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| History of a Family Enterprise: From a small, one-roomed office in Bremen, Germany, in 1912 to a strong international group of timber companies today. |  | Timeline:
 | n | | 1912 – 1950’s: Purchase and import of hardwoods and softwoods for the supply to the ship- and boat-building industry |
| n | | 1960’s – 1970’s: Direct import of timber from Africa, expansion of sales to whole-sellers and the timber industry. Establishing purchasing companies in tropical countries, establishing sales-offices in Europe and founding a forest operation in Africa |
| n | | 1969: Cooperation agreement with Tropical Timber Ltd., Basle, Switzerland |
| n | | Since 1980: Developing the HIF-tt Timber International Group of companies into a worldwide orientated group for timber trade and the timber industry |
| n | | 2001: Start of the establishment of forest management plans in own forest concessions in the Congo Basin, and striving for certification |
| n | | 2003: The “tt Timber Group” name adopted for the whole family enterprise |
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Hinrich Feldmeyer served his apprenticeship in the timber trade. With his excellent knowledge of timber and timber species he was engaged by one of the largest German shipyards and, although very young, became responsible for all its timber purchases. In 1912, under his own name, he founded a timber company in Bremen, Germany, leading it with the assistance of his wife at the start from a small one room office only. The company bought and imported all sorts of hardwoods and softwoods for shipyards and boatbuilders, and quickly became a specialist in this field in Germany.
Bruno Stoll, son-in-law of Hinrich Feldmeyer, joined the company in 1927 and led the business through an extremely difficult decade in which the economy of the country and the Hinrich Feldmeyer company suffered from inflation and the impact of recession. During the war, from 1939 to 1945, he continued the business within German boundaries. Already at the beginning of the war international business was interrupted, and the office and warehouses of the Feldmeyer company in Bremen were destroyed by bombs.
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After the end of war Bruno Stoll started to rebuild the business from scratch in 1945. All that remained were old friendships, knowledge, and a strong will to maintain the family’s tradition in the timber trade. It was not long before Hinrich Feldmeyer, or "HIF" as it was later called in the trade, regained its international reputation for quality and reliability.
At the end of the 1950s, new regulations were introduced for shipbuilding which banned the use of any kind of timber on large vessels. By this time the focus of HIF’s efforts had already switched to the supply of African timber to wholesalers and the German plywood industry. In order to maintain the link with shipyards, a new, completely non-timber company was founded in 1961, "HA-EFF Kunststoffe", to supply incombustible materials for ships’ cabins and interior decoration.
When Bruno Stoll died in 1962, his only son Hinrich L. Stoll took over the lead. He had studied at the Faculty of Mathematics and Nature Sciences at the University of Hamburg, concentrating on timber technology and world forest economy. When he entered his father’s company in 1955 he had already gained personal practical experience in forestry, the timber industry and timber trade in Germany, Sweden, West Africa and North America. |
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In the 1960s and 1970s important changes took place in the company. Hinrich Stoll started to deal directly with Africa, and founded own purchasing companies in Africa and in South East Asia along with sales companies in European countries. In 1969 he signed a co-operation agreement with "Tropical Timber Ltd." - today known as
"tt Timber International Ltd." - with headquarters in Basle, Switzerland.
In 1996 Hinrich Stoll stepped back from having sole responsibility and leadership of the "HIF / tt Timber International" Group of companies and handed over to Robert Hunink and Willy Schnyder. Until 2004 Hinrich Stoll held a number of international honorary positions related to the science, art and practice of the world forest economy, and in particular the tropical forest economy. He also remained active as consultant to the Group until 2005.
Today the tt Group, through its companies and agencies, is represented in Europe, Central and North America, South East Asia and Africa. |
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