August Oetker

Dr. August Oetker (January 6, 1862 – January 10, 1918) was a German inventor of baking powder.

Early life

August Oetker was born on January 6, 1862 in Obernkirchen, Germany.

Career

In 1891, he bought the Aschoffsche pharmacy in Bielefeld and developed a baking agent, which was designed to ensure the success of the baking process. Prior to Oetker, Justus von Liebig and his American student, Eben Horsford, had already discovered baking powder. However, Oetker targeted mainly private households with his products whereas Horsford targeted bakeries.

From 1893, he distributed his invention under the brand name Backin, thus laying the basis for the family-owned company, called Oetker-Gruppe. This company still uses the very same recipe to produce baking powder. On September 21, 1903, Oetker filed a patent for his Procedure for making long-lasting baking powder or ready-to-bake flour.

Due to successful marketing, his products sold quite well and soon the old pharmacy had turned into a successful company. In 1900, he built his first manufacturing plant and by 1906 had sold 50 million packages of Backin.

Death and legacy

The 1903 patent

He died on January 10, 1918 in Bielefeld, Germany. Later, Oetker's grandson Rudolf August Oetker took over the company.

Motto: "Ein heller Kopf verwendet stets Oetker." ("Bright minds always use Oetker.").