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Brenntag celebrates 150th anniversary and its history of being constantly agile and shaping the future of the industry

Brenntag, the global market leader in chemicals and ingredients distribution, is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2024

Since its foundation in 1874 in Berlin as an egg wholesale business, today's DAX company and truly global enterprise has undertaken an impressive development and growth journey that was characterized by relentlessly rethinking and reinventing the business in ever evolving markets. Throughout the anniversary year, Brenntag will celebrate its rich history with employees, business partners and all other stakeholders. The highlight of the celebrations will take place in October, around the actual founding date, with worldwide employee events, a customer and supplier day and with an official ceremony in Essen, Germany, Brenntag's current headquarters.

“Looking back on such a long history is a chance to reflect on the people, decisions and challenges that have shaped our company and brought us to where we are today. With curiosity, a great deal of pioneering spirit, and keeping focus in times of change, we at Brenntag have always been successful to adapt to new circumstances. We are evolving with our markets, and we actively shape them”, commented Christian Kohlpaintner, Chief Executive Officer of Brenntag SE.

Founded by Philipp Mühsam in Berlin, Germany, in 1874 as an egg wholesale enterprise, the company expanded to London just three years later, at the time the world’s trading hub. 1912, the company began trading chemicals, and in 1937 it was named “Brennstoff-, Chemikalien- und Transport-Aktiengesellschaft” which was then abbreviated to “Brenntag”. In the 1940s, headquarters moved to Mülheim an der Ruhr, where the company’s head office was located until 2017. Under various ownership structures Brenntag grew both organically and through acquisitions, expanding its portfolio, size, and global reach over time. Today, Brenntag operates about 600 sites in over 70 countries and with its more than 17,500 employees services thousands of customers with a unique range of industrial and specialties chemicals, products, and value-added services. The company has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2010 and on the DAX since 2021.

Conscious of its social responsibility, Brenntag has commissioned historians to diligently reappraise the company's history. The results will be published in the course of the anniversary year.

CEO Christian Kohlpaintner: “The anniversary is also an opportunity to pay tribute and thank past and present employees. It’s the expertise, dedication, and courage of our people at Brenntag that have made this successful development possible. The ability and willingness of being constantly agile and moving forward, is deeply embedded in our DNA. Continuously transforming ourselves and shaping the future of our industry is what drives us and remains our inspiration.”