Pottery from the Kohler Tile and Pottery Factory A.G. in CERAMICA CH
Andreas Heege, 2022
Later known as the Kohler Stove Factory A.G., the original company was founded on 1st July 1898 by three entrepreneurs from Mett, i.e. Biel/Bienne.
Report in the “Illustrierte Schweizerische Handwerker-Zeitung” newspaper, 1898, issue 27, 536.
Karl Kohler (from Oberschopfheim in the Grand Duchy of Baden), Karl Grimm (from Burgdorf, Canton of Bern) and Fritz Keller (an engineer from Oberthal, Canton of Bern) co-founded a limited partnership business named “Kohler, Grimm & Cie” (SHAB 16, 1898, No. 264). The business was listed as a “Stove and Pottery Factory”. The premises were located adjacent to the train station at Biel-Mett.
In September 1898 the Stove Factory advertised for staff and raw materials (manganese dioxide): Notice in the newspaper “Der Grütlianer” on 15/7/1899 and letter from Fritz Keller to Louis Rollier, Professor of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
The first advertisements appeared on 2nd October 1898 in the “Journal du Jura” and on 3rd November 1898 in the “Tagblatt der Stadt Biel” newspaper.
Due to the sudden and untimely death of Fritz Keller (on 4th February 1899, at the age of 40; Journal du Jura, issue 29, 4th February 1899; Seeländer Bote, volume 50, issue 15, 4th February 1899), the company name was changed to “Kohler & Grimm” on 15th May 1899 (SHAB 17, 1899, No. 175).
Advertisement in the “Journal du Jura” 14/9/1899.
In August 1899 the company won a gold medal for its tiled faience stoves at the Cantonal Exhibition in Thun (Journal du Jura, issue 186, 9th August 1899), which prompted management to run another advertising campaign. Other award-winning companies mentioned were Wannenmacher & Cie in Biel/Bienne (honorary certificate) and A. Weber in Biel/Bienne (silver medal).
In 1905, the company advertised garden gnomes in the “Nebelspalter” magazine.
9th April 1906: The limited partnership “Kohler & Grimm” became the “Kohler & Grimm A.G., Stove and Pottery Factory in Mett”. The corporate capital amounted to 140,000 Swiss francs in 28 registered shares (SHAB 24, 1906, No. 158, 632).
21st June 1911: Karl Grimm resigned from the board of directors. His seat was taken by Karl Kohler junior (1887-1966) (SHAB 29, 1911, No. 157, 1091).
4th May 1913: Revision of the statutes; the company name was changed to “Kohler A.G.” (SHAB 31, 1913, No. 173, 1256).
1918: A postal stationary card bearing the company logo “OKM” shows that the Stove Factory was represented at the National Exhibition in Bern in 1914.
Advertisements in the “Heimatschutz” magazine and in the “Schweizerische Bauzeitung” journal show what the tiled stoves from 1920 and 1922 looked like.
Advertisements in the “Das Werk” magazine from 1925 also show various types of stove.
The company also won a gold medal for its stoves at the Canton Bern Exhibition of 1924 in Burgdorf (“Der BUND” newspaper, 9/10/1924). A special stove was produced to the design of architect Hektor Egger from Langenthal (see the picture from “Das Werk” 1925). First report on the Canton Bern Exhibition; Second report on the Canton Bern Exhibition.
Other tiled stoves were pictured in the “Schweizerische Bauzeitung” journal in 1926 and in the “Das Werk” magazine in 1927.
At the time, the tiles from the company Kohler A.G. bore the company mark “Kohler Biel” on the back, often accompanied by a star and a number. Frieda Lauterburg from Langnau appears to have worked mainly for this producer, painting pictures and decorative motifs on their tiles.
Advertising for materials in the NZZ newspaper in 1942 and 1945.
The period of the Second World War was characterised by an increasing shortage of materials. No research has yet been undertaken to show what the products and stoves from the period looked like.
In 1943 the company also produced ceramic advertising letters. Advertisement in the “Der Bund” newspaper, 1/4/1943.
1966: The death was announced of Karl Kohler-Ritter (26th August 1887-12th July 1966), which meant that his seat on the board of directors became vacant (Obituary, Bieler Tagblatt newspaper, issue 160, 12th July 1966). He was succeeded by the only other member of the board of directors, Peter Kohler (SHAB 84, No. 287, 1966, 3880). At that time the company produced and traded technical ceramics, heating stoves and industrial and laboratory kilns.
8th August 1967: The entire company premises fell victim to a conflagration.
1978: The company was renamed Octavia AG and its business model was now the distribution of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (SHAB 96, 1978, No. 231, 2829). It is not clear how long after 1967 tiled stoves were still being produced in Biel/Bienne. That year, old stock appears to have been sold as “antique tiled stoves” (NZZ newspaper, issue 1355, 31st March 1967).
A scientific analysis of the company history and the products of the Stove Factory in Biel/Bienne based on archival sources is still outstanding.
Translation Sandy Haemmerle
