Eggers & Franke

Eggers & Franke is a historic German import and distribution house for wines and spirits, headquartered in Bremen. Founded on 1 December 1804 by Georg Heinrich Eggers and Johann Heinrich Christian Franke, it is one of Germany's oldest and most traditional wine merchants. Today it operates as Eggers & Franke Holding GmbH, a subsidiary of Rotkäppchen GmbH, which in turn belongs to the Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien group. The company describes itself as Germany's leading distributor of wines, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages, with the mission 'Making Liquids Fly'. It acts as an exclusive sales partner in Germany for numerous international wine and spirits brands, including Marqués de Riscal, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Mateus Rosé, Peter Lehmann Wines, Yellow Tail, KWV, Gammel Dansk, Lysholm Linie, Malteserkreuz, Aalborg Jubilaeums Akvavit and Osborne. Eggers & Franke offers a full range of services covering market access, brand launch, insights and operations, with a 360° multi-channel approach and dedicated seeding expertise for new brands. The company has a long history in the rum trade, particularly Jamaican rum, and remained active in rum blending and bottling until 2001. It is a trusted partner of national and international brand manufacturers and continues to shape the future of enjoyment through modern sales models and data-driven insights.

Eggers & Franke was founded on 1 December 1804 in Bremen by Georg Heinrich Eggers (1780–1825) and Johann Heinrich Christian Franke (1779–1825). The firm initially operated from Eggers' parents' house at Schlachte 7; his father owned the wine merchant Joh. Eggers Sohn, founded in 1773. In 1807 the company moved to its own warehouse and office premises at Doventorstraße 8/9. The following year, Franke married a sister of Eggers, and descendants from this union shaped the company until 1919. Bremen, as a free Hanseatic city, had played a dominant role in the wine and brandy trade in northern Germany since the late 17th century. However, at the time of the company's founding, international trade was severely hampered by the Continental Blockade during the Napoleonic era, and business only revived significantly after 1813, following Bremen's liberation. Besides Bordeaux, the port of Sète on the French Mediterranean coast became important from the 1820s, and deliveries from Bayonne, Málaga and Livorno were recorded, with rum imports from the Caribbean starting in 1823. Both founders died in 1825, and their widows continued the business until Johann Heinrich Ficke, a cousin of the Eggers family, became a partner in 1834, followed by Georg Julius Franke (1812–1894), son of the founder, in 1836. Georg Julius Franke later acquired his mother's shares after her death in 1837 and bought out his siblings, and in 1843 he also took over the shares of Georg Heinrich Eggers' widow. On 1 January 1845, Eggers & Franke became a partner in the Leipzig wine merchant Johann Friedrich Brems, and Ficke moved to Leipzig in 1846, strengthening business with central and eastern Germany. The opening of the first railway line from Bremen to Hanover in December 1847 brought the central German hinterland closer, and deliveries to Königsberg and Poland gained importance. From the mid-19th century, thanks to Ficke's friendship with the Bremen import house H. C. Finke, which had a branch in Kingston, Eggers & Franke rose to become one of the most important traders in Jamaican rum. For decades, Bremen and Eggers & Franke held a dominant role in the Caribbean rum trade, not only for Germany but for large parts of continental Europe. The rapidly growing business necessitated extensive renovations and new buildings between 1849 and 1868 at Doventorstraße and newly acquired properties at Neuenstraße 41–43 and Töferbohmstraße. In 1874, Johann August Franke (1848–1918) joined as a partner, representing the third generation. The incorporation of Bremen into the German customs area in 1888 marked a major turning point: it opened up trade in German wines, which grew in importance until World War I, alongside southern wines from Jerez and Málaga and wines from Rioja and Tarragona. However, the loss of customs privileges led to the near overnight collapse of Bremen's significant rum trade with the rest of Europe. Nevertheless, domestic rum trade, blending and bottling remained an important business segment until 2001. From 1880, Johann August Franke represented his profession in customs and tariff committees of the Chamber of Commerce, and in 1888 he was sent to the Bremen Bürgerschaft, where he served until his death in 1918. The outbreak of World War I ended the prosperous era for Bremen's wine trade: foreign trade and especially maritime trade collapsed, inventories dwindled, and able-bodied employees were drafted. Johann August Franke died on 24 October 1918 after a long illness; his intended successor, his son, did not return from the war. Conditions did not improve immediately after the war ended in November 1918. The company continued to operate through the 20th century, and in 2001 it ceased its rum blending and bottling activities. At some point, Eggers & Franke became a subsidiary of Rotkäppchen GmbH, which belongs to the Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien group. As of November 2016, it was the exclusive distribution partner in Germany for numerous international wine and spirits brands, including Diehl and Leitz from Germany, Marqués de Riscal from Rioja, Baron Philippe de Rothschild from France, Mateus Rosé from Portugal, Peter Lehmann Wines and Yellow Tail from Australia, KWV Holdings from South Africa, Gammel Dansk and Aalborg Jubilaeums Akvavit from Denmark, Lysholm Linie from Norway, and Osborne's brandies, sherries, wines and ports. Today, under the name Eggers & Franke Group, the company presents itself as Germany's leading distributor for enjoyment, with the mission 'Making Liquids Fly', offering a full range of services from market access to operations, and employing modern sales models and data-driven insights.

• 2016

  As of November 2016, exclusive distribution partner for numerous international brands.

• 2001

  Ceased rum blending and bottling activities.

• 1918

  Johann August Franke died; World War I disrupted business.

• 1888

  Bremen joined the German customs area, leading to a boom in German wine trade but collapse of rum trade with Europe.

• 1874

  Johann August Franke joined as a partner, representing the third generation.

• 1845

  Became a partner in the Leipzig wine merchant Johann Friedrich Brems.

• 1836

  Georg Julius Franke, son of the founder, became a partner.

• 1834

  Johann Heinrich Ficke became a partner.

• 1823

  Began importing rum from the Caribbean.

• 1807

  Moved to own warehouse and office premises at Doventorstraße 8/9.

• 1804

  Founded in Bremen by Georg Heinrich Eggers and Johann Heinrich Christian Franke.

Germany's leading distributor for enjoyment, connecting brands, markets and people from origin to glass.

• Wines

• Spirits

• Non-alcoholic beverages

1. 1Eggers & Franke Group | making liquids flyef-gruppe.de
2. 2Eggers & Franke - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3Eggers & Franke - Wikidatawikidata.org