MARCH LA.B

AN AMAZING STORY OF TRADITION

 
The most important capital a company can possess are the traditions that are passed from one generation to the next. Koh-I-Noor is a company that is all about tradition. Established in 1830 by Friederich Grüneberg, Burstenfabrik Grüneberg was the precursor of Koh-I-Noor. This company was located in Bratislava, Slovakia and manufactured brushes manually by a workforce of 100 strong. In 1866 leadership of the factory was succeeded by Wilhelm Grüneberg, Frederich’s son. As part of the tradition, Burstenfabrik Grüneberg made some of the first toothbrushes that were distributed throughout Europe. Toothbrush handles were originally made of ox bone and the bristles were inserted by hand into the handles. Under Wilhelm’s leadership, the company acquired the first automatic machines used for producing toothbrush. Over time, the handles evolved from ox bone to wood and subsequently to celluloid acetate (plastic).