Did You Know These Are German Companies?
You probably know BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi… are German companies. Yes, so many car businesses. But here’s a list of some that may surprise you. Brands you use or see often. Do you know where they originate from? Where they’re headquartered?
The automotive, electrical, mechanical, medical, and chemical industries are some of the most prevalent ones in Germany. Yet, there are some in our day-to-day lives, brands we see all the time – all around the world – that are German companies.
Interested in Germany?
T-Mobile
Is this your network carrier? T-Mobile is part of Deutsche Telekom, one of the largest telecommunications companies!
Headquarters: Bonn, Germany
Founded: December 1999
Adidas
If you don’t own Adidas shoes, clothes, or other apparel/products, you’ve most likely seen it around. Adidas is one of the largest sports brands with $25.1B in revenue in 2022.
Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
Founded: August 1949
Puma
While we’re on the topic of Adidas, the story of these two companies ties to a feud between two brothers resulting in the production of Puma and Adidas.
Headquarters: Herzogenaurach, Germany
Founded: 1948
Ritter Sport
Yes, those delicious squares are German chocolate. They have all kinds of colors for different flavors and slogans such as “Quadratisch. Praktisch.” (directly translated “Square. Practical.”).
Headquarters: Waldenbuch, Germany
Founded: 1912
Allianz SE
This company may or may not be in your day-to-day life, but Allianz has a global presence in the financial sector. It is the oldest on this list of German companies, having been found in the 19th century – that’s quite long ago. Their products (or rather services) include different types of insurances and asset management.
Headquarters: Munich, Germany
Founded: February 1890 (Berlin, Germany)
HelloFresh
If you want a fresh meal kit to be delivered to your door HelloFresh is definitely an option. If you haven’t heard of it you probably aren’t involved in the meal kit environment, since HelloFresh is not only the largest U.S. meal kit provider but also globally.
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
Founded: November 2011
Haribo
Haribo comes from “Hans Riegel Bonn” – Hans Riegel being the founder. You can find these delicious gummy bears in more than 120 countries!
Headquarters: Bonn, Germany
Founded: December 1920
Aldi
Did you know Aldi and Trader Joe’s have a history? After WWII Aldi was owned by two brothers who decided to split the company into Aldi Nord (North) and Aldi Süd (South) due to a disagreement on selling tobacco products. Aldi Süd opened up Aldi stores in the U.S. – which are grocery stores. The brother who owned Aldi Nord however took a different route into the U.S. and bought Trader Joe’s in 1979.
Headquarters: Essen, Germany
Founded: 1961
DHL
DHL was actually founded in the United States but is run primarily in Germany (where they are also headquartered). You can compare DHL to FedEx and UPS. Their slogan is “Excellence. Simply Delivered.”
Headquarters: Bonn, Germany
Founded: September 1969, (San Francisco, CA)
BioNTech SE
Does this company sound familiar? Perhaps you’ve heard of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine? Or even had that injected into your system? This biotechnology company focuses on developing immunotherapies for cancer and diseases.
Headquarters: Mainz, Germany
Founded: 2008
Hugo Boss
Yes, this luxury fashion company that you may have seen in a shopping mall is German!
Headquarters: Metzingen, Germany
Founded: 1924
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