150 years of Melitta Bentz

15-Dec-2022 - Germany

On January 31, 2023, Melitta Bentz, the inventor of the coffee filter, would have turned 150. To this day, she remains a role model and driving force for the company she founded: the Melitta Group.

Melitta Group Management GmbH & Co. KG

The inventor of the coffee filter would have been 150 years old on January 31, 2023

Her love of coffee made Melitta Bentz world famous: In 1908, she invented the coffee filter - using four simple utensils: a brass cup, a sheet of blotting paper, a hammer and a nail. She pierced the bottom of the brass cup and then placed a blotter from her son's exercise book inside. As she carefully ran the coffee through the brass cup, she realized: this simple idea succeeds in banishing the annoying coffee grounds and bitter taste from the coffee cup - and significantly increases the enjoyment of coffee.

This simple but ingenious invention led to the founding of a small company in Dresden and was to revolutionize coffee preparation around the world in the years that followed. Today, the small business has grown into an internationally active family company - with around 6,000 employees worldwide and an extensive product range for the preparation of coffee and tea as well as for freshness, cleanliness and hygiene.

"My great-grandmother not only laid the foundation for today's Melitta Group," says Jero Bentz, a member of the Melitta Group's Executive Board. "Her pioneering spirit, high level of innovation and consistent focus on customer needs continue to shape our company today and are the benchmark and driving force behind our thoughts and actions."

Role model of her time

With her wealth of ideas, her courage and her perseverance, Melitta Bentz was not only a successful inventor and entrepreneur. She was also a pioneer of her time. She combined her role as a mother of three and housewife with that of a successful businesswoman - and therefore serves to this day as a role model for the compatibility of career and family.

For her, entrepreneurial activity was always inextricably linked with responsibility. Throughout her life, she devoted herself to the question of how to improve what already exists and shape the future. "With her inventions, Melitta Bentz wanted to create very special moments in people's everyday lives," says Volker Stühmeier, a member of the Melitta Group's Executive Board. "Nothing has changed in that regard to this day: Enjoyment, security, trust and safety are still at the heart of our products today - whether at home, on the move or in the catering trade."

Joint Impact

It was important to Melitta Bentz that her surroundings were also doing well. She had a strong sense of family and a big heart for the well-being of employees and their families. She therefore pushed for above-average salaries, a number of vacation days that exceeded the industry standard, and benefits for employees. It enforced numerous additional social benefits that provided financial support for people during special events and in challenging life situations.

"The high regard for every employee is still the foundation of our corporate culture today. Cohesion, this "joint impact" between employees, is one of the key success factors - especially in challenging times," says Jero Bentz.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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