Berlin quality: COLLONIL was born in Berlin

The history of COLLONIL is a Berlin story. The foundation stone of success was laid in two small rooms in the Köpenicker Straße in Berlin in 1909. After the business quickly started to prosper, the three founders – Karl Esslen and the Salzenbrodt brothers – expanded and moved to new premises at 12 Schlesische Straße. A further move followed in 1921 to Mühlenbeck, a town about five kilometres east of Berlin.
After the Second World War, the Salzenbrodt brothers decided to move over to West Berlin, where there were better economic prospects for enterprising businessmen. Since the Esslen

family did not move with them, COLLONIL started to trade as a single family business which became Salzenbrodt GmbH & Co KG in 1952. In that year, the company had to move one last time when their rental agreement expired. The final company headquarters became a 14,000 square metre factory site near Berlin Wittenau. It is here that the company still has its head office and production site today. Further overseas branches are COLLONIL VIENNA, COLLONIL FRANCE and COLLONIL ASP DENMARK.

Although COLLONIL has now been working internationally for a long time and even after 100 successful years of business, the brand still considers itself true to its origins and therefore 'Made in Germany' - a term which signifies high quality, reliable products. Comprehensive expertise, the latest technology and high quality raw materials are the features which characterise COLLONIL. In 82 countries – in other words, almost world-wide – high quality shoe and leather care is appreciated. Exports to Eastern Europe in particular are flourishing, but COLLONIL is also very much in demand in Australia, Taiwan and the Arab world.

COLLONIL cultivates the close connection to its home city in many ways, including through its commitment to the Berlin Partner GmbH, an important regional network for business development and the promotion of science. Members are supported in a variety of ways, including with the location of their company, international business consultation and in capital city marketing. Within the framework of its collaboration with Berlin Partner GmbH, COLLONIL is involved in events like 'Business meets Science', an information series which bridges the gap between science and business.