They are full of stories and hold a special fascination for us: Family businesses. You will also find such companies among the Ambiente exhibitors, some of which we would like to introduce to you in the coming months. After Robbe & Berking and Cristel from the Dining area, we continue with two companies that can be found at Ambiente in the Giving segment: Rössler Papier and Caran d’Ache.
Family-run companies are often rooted in their region, even if the business expands into international markets, and they are seen as a guarantee of stability and sustainable growth. Environmental awareness and respect for people play a central role at Rössler Papier and Caran d’Ache.
Rössler – a family business from the German capital of paper
For over 85 years, Rössler has stood for high-quality stationery, coloured papers and envelopes as well as stylish filing products. The company’s history is closely linked to the town of Düren in North Rhine-Westphalia: Thanks to the low-lime water of the Rur, the cultivation of flax, the rich timber industry and the free papermakers’ guilds, Düren advanced to become a center of paper production in Europe from the 16th century onwards. It was also paper that brought Gerda and Peter Rössler together. Gerda had hired her future husband Peter Rössler for her former employer, a paper merchant in Düren. In 1937, the couple set up their own paper wholesale in a small backyard garage in Düren. After the Second World War, Gerda and Peter Rössler expanded their business into a flourishing medium-sized company with its own production and manufacturing facilities.
The production is still the heart of Rössler today. Together with her husband and Managing Director Dr. Jan Philipp Ehlers, granddaughter Katrin Rössler-Ehlers now runs the family business and is responsible for product development and marketing. The smell of paper in the production hall is a childhood memory and gives her a familiar feeling: “When I enter production, there is this smell that is unique to me and I associate it with Rössler Papier.” Her parents Bibi and Peter Rössler, the second generation of entrepreneurs, are still on hand to provide advice and support in the family business. Both at the headquarters in Düren and at the subsidiary in the Czech Republic, the focus is on loving, expert craftsmanship, quality and a passion for fine details.
Swiss manufacturing tradition – the Maison Caran d’Ache in Geneva
Caran d’Ache has been cultivating the art of drawing and writing in its Geneva workshops since 1915. Using the finest materials and the most modern techniques, they create vibrant colors as well as drawing and writing instruments that are known worldwide for their outstanding quality.
Today, the renowned family business is managed by Carole Hübscher, the fourth generation of a family that has been running the company since the 1930s. Women are an integral part of the company’s history, as the name “Caran d’Ache” was invented in 1924 by the Russian-born wife of the factory manager. In Russian, “karandash” means pencil and is derived from the Turkish “kara tash”, which means “black stone” and refers to graphite.
Sustainable development and respect for people are of particular value to Carole Hübscher: “Since its foundation, the values shared by family businesses in terms of social and environmental responsibility, savoir-faire, sharing and continuity have been an inseparable part of Caran d’Ache’s DNA.” The company has a strong family character and co-founded an independent organization dedicated to the well-being of employees back in 1970. At Caran d’Ache, some employees have been with the company for over 40 years and it is not unusual for two or even three generations of a family to work in the same department.
The commitment does not end at the factory door: since 1973, there has been an educational service for teachers to train them in the various techniques and applications of Caran d’Ache products. 2000 teachers from all Swiss cantons are trained every year. The latest project is the cooperation with the Plateforme 10 museum center in Lausanne, where Caran d’Ache supports up-and-coming artists with a space for residency projects or exhibitions.
