“We Had to Start Over Again and Again” – 80 Years of MÜHLE

Mr. Müller, this year MÜHLE is celebrating its 80th anniversary. How does it feel for you to come into the company today?
Hans-Jürgen Müller (HJM): I’m not one for pathos. Nevertheless, it is always great to see what has become of the small company that my father founded in a laundry room of the residential building in 1945. On the other hand, I often think about the difficult beginnings and the challenges we had to overcome. Especially the time after the war and the years in the GDR were tough.

Tell us about the early days.
HJM: My father, Otto Johannes Müller, was a pioneer. He founded MÜHLE in the Erzgebirge region in 1945, an area with a long tradition of brush and shaving brush manufacturing. I was only three years old at the time, so I only witnessed the beginnings from the sidelines. One of the most formative events was certainly the fire in 1949, four years after the founding, which completely destroyed the first building. I remember trying to fetch water with a milk can to put out the flames—of course, in vain.

How did your father continue after that?
HJM: My parents asked themselves: Should we really start again? They had 15 employees, all of whom wanted to help rebuild. Despite the losses, they began reconstruction within a few weeks in a building that had previously been used by a textile company.

By the mid-1950s, MÜHLE was in a period of optimism. The company specialized in shaving brushes and exported to 30 countries across Europe, even to the Middle East. Otto Johannes proved to be a talented businessman. But this success was not exactly welcomed by the political system of the GDR.
HJM: Those were difficult times, indeed. On one hand, everything was needed—much was destroyed, and there was nothing. On the other hand, the state viewed private businesses with great suspicion. In 1953, before the uprising on June 17, things escalated. The screws were tightened more and more—we could barely get materials and had to lay off people. After June 17, they loosened the grip a bit, allowing us to breathe again.

How was that for Otto Johannes? To realize that he had a talent for business but at the same time was not really allowed to push things forward?
Andreas Müller (AM): I never met my grandfather, but through stories from relatives and people in town, he has become very real to me. He was not someone who simply accepted fate—he actively shaped things.

HJM: He was a born entrepreneur. Even in his youth, he was said to have traded all kinds of things. He always found loopholes to keep going. Selling the products was never the issue—everything that was produced was in demand.

He died of a heart attack in 1965 at just 51 years old, and you were only 23. Did you immediately know that you had to take over?
HJM: I actually had different plans. I wanted to gain more experience in other companies and had already signed a preliminary contract. But when he suddenly passed away, I knew immediately that I had to shoulder this burden, as we say in the Erzgebirge. Most of the employees had known me since childhood. There were close relationships—relatives worked for us. By 1967, two years later, I had gathered enough energy and courage to move forward. I decided to rebuild. Until then, our production facility had felt like a living room. It had burned down twice, two families lived above it, and everything was very cramped.

Christian Müller (CM): And how was it for you to step into the company—were you accepted by the workforce?
HJM: When you’re a 23-year-old young guy suddenly giving orders, it’s not easy. There was resistance. I had to earn respect. And when I tell my story, I have to admit that I overreached with the construction project. I had a burnout—back then, it wasn’t called that—and I was out of action for almost a year. A relative and some employees supported me during that time and ensured that things kept going. But afterward, I had to change a lot. I was no longer as capable, and I had to take care of my health. I never thought I would live this long. But in the end, slowing down, thinking things through, and listening to one’s inner voice lead to better decisions.

In 1972, the GDR got serious, and the company was nationalized.
HJM: The GDR was on the path to communism. Everything belonged to the state, including property and businesses. We were told: The declared goal of the GDR government is to expand communism, and all other forms of business are only transitional. To maintain ideological consistency, our company had to be nationalized. We were pressured to sell our shares, with the prices set by the state.

How do you remember that transition?
HJM: It was a forced sale. Those who resisted faced even harsher consequences. After being summoned to the district council, I requested a delay to complete ongoing construction projects. But they didn’t allow it. Today, I still wonder if I showed enough backbone. We had significantly increased the company’s value through the new building—invested a lot of private money and energy. All of it was confiscated by the state. Everything we had built up was gone.

How did you cope?
HJM: That was when I met my wife, which made it a happy time for me despite everything. Christian was born, and we started a family. My faith has also always given me support and confidence through the ups and downs of life. That helped me get through it. I continued working as a plant manager, but under the name VEB. We used to joke that VEB stood for “Father’s Former Business.”

How was it working in a state-owned company? Did you consider doing something else?
HJM: I asked myself that question. In 1976, our company was merged with five others—I no longer felt comfortable. I tried to move elsewhere, but in the GDR, that was difficult. In 1986, I was finally able to become self-employed again, producing bottle brushes in a cooperative. Christian and my wife helped. I built some machines in our garage and worked as a craftsman. That was actually a nice time. 

And then came 1989—the fall of the Berlin Wall.
AM: Mmmmhhh.

Is that a sigh?
AM: No, we had all been longing for reunification. Even our grandfather expected it every year—every New Year’s Eve, he supposedly said, “This year, Germany will reunite!”

HJM: The desire for unity existed on both sides. We listened to a lot of Western radio—stations like RIAS. Every year, Adenauer gave his New Year’s speech, saying, “Citizens in the Zone, hold on! Next year, unity will come!” We were close many times. In 1953, Stalin even suggested unification if Germany remained neutral. But Adenauer declined, choosing the West, and so the dream of unity burst.

