Melitta facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail Coffee |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Headquarters | Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Products | Coffees, coffee filters, small appliance (coffee makers etc.) |
| Revenue | 1.325 billion € (2014) |
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Number of employees
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3,736 (2014) |
Melitta is a German company famous for its coffee, coffee filters, and coffee makers. It's part of the larger Melitta Group, which has offices and factories in many countries. The main office is in Minden, Germany.
The company is named after Melitta Bentz, who started it. She invented the paper coffee filter that we use for drip brew coffee today. She received a patent for her invention in 1908 and later ran the company as a family business.
Contents
The Story of Melitta: How It Started
Melitta Bentz's Big Idea
In 1908, Melitta Bentz was a 35-year-old woman living in Dresden, Germany. She loved coffee but didn't like the cloudy taste or the coffee grounds left in her cup. She tried different ways to make clearer coffee.
One day, she used a piece of blotting paper from her son's school book and a brass pot with holes in it. She put the paper in the pot and poured coffee through it. It worked! The paper filtered out the grounds, making a clear, delicious cup of coffee.
Getting a Patent and Starting a Business
Melitta Bentz realized she had invented something special. On July 8, 1908, she received a patent for her "Filter Top Device lined with Filter Paper" from the Patent Office in Berlin. This was the official start of her company, which she named after herself.
Melitta's Journey Through Time
Improving the Coffee Filter
In the 1930s, Melitta's company made the coffee filter even better. They changed its shape to a cone and added ridges inside. This design allowed more of the coffee to be filtered, making the taste even richer.
In 1936, the well-known cone-shaped filter paper was introduced. The '102' size became very popular.
Melitta During World War II
During World War II, Melitta stopped making coffee filters for a while. Instead, the company helped with military supplies.
Making Filters and Other Products
Over the years, Melitta continued to find new ways to improve its filter systems. They focused on the shape, how well they worked, the materials used, and how they were made.
In 1989, Melitta introduced "Natural Brown" coffee filters. These were made from unbleached paper pulp, which was better for the environment. In 1992, Melitta developed a special process to make white paper filters without using chlorine.
In 1997, Melitta created filters with "Flavor Pores." These are tiny holes that help filter out unwanted bits and oils from the coffee, making it taste cleaner. In 2002, they added a second safety crimp to make the filters stronger. By 2007, Melitta also introduced bamboo filters and improved the Flavor Pores design.
Melitta's Growth and Impact
By 2015, the Melitta Group employed about 3,300 people. In 2019, the company's sales grew by 10 percent, reaching almost 1.7 billion euros. The number of employees also grew to 5,654.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Melitta started making nose and face masks. These masks have three layers of fleece and were produced worldwide. Melitta even donated the first million masks to healthcare facilities.
Melitta in the USA
Melitta USA is a part of the Melitta Group and is based in Clearwater, Florida. This branch is in charge of selling and marketing Melitta coffee filters, coffee, and non-electric coffee systems in the United States.
Melitta USA's coffee filters are made in Clearwater, Florida. The company also has a coffee roasting facility in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Melitta has been roasting coffee in Cherry Hill for over 50 years.
See also
- Easy Serving Espresso Pod
- Flavia Beverage Systems
- Tea culture § Germany
- Utah teapot, a famous 3D computer model of a Melitta teapot used in computer graphics.
