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.

“Even as a child I loved to build things and made models of the water wheels and mills of my father.”