✔ 5.000 articles for protection, hygiene & packaging
✔ top price-performance ratio
✔ ready to ship in 24h
✔ tested quality

Company history

Over 50 years of success - from the garage to the world
A lot has happened since the company was founded in 1972 by Franz Mensch, a trained chef. What started out as a garage sale has become a globally active and steadily growing company with decades of expertise in the fields of disposables, hygiene clothing and occupational safety. The company headquarters in Buchloe (Allgäu) in Bavaria is built with the future and growth in mind and offers sufficient space for even more growth.
Franz Mensch achieved a breakthrough in 1987 with the invention of the European chef's hat. The chef's hat made of absorbent special paper quickly conquered kitchens all over Germany and Europe.

Die Entwicklung der Franz Mensch Firma in einem Bild

The most important milestones

Extraordinary: The Corona Crisis 2020

During the Corona crisis, Franz Mensch becomes the most important partner of the health sector. When China imposed a lockdown for the Wuhan region on 24.01.2020, it was clear: we're going to have a problem here. There will be no supply of mouthguards. Because Franz Mensch knew that around 90% of the world's mask production is located exactly there. A few days later, on 5 February 2020, the Theiler brothers issued warnings to the ministries and responsible authorities - unfortunately without any reaction for weeks.

Franz Mensch then organised a distribution to the hospitals on his own. The team made hundreds of phone calls and did everything they could to get supplies of masks to Germany. In spring, the company managed to have tons of protective clothing flown in by air freight. Their destination: hospitals, care facilities, doctors' surgeries, rescue services, police and public institutions.

Lagerarbeiten im neusten Pandemielager
Lagerarbeiten in der Firma Franz Mensch
Überblick über einen Teil des lagers von Franz Mensch

Extraordinary: The Corona Crisis 2020

January 2020: Lockdown in Wuhan, no more new deliveries to Germany, Chinese middlemen try to bring back masses of masks to China, Order stop: Franz Mensch does not deliver any more goods
February 2020: Warning to responsible authorities of massive shortage of protective clothing, appeal for precautions, unfortunately without reaction
March 2020: Franz Mensch telephones 500 hospitals nationwide in order to take the distribution of the remaining goods into its own hands.
April 2020: The first air shipments arrive and are distributed immediately In total, Franz Mensch flies in the following quantities in 2020: 300 million medical masks, 2 million FFP2 masks, 5 million protective gowns, 2 million overalls, 1 million protective goggles
May 2020: goods deliveries to the medical sector are in full swing, police protection for goods, mouth guards are guarded like gold bars
Mid/late 2020: supply bottlenecks and massive shortage of disposable gloves, freight costs for deliveries from Asia 10 times higher than before Corona
January 2021: FFP2 mask obligation in Bavaria, bottlenecks in procurement, overpriced prices on the market, strong demand for Corona quick tests
February 2021: Freight costs explode, shortage of empty containers comes to a head
June 2021: Groundbreaking ceremony for the pandemic stockpile: Franz Mensch decides to build a real stockpile himself for times of crisis

Personalities

Mr. Franz Mensch founded the company Franz Mensch as a one-man business. Mr. Mensch was a trained chef and ran the company from 1972 to 1988.

"An unshakeable goal to create something great, expert knowledge paired with intelligence and common sense, a portion of courage and perseverance as well as joy in the continuous development work probably belong to it, in order to create a respectable middle class enterprise from a small enterprise " - Franz Mensch company founder.

Der ehemalige Geschäftsführer der Franz Mensch GmbH

Due to a heart condition, Mr. Franz Mensch was forced to hand over the company.

In Rolf W. Theiler he found a successor who took over his ideas and continued the Franz Mensch company. The graduate in business administration managed the company from 1988 until the end of June 2001.

I am extremely pleased that the Franz Mensch company is flourishing as a limited liability company. I would never have predicted this development, never dared to predict it. All of you, you "people" bring a commitment that is unparalleled. So: keep it up!“ -Rolf Theiler

Die Geschäftsführung von Franz Mensch

The sons Achim and Axel Theiler took over the joint management in 2001. The generation change was completed with the renaming of the Franz Mensch company to a limited liability company (GmbH).

Under their leadership, it was possible to raise the company to a significantly higher level of performance and earnings. The brothers greatly improved the company's position throughout Europe and further expanded the portfolio. With the new building in Buchloe, a vision came true and the Franz Mensch company became even more powerful in global competition.

Read more about Franz Mensch and what is important to us here: