top of page

Anton Reiche biography

Friedrich Anton Reiche (born September 28, 1845 in Wilsdruff, † July 16, 1913 in Dresden) was a German entrepreneur who, as a manufacturer of sheet metal molds, was the founder of Germany's most important “chocolate mold and sheet metal packaging factory” based in Dresden.

Reiche passed the journeyman's examination as a plumber in

Wilsdruff in 1867 Saxony from. He learned during his hiking

years 1867 to 1870 the production of chocolate molds at Létang

in France. On his return from France, he made himself up

initially self-employed with a small plumbing company.

At the same time, the confectionery industry flourished in

Dresden earliest companies included Jordan & Timaeus, Otto Rüger and
Hartwig & Vogel. Already in 1878 Reiches's workshop was called "Blechwarenfabrik", which in addition to chocolate molds made of tinplate, produced packaging cans from rolled sheets.
In 1895, the company, which was built in 1878 with ten journeyman workers, already had around 1,100 employees.

Rich chocolate molds are among the most famous in the world and are now collector's items.
Order books from 1906 to 1914 show that all the major confectionery factories in German-speaking countries were customers of Anton Reiche - in addition to the Dresden companies mentioned above, Stollwerck, Sarotti, Sprengel and Waldbaur in Germany, Manner in Austria, Lindt, Suchard and Tobler in Switzerland and others.

The Tjoklat chocolate factory was a customer in the Netherlands. From 1885 until the beginning of the Second World War, empires also exported to the USA.
The Stollwerck vending machines that are popular with toy and advertising collectors today also come from
from Reich's production.

In 1912 the company was transformed into a stock corporation.

The company, which was continued by his son after Reich's death, was rebuilt after the destruction of Dresden during the war and continued until 1972 in the GDR.

The Anton Reiche Museum in the Hofmühle Museum in Dresden commemorates his work today.

unnamed.jpg
bottom of page