Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn

Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn

The company Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn can look back on a long and rich history. The name Herder can be traced back to the profession of sword hardeners, who were based in Solingen in the 17th century. 
It can be assumed that already during the 30 years war the ancestors of today's company had trade relations to the Netherlands. The first reliable document that has been preserved in the company to this day is dated February 27, 1727. In it, Peter Herder zu Pilghausen was granted the Schoppenass (= "Ace of Spades") trademark at the Knifemakers' Court, which he confirmed with his curved signature. This document is one of the oldest of its kind, which first made its way in the Netherlands and later to all parts of the world as a guarantee for high quality cutlery. Peter Herder died in 1762 and thus passed the business on to his two sons Abraham and Johann Peter Herder. After that, Johann Abraham Herder, the son of Abraham Herder took over the business and changed the name to Joh. Abr. Herder & Sne. The change of name is in itself a sign of the expansion of the business, which as before extended exclusively to the Netherlands.
In 1839, Johann Abraham Herder's grandson Friedrich Herder became a partner in the company, and a year later, after Johann Abraham's death, he took over the business. Due to the provisions of the then prevailing Napoleonic Code, this could only be done under his own name, so in 1841 he had his company renamed Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn, which name still exists today. Although the current name of the company therefore dates back to 1841, it is actually much older in its structure. As we have seen, it can be traced back to the earliest days of Solingen's industrial development.
1848 Registration of the key sign for the Romance countries
Under Friedrich Herder, the business steadily expanded, especially in the Dutch colonies, where the fork mark ("Fork Brand") and the key mark, which had already belonged to the company in 1802, gained an ever firmer foothold. With the increase in sales, Friedrich Herder further expanded his manufacturing capabilities. He recognized the signs of the times and participated with great vigor in the development of the cottage industry that had been common in Solingen until then into a factory operation.
In 1859, he bought a large plot of land on the Grünewald and began building factory facilities behind his home.
After Friedrich Herder's death in 1887, his grandson Gustav Weyersberg took over the management of the Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn company at the age of 19.
In 1898 the branch office in Buenos Aires was opened, after Carl Weyersberg had brought home many ideas during a trip around the world. From then on, he took care of the management of this branch office.
1925-1993 The Weyersberg family/Bick family were the main shareholders until the insolvency of the Friedr. Herder Abr. Sohn company.
1927 Registration of the Constant mark for knives and scissors made of high-performance stainless steel
1932 Registration of the DON CARLOS mark for professional knives
1993 Hans Joachim Röllecke and Detlef Weides take over the company from insolvency and continue it as "Friedrich Herder Abraham Sohn GmbH".
On June 1, 2015 Stephan and Benno Burghaus take over the traditional company, which they had supplied for 15 years.