 01.01.2021 bis zum 31.12.2021". [Consolidated financial statement for 2021 fiscal year], Bundesanzeiger (in German).
  2. ^ a b "MB-Holding GmbH & Co KG". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e "The Martin Bauer Group Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary". bevnet.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  4. ^ a b c Groh, Rainer (April 20, 1998). "Martin Bauer ist gestorben: Vom Milchvieh zur Tee-Kultur" [Martin Bauer has died: From dairy cattle to tea culture, the farmer's son made MaBa a global company]. Nürnberger Nachrichten.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Die Greuther und ihre Kräuter" [The people of Greuth and their herbs]. ihk-nuernberg.de (in German). 2014. Archived from the original on 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Lennart Zech (2021-12-01). "Das grüne Imperium von Martin Bauer: Vom Kräutersammler zum Global Player" [The green empire of Martin Bauer: From herb collector to global player]. Forum Nachhaltig Wirtschaften (in German). Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  7. ^ "Es duftet herrlich in der "Welt der Kräuter"" [It smells wonderful in the "world of herbs"]. Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). 2000-01-29. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  8. ^ Udo B. Greiner (September 14, 2018). "Weltweit führend bei Tee und Kräutern" [World leader in tea and herbs]. Bayerische Staatszeitung. p. 16.
  9. ^ "Georgien will Teegeschäft wiederbeleben" [Georgia wants to revive tea business]. Handelsblatt. June 11, 2001. p. 35.
  10. ^ a b c d "Martin Bauer Gruppe stellt sich neu auf" [Martin Bauer Group repositions itself]. ihk-nuernberg.de (in German). July 2002. Archived from the original on 2014-02-08. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  11. ^ "MartinBauer. Zeit für ein neues Zeichen" [MartinBauer. Time for a new sign.]. martin-bauer.com. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  12. ^ Angela Giese (May 10, 2011). "Die Brüder des Glückstees" [The brothers of happy tea]. Nürnberger Nachrichten. p. 19.
  13. ^ "Finzelberg: Active phytopharmaceutical ingredients". worldpharmaceuticals.net. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  14. ^ a b "PhytoLab wächst weiter" [PhytoLab continues to grow]. nordbayern.de. 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  15. ^ "Home". the nature network. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  16. ^ "Martin Bauer Group". cphi-online.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  17. ^ ""Precisely the change we want": Martin Bauer Group targets climate neutrality by 2030". nutritioninsight.com. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  18. ^ "Company Profile: MartinBauer". foodmatterslive.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  19. ^ "The mabagrown Sustainability Standard". sustainableherbsprogram.org. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  20. ^ Antje Schweinfurth (January 7, 2022). "Lieferkettengesetz: Auch Vorprodukte sind betroffen" [Supply Chain Act: preliminary products are also affected]. Bayerische Staatszeitung. p. 19.
  21. ^ Philipp Maußhardt (1994-08-26). "Tee ist gut für die Beine" [Tea is good for the legs]. Die Zeit (in German). p. 55.
  22. ^ Paul Frömel (2014-02-03). "Vier Jahrzehnte Sportgeschichte" [Four decades of sport history]. Fränkischer Tag (in German). p. 11.
  23. ^ "Die "Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth" als Fußball-Vernunftehe" [The "Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth" as a soccer marriage of convenience]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 1995-07-29. p. 22.
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