Karl Brinkmann - The first employee of Dr. Oetker

Excerpt from the personnel statistic of 1919: Brinkmann's date of entry is given here as 1890.

First product trials

In his notes, Karl Brinkmann reported on the first attempts to develop marketable products. These included so-called "effervescent salts", soap powder, cleaning agents and coffee essences for confectioneries. In addition, the company had it's own mineral water production.

The great success initially failed to materialize. Eventually, however, the baker's son Dr. August Oetker came up with his groundbreaking idea of further developing baking powder in such a way that it was sure to succeed in application.

The development of baking powder Backin

The first samples of baking soda were mixed in a porcelain mortar, later also in a hand-operated machine for larger quantities. These samples were taken to a nearby master baker named Müller in Bielefeld's Obernstraße (high street). The results were very positive and led to free samples being distributed to housewives, who unanimously praised the product.

To always be able to offer customers fresh baking powder, a special system was developed: A flat wooden box, divided into ten insert boxes, was filled with lump lime in the lower part to keep the baking powder dry. The finished mixture was in the upper boxes, which was filled into bags in a precisely coordinated manner if required.

Growth and expansion

With the growing success of baking powder, the need for labor also increased. At the beginning of baking powder production, six young women worked in the pharmacy, filling products by hand. The number of workers gradually increased significantly, so that the premises were soon no longer sufficient. In 1899, the number of employees had grown to over 60.

On 15 May 1900, the company moved to a new factory complex in Bielefeld's Lutterstraße (Lutterstreet). A large mixing machine was installed there, which greatly facilitated and accelerated production. The test kitchen was also already set up. With the entry of Dr. Eduard Oetker, a younger brother of the founder, into the company in 1904, a modern laboratory for product development also became an integral part of the company.

The two bright buildings in the centre of the picture formed the new Dr. Oetker Factory in Bielefeld's Luttterstraße from 1900 onwards. The photo was taken in 1903 from Sparrenburg Castle.

Group photo with employees of the Backin production in the 1900s. Karl Brinkmann can be seen here sitting in the bottom row as the third from the left.

A life-long career at Dr. Oetker

Karl Brinkmann spent almost his entire professional life at Dr. Oetker. The few short interruptions were his military services in 1893 and from 1915-1918. In 1893, he had Dr. August Oetker issue him a referece which has survived to this day:

Brinkmann thus received the greatest praise from Dr. August Oetker. After all, he was guaranteed a return at any time. Oetker took care of his employees but was also considered strict and cost-conscious. The fact that Brinkmann received such a good report can be understood as a vote of confidence and a distinction. After completing his military service, Brinkmann returned to the company and witnessed its rapid rise to become the largest factory of its kind in continental Europe. Over the years, he rose to become a master craftsman and was responsible for the mixing department, among other things.

Karl Brinkmann (sitting in the middle) surrounded by his employees of the mixing department in 1925.

In 1936, Brinkmann was able to celebrate his 45th anniversary with the company, which was celebrated in style. As part of the festivities, the portrait photo below was also taken. Karl Brinkmann retired in 1940.

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