And then it finally happened, and the business was returned to you.
HJM: I was skeptical. We had limited development opportunities. Foreign customers had always been kept away from us. We knew that competing in a market economy would be a whole different challenge. And indeed, we struggled to survive for several years.

How did the company survive?
HJM: By constantly meeting people who supported us. We had to completely revamp our product range. What we had supplied to the GDR was no longer competitive. We had to develop new products, find suppliers—and even harder—find buyers.

CM: Shaving brushes were not a major product at the time. They were considered everyday items, not lifestyle or luxury products as they are today. So it wasn’t just the competition from West Germany that made it difficult for us to gain a foothold—it was also the fact that we were producing simple utility products.

AM: But at that time, the first companies were emerging that aimed to take this further—to create something beautiful out of it. However, besides the well-established competitors from West Germany, there were, of course, also manufacturers from other European countries like France or Italy.

At that point, was it already clear that you would continue despite all the challenges? Or did you hesitate?

HJM: Oh, I definitely hesitated! I wanted to rent out the building and was in talks with various interested parties, including a furniture store and a technical lab, but nothing worked out. We were forced to continue along our path.

Thank goodness!

HJM: That was a tough decision. I was 48—almost 50. I knew it would be difficult for me to find another place to work. At that time, a massive number of jobs were disappearing, and I knew many people who never found employment again after reunification because their professions were no longer in demand. My wife and I decided to take on the challenge. I was lucky that my brother Christoph had started a successful hardware store. He was able to support me financially with heating and fixed costs—otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have made it.

How did things move forward?

HJM: The most painful part was that we had to let so many employees go. People I had known since childhood, some of whom had been with the company for decades. At one point, I even asked my brother Christoph to talk to them because I couldn’t bear to do it myself. Some were able to take early retirement, which was introduced by the Federal Republic at that time, some found jobs in my brother’s hardware store, and we managed to place others in municipal job creation programs. That way, I could still walk through the village without being pelted with rotten eggs. And then, fortunately, things developed in such a way that I was able to rehire many of them over time. That was an incredibly good thing for me.

Looking at the years leading up to the takeover by your sons in 2007: How did you transform this struggling business into the successful company that MÜHLE Shaving Culture is today?

HJM: At first, there were only four of us. I was very clear about one thing: If we wanted to succeed, it would have to be with excellent quality and by embracing the family and regional tradition. And then I was lucky to meet some very supportive people—both suppliers and sales representatives. In 1995, we received our first major orders, and from there, things started to gradually improve.

AM: You knew how to manage finances with extreme precision and keep costs low. Revenue was low, and profit margins were not great. But with your experience, you set up a very efficient production process. That was crucial.

When did you start building the MÜHLE brand as we know it today?

AM: Our father recognized early on how important a brand is. I remember him saying: “We are replaceable, but we must put more focus on the brand.” Even though he didn’t have a concrete plan at the time on how to do that. When Christian and I took over, we quickly realized that we had a gem in our hands with this traditional brand and its story—including its history in the GDR. Officially, the brand had always existed, which is why we are celebrating our 80th anniversary today. We needed a clear market position, and we knew the brand couldn’t stand for everything. Together with a broad network of external partners—some of whom are still with us today—we developed a strategy to manage and live the brand more consistently.

HJM: I have to give them credit—the boys really revitalized the brand. I did a lot based on gut feeling, but they really committed to it.

AM: At the time, other people saw more potential in the brand than we did ourselves. We were too deeply involved in the daily business to see it from an outside perspective. But others told us: “Hey, what you’re doing is something really special—handmade shaving brushes! You should build on that.”

Even our grandfather’s early advertisements and printed materials were all about branding. He had a very good intuition and a clear vision. We simply had to pick up the thread again. Once the political hurdles were overcome, the company’s survival was secured after the fall of the Wall, and once we had the financial means to invest, we began developing the brand further.

For many family businesses, generational transition is a huge challenge. How did it work for you?

HJM: Christian had already been involved since 1989. He completed his training and was with the company continuously, with only a short break. And in 2007, when I turned 65…

CM: …you didn’t just disappear overnight—we transitioned gradually. You were still very much involved, we had many questions, and we needed help.

AM: Letting go was never an issue. He always said: “Go ahead. You can do this.” I remember my first week at the company when my father told me: “There’s an annual meeting with one of our biggest clients—why don’t you handle it?” I resisted with all my might, I had no idea about product numbers, prices, or conditions. But he had this trust in us—I always felt that.

What are your wishes for the future of MÜHLE?

HJM: The development over the last two decades—especially in terms of collection and growth—I could never have dreamed of. I think maintaining the pace of recent years won’t be easy.

AM: You once said that if we do our job well—meaning good products, good marketing, good distribution, and fair dealings with partners—then the brand will continue to grow. I see it the same way. Of course, there are economic ups and downs, and we are likely in such a period now. But if we continue to develop MÜHLE wisely, the company will be fine. Constant growth is not our goal—we strive to make great products. And then we’ll see what happens.

HJM: As entrepreneurs, it is crucial that employees feel at home here. And that comes from trying to be honest and sincere. These are big values, not always easy to uphold, but worth striving for every single day.