Dujardin wine distillery, Krefeld, Hohenbudberger Straße 10
by Walter Buschmann: Dujardin in Krefeld-Uerdingen
Napoleonic period:
The year is 1810. Napoleon Bonaparte is at the peak of his power. He occupies the area on the left bank of the Rhine. The customs barriers are falling, trade, commerce and industry are hoping for better times. At the "Mairie", the mayor's office of Uerdingen, the 'patented distiller' Henry Melcher has his company and commercial rights secured by entering it in the newly introduced commercial register. Henry Melcher's tireless hard work is rewarded. The business grows and his sons take over the business in the next generation.
Germany discovers the charm:
After 1870, French brandy products became better known in Germany. The distilled wine from the distilleries in the town of Cognac also finds its way to Uerdingen. The Melcher brothers met the Dujardin family at Chateau Merigots in the Charante and from then on bought a large part of their wines from the famous wine-growing regions of France. A purely economic relationship soon developed into friendship and both families founded Dujardin & Co vorm. Bros. Melcher.
The new distillery:
After A. Dujardin's death, his family left the company. But the name remains. Dujardin can no longer meet demand and the old distillery has to be expanded. A large facility with a rail connection and a direct connection to the Rhine is being built on the building site on today's Dujardinstrasse.
Rebuilding:
The intensive development work in the 1930s collapsed into rubble and ashes under incendiary bombs at the end of the Second World War. By relocating old distillates in a timely manner and through luck in misfortune, operations can initially be restarted on a temporary basis. The Dujardin products have lost none of their quality. The name Dujardin regains its old sound.
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