Germany: Krombacher beer tycoon Friedrich Schadeberg dies aged 98

One of the last beer tycoons in Germany, Dr. Ing. H. c. Friedrich Schadeberg died last Monday at the age of 98 years. Born on April 23, 1920 in Neuwied, he grew up in Andernach, Germany, as a scion of the Weissheimer family, which was running at that time a local malting that became later the largest malting company in Germany.

He witnessed the Second World War and was imprisoned in Egypt in 1941. He spent the next five years in a detention center in Australia where he completed a four-year law school. After the war, he successfully completed his studies as brewing engineer at the renowned Technical University in Weihenstephan.

After working many years in several breweries he joined in 1951 the family owned Siegener Aktienbrauerei as head of the field sales service. Since the brewery had been completely destroyed in the war he merged his brewery with neighbouring Krombacher Brauerei, where he was granted procuration on February 25, 1953.

In the more than six decades of his work since then he transformed the small regional brewery with around 50,000 hl to one of the leading German breweries with more than 6 million hl.

Friedrich Schadeberg passed on the business to the next generation in 2001 but until recently he was still actively involved in day-to-day business. His two children, Bernhard Schadeberg and Petra Schadeberg-Herrmann, have since successfully driven forward the further expansion of the Krombacher brewery as a nationally important beverage company with strong premium brands. For many years now, Krombacher is the largest and most successful beer brand in Germany. (inside.beer, 13.1.2018)

The entrepreneurial achievements of Friedrich Schadeberg and his social commitment led to numerous honors, such as the awarding of the of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990. In 2002 he was named an honorary citizen of his home town Kreuztal and in 2009 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Siegen for his accomplishments in brand building and as a promoter of the economic region.

Friedrich Schadeberg, as well as Leo König, who died earlier this year at the age of 93 years (inside.beer, 26.8.2018), were symbols of the reconstruction of the German brewing industry after the Second World War. Both have done pioneering work, highlighting their respective beer brands through skilful marketing from the mass of other beers and creating premium products.

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