The „Hoeschs“, probably a well-known name even beyond the borders of Düren, were a widely known family of entrepreneurs. Their outstanding personalities were able to increase the fame of the family in Aachen, Düren, the Ruhr region and Saxony. The founding of "Eisen- und Stahlwerke Hoesch-Dortmund", the family's largest company, which was absorbed into the Thyssen-Krupp steel group in the 1990s, can be traced back to a branch of the family whose ancestors had been reidemakers and iron cutters on the plate hammers of the Vicht valley near Stolberg since the early 17th century. These are the same ancestors to whom a branch - active in agriculture – can be traced as owners of Dadenberg, in the 18th century. Dadenberg is a ducal feudal estate near Lamersdorf, in the district of Düren.
Dr. Henning Hoesch's great-grandfather also came from this Dadenberg line. In 1865, he founded the trading company of the same name for the distribution of the then new products of the emerging chemical industry in Düren. In the generation of Dr. Henning Hoesch's parents, this company became the starting point for the "Chemische Fabrik Hoesch KG" in Düren Niederau. As a producer of resin glues, the "Chemische Fabrik Hoesch KG" was an important partner for the local paper industry at that time. By producing washing raw materials, cooling brines and stabilizers, the company gained an important place in the stormy economic development, based on consumption, after the war. While the company remained in family ownership for 35 years, the Julius Hoesch trading company in Düren-Hoven enjoyed steady growth based on a wide range of chemical raw materials. The shares in this company were transferred to Dr. Henning Hoesch by his grandmother in 1947 at the age of seven. In the generation of Dr. Henning Hoesch, the company, which at that time was engaged in chemical trading in the Rhineland region and also offered mineral oil products under the "AVIA" brand, developed into a major German chemicals wholesaler. A millipede partner of the producing and processing industry with the largest secured storage area and most modern storage and filling facilities in the area on the left bank of the Rhine.
This attracted other chemical wholesalers and in 2002 was the main driver for the decision to join the shareholder capital of younger family-owned companies such as Stockmeier in Bielefeld and Overlack in Mönchengladbach. Dr. Henning Hoesch's family continues to hold 50 percent of the share capital. In the 1980s, concern for the inherited plant in Düren rose as there was an urgent need for a reform at that time. The safe storage and waste management of chemical substances generated - for example during the cleaning of equipment - became increasingly urgent due to environmental regulations.
Being the managing director of the company, Dr. Henning Hoesch consistently supported and invested in these provisions from 1983 onwards. In the process, the company succeeded in modernizing to the highest safety standards and, at the same time, enlarged its warehouse space. As a result of this reformation, Julius Hoesch became a showcase company in chemical distribution in Germany.
Innovative laboratory technology also ensures reliable analyses before the products leave the company. Long-term and continuous business relationships, transparent and standardized processes, and ongoing employee training are the pillars of the management system. Since 2002, the ISO-certified company has also been a participant in the RESPONSIBLE CARE program (responsible action in the chemical trade) of the German Chemical Trade Association as the worldwide RESPONSIBLE CARE initiative. Julius Hoesch GmbH & Co. KG in Düren-Hoven provides jobs for more than 180 people.
