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Jordan & Timaeus facts for kids
Jordan & Timaeus was a famous chocolate company from Saxony, a region in Germany. It was started in 1823 by two businessmen, Gottfried Jordan and August Friedrich Timaeus. Their factory was located in the city of Dresden.
Contents
History of the Company
Gottfried Jordan: A Founder's Story
Gottfried Heinrich Christoph Jordan was born on May 9, 1791, in Hasserode. He passed away on October 2, 1860, in Dresden. He was a smart businessman from Saxony.
Before starting his own company, Jordan worked as a traveling salesman. He sold products for other businesses, often traveling with August Friedrich Timaeus. In 1823, they decided to create their own company. They named it Jordan & Timaeus. Their factory in Dresden-Antonstadt made chicory coffee, pasta, and chocolate. The company quickly grew to be one of the biggest in Dresden.
Gottfried Jordan also helped start the Waldschlösschen Brewery in 1836. This was one of the first companies in Germany where many people could own a small part of it (a "joint stock company"). From 1842 to 1848, he was a representative in the Saxon Parliament. This was like being a member of the government.
Jordan was buried in the Inner Neustädter cemetery. A street in Dresden is named Jordan Road in his honor. His son, Ernst Albert Jordan, later took over the family business. He also became a member of the Saxon Parliament and was made an honorary citizen of Dresden.
August Friedrich Timaeus: The Other Founder
August Friedrich Christian Timaeus was born on January 23, 1794, in Celle. He died on April 1, 1875, in Dresden. He was another important German businessman.
Timaeus went to high school in his hometown. From 1809 to 1814, he learned about business in a store in Wolfenbüttel. After that, he worked in Braunschweig as a clerk and traveling salesman. This is where he met Gottfried Jordan. Together, they started their chocolate and chicory factory in Dresden in 1823.
In 1830, the company got a steam engine. This was a big deal because it helped them make products much faster. Jordan & Timaeus quickly became one of the largest companies in Dresden. It was also one of the most important chocolate makers in all of Germany. Their success helped German-made chocolate become more popular than chocolate from other countries.
Timaeus retired from the business in 1853.
August Friedrich Timaeus passed away in 1875. He was buried in the Inner Neustädter cemetery. A street in Dresden, Timaeusstraße, is named after him. The Timaeusvilla, an old building that used to be part of Jordan & Timaeus, can still be seen in Dresden today.
Jordan & Timaeus: From 1823 to 1930
The Jordan & Timaeus factory was founded in 1823. It was located in Dresden-Antonstadt, between what are now Timaeus Street and Jordan Street.
The company made various foods, including chicory coffee, pasta, and chocolate. In 1839, they created an early version of semi-solid milk chocolate. This chocolate had about 10% liquid milk added to it. At first, the factory worked without a steam engine, but it grew bigger every year. In 1830, they installed a steam engine. This helped their chocolate factory become famous worldwide. It also helped German chocolate become very popular.
In 1845, a large fire destroyed their factory building. But the company quickly rebuilt it. In the winter of 1845-1846, they started making new products. These included "winter chocolates" and cocoa blocks. They also made finer chocolates for desserts and snacks. These new products were very successful both in Germany and in other countries.
Around 1880, the company had a very clever way to advertise. They packed five different chocolate bars into a red box. This box looked exactly like a famous travel guide called Baedeker's. They called it "Baedeker's land of milk and honey." It was a fun way to get people to notice their chocolates.
After the founders, Gottfried Jordan and August Friedrich Timaeus, passed away, their family members took over. These included Ernst Jordan and Eduard, Albert, and Gerhard Timaeus.
The company had branches in other countries, including Děčín, Bodenbach, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. By 1874, about 500 people worked for Jordan & Timaeus. The owners were even given the title of "royal Saxon court purveyors." This meant they supplied products to the royal family. The company eventually closed down in 1930.
In 1945, the company's property in Dresden was taken over by the government. This is called "nationalized." In what was then Czechoslovakia, a branch called Diana Děčín continued to make chocolate. This branch had originally been started by another Dresden chocolate factory. Diana Děčín kept producing until 1989. Then, a large food company bought it and closed it in 1996. However, some employees saved the knowledge and machines. They continued making chocolate in the old Jordan & Timaeus factory, which they called Jordanka.
Legacy and Milk Chocolate History
Since late 2011, scientists from Dresden have shown that the first milk chocolate actually came from Dresden. For a long time, people thought that Swiss inventors created milk chocolate in 1875. However, the "Dresdner Schokoladenfabrik Jordan & Timaeus" was already selling its own milk chocolate 30 years earlier, in 1839. Their early milk chocolate was even made with donkey milk! This discovery changed what we know about the history of milk chocolate.
See also
- Peter's Chocolate, another important early milk chocolate maker