Company History
Augsburg, Germany. It all began in the “Pfladermühle,” a 1,000-year old gristmill that Dr. Felix Grandel inherited from his mother in 1936.
Dr. Felix Grandel was a chemist and nutritionist and had little interest in the production of flour. Instead, he was drawn to the mill’s by-products, wheat germ and bran, and the search for ways to preserve and make them useful for human nutrition.
In 1947, Dr. Grandel founded Keimdiät GmbH at the original mill site. Keimdiät translates into English literally as “diet of wheat germ,” and, as the name suggests, the young company’s first range of health products was based on wheat germ. These products remain extremely popular today as a natural source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
In 1985, Felix Grandel’s son Michael, a graduate in economics, took over the helm of the independently managed company. The company is still family-owned and has become a major manufacturer of brand-name natural health and beauty products. Today Dr. GRANDEL is an international company, and our subsidiaries and branches in more than 50 countries distribute our products worldwide and help continue the excellent reputation of the Dr. GRANDEL, PHYRIS and ARABESQUE brands.
In the second generation Dipl. oec. Michael Grandel wrote an impressive success story. With sensitivity and skill, he continuously developed the family business with passion into an internationally renowned company with numerous brands, subsidiaries and foreign representations in more than 50 countries. Shaped by tradition, a spirit in research and binding values, today Michael Grandel’s nephew Dr. Gabriel Duttler and his daughter Ariane Grandel continue to run the family business in the third generation.
Dr Grandel’s desire to always meet customers’ needs is evident in their excellent products and marketing services, and also in the exemplary way they have organized the entire logistics value chain. This approach influences everything they do – how they select raw materials, their state-of-the-art production in line with good manufacturing practice (GMP) and how they deliver our products.
Dr. Grandel is aware that doing business is not an end in itself but a means to serve people and society as a whole. That is why their company always endeavours to conserve resources and employ environmentally friendly processes. Their main offices are all run by hydropower! At the same time, DR GRANDEL also actively contributes to society through cultural and social sponsoring.
Dr Grandel’s focus is on people. And the DR. GRANDEL approach is based on treating all people – whether they are their business partners or their employees – with respect at all times.
Because DR. GRANDEL pursues a premium-quality strategy, quality assurance plays a prominent role. It ensures a high standard of quality as the solid foundation for creating long-term trust in the company and its brands. The criteria that determine their actions are the legal provisions, the GMP guidelines supplemented by aspects of DIN ISO standards that are relevant and logical for them and their own risk assessments and rules. Quality assurance is part of the shield that protects us against liability claims by third parties; it acts as an “early warning system” which helps us to recognize at an early stage “critical factors” that could disrupt the presentation of our products in the market.
We are aware that quality needs to be planned and provided and cannot be “added in”. Quality assurance therefore starts at the product development stage and continues from goods receipt through production to complaints handling.
Detailed quality specifications for the procurement of components combined with the regular auditing of our suppliers and contract manufacturers are essential for us. Our Laboratory Information and Management System (LIMS) is an integral part of our logistical chain. The aim of this is to achieve a high level of quality within the process and value chains – for the benefit of our company and its customers.
Protecting the environment and the health of all the users of our products and of our staff is a corporate objective that is on a par with all our other activities. We therefore make every effort to organize all our operating procedures and to select all our equipment, machinery, installations and materials in such a way that maximum security and safety are ensured for both people and the environment.
Value Creation
Detailed quality specifications for the procurement of components combined with the regular auditing of our suppliers and contract manufacturers are essential for us. Our Laboratory Information and Management System (LIMS) is an integral part of our logistical chain. The aim of this is to achieve a high level of quality within the process and value chains – for the benefit of our company and its customers.
In line with the principle of “creating value as late as possible”, co-ordination between production, suppliers and sales is of paramount importance. The competing objectives of “minimum capital commitment” on the one hand and “maximum readiness to deliver” on the other must be carefully balanced for each product while ensuring profitability.
Certifications
The criteria that determine our actions are the legal provisions, the GMP guidelines supplemented by aspects of DIN ISO standards that are relevant and logical for us, and our own risk assessments and rules.
Documentation
Our quality strategy is supplemented by exemplary documentation of the entire product manufacturing process, from goods receipt to dispatch. Dermatological, toxicological and microbiological reports complete the safety evaluation of all our products in accordance with the 7th Amendment to the EC Cosmetics Directive. These quality standards reflect the strength of our company – and benefit you!
