Our History

Quality has been a tradition at WMF for almost 170 years. The company’s initial focus was on pure metal processing, and our name WMF still makes reference to our origins as “Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik”. The portfolio continued to evolve over the course of the company’s history, as did the logo and appearance of our brand.

The foundation: Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer

In 1853, mill owner Daniel Straub, together with the Schweizer brothers, established the Straub & Schweizer metal works in Geislingen with a workforce of 16 people. Only a few years later in 1862, Straub & Schweizer silver-plated tableware and serving dishes were awarded medals of distinction at the Great London Exposition. In order to strengthen sales in Northern Germany as well, the first store was founded in Berlin in 1868 – the start of the Group’s present-day network of stores. In 1880, the company merged with Metallwarenfabrik Ritter & Co. from Esslingen to form the public limited company Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF), with its headquarters in Geislingen.

The founder: Daniel Straub

Shortly before the foundation of WMF, Daniel Straub had founded his first manufacturing company, Maschinenfabrik Geislingen, in connection with his participation in the construction of the Geislinger Steige, the steepest railway line in Europe at the time. As experienced metal spinners, the brothers Friedrich and Louis Schweizer were able to contribute their technical expertise.

Our logo

From 1880 onwards, the company logo featured a walking ostrich, presumably Daniel Straub’s family crest. Today’s logo, with its special letter arrangement, first appeared on a brochure in 1907. It was used until 1925 and was subsequently given a makeover in 1965 and 2007 to reflect contemporary styles.

1880

1925

1927

1935

1965

2007

Our image

WMF’s advertising posters have always captured the trends of the times. This means we have always been able to stand out from the competitive environment without losing sight of the company’s DNA. No matter what the era, WMF advertising has always reflected the company’s principles: the design, production and sale of modern, quality products with a high practical value.

The WMF timeline

19th century

20th century

21st century

1853

Founding of Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer in Geislingen an der Steige with 16 employees.

1862

Great London Exposition: medals for “outstanding copperware” and “silver-plated goods”.

1863 – Hepp

Foundation by brothers Carl and Otto Hepp.

1868

First WMF retail outlet established in Berlin.

1887

Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik AG is floated on the stock exchange.

1892 – Schaerer

Founding of the medical company M. Schaerer AG in Bern.

1893

Start of serial production for galvanised silver-plated cutlery.

1894

After purchasing the Galvanoplasty Art Institute and developing the technology further, WMF began making large-scale sculptures starting in 1894, including gravestones, memorials and garden ornaments.

1919 – KAISER

Founding of the company in Beierfeld in the Erzgebirge mountains by Wilhelm Ferdinand Kaiser, as a wholesaler of metal goods with 30 employees.

1920

Ikora metal and glass: By developing Ikora crystal, which makes it possible to create colorful glass objects, WMF becomes the market leader for decorative glass.

1920 – Silit

Production of the first pots under the Silit brand.

1927

Sicomatic: The first WMF pressure cooker is launched. The first series of large coffee machines goes into production.

1929

Production of the first officially declared, gas-powered, large coffee machine made of Cromargan – the 312 model.

1930

Cromargan® – a new material: stainless steel, known at WMF as “Cromargan”. Expansion of the store network up to 1935. Today, products are sold in more than 150 shops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

1932

The production of WMF coffee machines is relocated from Göppingen to Geislingen.

1953

First major breakthrough in the coffee machine market with model 1000: A robust and user-friendly, large coffee machine.

1955

Customer service network set up for professional coffee machines. Today this comprises 350 service employees.

1956 – Silit

Founding of the Riedlingen site.

1963 – KAISER

Relocation to Diez an der Lahn, site of the present head office.

1968 – KAISER

Kaiser is the first manufacturer in the world to develop non-stick baking pans.

1969

The Programat is unveiled in Hamburg as the first fully automatic, electronically controlled high-volume coffee machine.

1984

WMF Perfect pressure cooker – revolution: The first detachable handle in the world enclosing the entire technology.

1986 – PCM

The first coffee speciality machine – the Etamat – is launched: a single-cup machine that can prepare café crème and speciality (decaffeinated) coffee using a special manual insert.

1988

Acquisition of HEPP.

1989

Acquisition of Silit.

2002

Acquisition of Kaiser.

2006

Acquisition of Schaerer.

2008

Entry into the market for consumer electric appliances.

2009

Cromargan protect®: Further development of Cromargan to ensure maximum scratch resistance.

2013

Start of Group restructuring as part of the strategic realignment. Centralization of administrative activities at the headquarters in Geislingen.

2014

Performance Cut – innovation for forged knives: extreme sharpness with the best long-lasting cutting properties.

2015

WMF AG is taken off the stock exchange and converted into a GmbH (limited liability company).

2016

WMF becomes part of the French Groupe SEB.

2018

WMF continues to evolve from a pure product manufacturer to a digital solution provider with WMF CoffeeConnect and Schaerer Coffee Link: for the comprehensive collection, analysis and graphical processing of performance and service data from coffee machines.

2019

Regional Council of the State of Baden-Württemberg declares WMF product archive a cultural monument.

2019

Acquisition of Wilbur Curtis.

2021

Change of name from WMF Group GmbH to WMF GmbH – WMF is a premium hub within Groupe SEB.

The history’s future: the WMF product archive

Together with the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, we have preserved an archive of products in our company building in Geislingen (Steige), which includes approx. 11,000 individual pieces from all areas of production – from purely functional goods to high-quality design objects based on the designs of well-known artists. It contains pieces from more than 150 years of artisan and industrial production as well as numerous unique items in the form of test pieces, hand samples or prototypes. All objects are recorded in a database with materials, techniques, dimensions, dates, designers and states of preservation, thus ensuring their long-term preservation and future accessibility.

The first WMF coffee machine for domestic use, around 1880

Art Nouveau centrepiece, 1904

Gates of Paradise, replica of the east gate of the Baptistery in Florence, 1913

The first Sicomatic pressure cooker, 1927

Tableware from Wagenfeld's design studio, 1950s

“Max and Moritz” salt and pepper shaker based on designs by Bauhaus student Wilhelm Wagenfeld, 1954

Consumer Brands

Professional Coffee Machines

Professional Hotel Equipment

Our History

The foundation: Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer

The founder: Daniel Straub

Our logo

1880

1925

1927

1935

1965

2007

Our image

The WMF timeline

The history’s future: the WMF product archive

Get in touch with us .

Follow us on social media

Consumer Brands

Professional Coffee Machines

Professional Hotel Equipment

Our History

The foundation: Metallwarenfabrik Straub & Schweizer

The founder: Daniel Straub

Our logo

1880

1925

1927

1935

1965

2007

Our image

The WMF timeline

The history’s future: the WMF product archive

Get in touch with us .

Follow us on social media

Get in touch with us .