History
The silver manufacturer Robbe & Berking was founded in 1874 and is still a pure family business today – now in its 5th generation.
Manu Factum – made by hand – is everything that bears the name of the company. The master silversmiths in the silver manufactory and the master boat builders in the Robbe & Berking yacht manufactory are responsible for the unrivalled quality worldwide. It is not the limited possibilities of rational large-scale production, but the hands of the master craftsmen and women alone that determine the form and quality of each piece of work.
This is how cutlery and tableware of timeless elegance and beauty are created, which never just follow passing fashions or trends, but are made to last for generations. As the market leader in silver cutlery, Robbe & Berking is a supplier to the world's finest businesses.
1874 - 1900: THE BEGINNING
The founder's vision:
"Others may be cheaper, but no one can be better than us."
Nikolaus Christoph Robbe, 1874
1874: After a few years as a wandering artisan, silversmith Nicolaus Christoph Robbe (*1843-†1916) opened his own workshop in Flensburg, laying the foundation stone of the company.
1884: With the introduction of the Stamp Act of 1884, silver cutlery and tableware with a fineness rating of 800 thousandths or more were hallmarked with the crown of the Empire, the crescent moon as a symbol for silver, the fineness rating in thousandths, and the name of the craftsman or company.
1897: Nicolaus Christoph Robbe hired the young master silversmith Robert Berking. He fell in love with his employer's daughter, Henriette Robbe, they married, and he acquired a 50 percent share in the company. By the time of his untimely accidental death in 1908, the small workshop had developed into a thriving company with twelve employees. In the 12 years he worked there, the young and highly talented Robert Berking expanded the workshop, developed his own range of cutlery and built the first company building.
1900 - 2000: 100 eventful years
1925: Young Theodor Berking (*1899 - †1964) joins the company. Over the course of his 40 years at the helm, the once small workshop was transformed into one of the most highly respected silver factories in northern Germany, with 100 employees.
1957: Robert Berking (*1931 - †2022) joined the company. In the four decades under his leadership, the company grew from a regional supplier operating only in northern Germany to become Europe's largest manufacturer of silver cutlery. Many of the cutlery collections he designed became true classics in the decades to come and contributed significantly to the considerable growth of distribution area, reputation and turnover under his leadership.
1958: Robbe & Berking presents its work at a trade fair for the first time. Robbe & Berking has been one of the most successful German luxury brands for many years.
1969: Robbe & Berking is the first cutlery manufacturer to develop a silver plating quality in its laboratory that greatly exceeds the quality of the 90g silver plating that was widely used until then: the 150g solid silver plating. Compared to the conventional 90g silver plating, it has a two-thirds stronger silver coating, a correspondingly longer service life and is of course dishwasher-safe.
1983: The Alta cutlery design marks the beginning of the collaboration with Hamburg-based Wilfried Moll, one of the greatest silversmiths of his time. It later gave rise to a number of other cutlery and tableware designs that have become an integral part of the global cutlery market.
1985: Oliver Berking (*1962), the 5th generation of the family, begins his work in the silver manufactory, which he later takes over completely. In the following years, the Flensburg manufactory develops from a European to a world market leader in silver cutlery.
1985: With a new appearance, the manufactory makes its high standards visible. The royal red becomes the characteristic corporate colour, and instead of R&B, the names Robbe & Berking are written out in the lettering, making the personal commitment of the owners visible. Every piece of silver cutlery and tableware now comes in a velvety soft fabric pouch. Such presentation of goods has never been seen before in this sophisticated form for silver.
1989: In the 114th year of its existence, the silversmith opens its first flagship store on the great Jungfernstieg in Hamburg. It quickly develops into a popular shopping location for many Hamburg families. Several more stores will follow in the following years in large cities.
1990: Robbe & Berking is voted 1st Partner of the Year by the specialist dealers for the beautifully laid table. In the following decades up to the present day, hardly a year goes by in which the manufactory is not once again awarded this honourable title.
1991: No passing fashions and trends, but exclusively timeless elegance and beauty have always characterised the works of the manufactory. Added to this is the unsurpassed quality of the craftsmanship. In 1991, Robbe & Berking was one of the first manufacturers to offer its customers a written after-sales guarantee for all silver and silver-plated cutlery models. Especially as a supplier to the top gastronomy, the manufacturory thus gives itself a major head start.
1992: More and more silver lovers from all over the world want to take a look behind the scenes of the Flensburg manufactory. At the same time, growing space requirements lead to the new construction and expansion of the administration building and its presentation rooms.
1992: Previously known for the finest cutlery, Robbe & Berking opens its own large corpus workshop in 1992, whose work continues to delight friends of the company to this day.
1998: Instead of the widely used 800/000 silver and 90g silver plating, Robbe & Berking cutlery is exclusively available in 925/000 sterling silver or the 150g solid silver plating, and thus in the highest quality version in each case.
2000 - TODAY: THE MODERN AGE
2001: As one of the first in the industry and only seven years after the world's first ever documented sale via an online shop, Robbe & Berking opens its own online flagship store in cooperation with its specialist retail partners.
2002: Mercedes recalls the Maybach brand for the Group's most luxurious saloons and has since given them a special shine with silver from Robbe & Berking.
2008: Robbe & Berking publishes its own restaurant guide, THE BEST, for the first time. It not only presents exceptional locations and the people behind them, but also the silversmith as a supplier of the world's best establishments. It now contains 304 names with 178 Michelin stars. Stars that do not fall from the sky, but are the result of perfect craftsmanship and absolute excellence, of creativity and flair, and of a great deal of passion. That is what the manufactory has in common with each of them.
2008: Robbe & Berking has been organising one of the largest maritime classic events every year since 1995: The Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup. The Robbe & Berking Classics yachtyard emerged from this in 2008. Together with the Robbe & Berking Museum, the world's largest yachting library and the yacht broker Baum & König, it now forms the maritime world of Robbe & Berking.
2009: The company's centuries of experience in precious metals is increasingly being utilised by its customers to buy and sell precious metals purely as an investment. With the sale and purchase of gold and silver bars and coins, the manufactory is entering a new business segment in its eleven stores and its online shop.
2013: Together with BMW, the silversmith develops a vehicle that packs a punch. Everything that shines on the inside and outside of the vehicle is made of silver, making it the most valuable new 7 Series vehicle ever.
2013: Cate Blanchett in the lead and Riva from Robbe & Berking in the supporting role for the New York Times.
2020: Out of the drawer and onto the table where life takes place. With its box, Robbe & Berking reinterprets silver presentation and storage.
2021: The handcrafted bar cart developed by boatbuilding colleagues at the Robbe & Berking shipyard sees the light of day and from then on serves as a wonderful stage for all Robbe & Berking bar collections and much more.
Robbe & Berking
The silver manufacturer Robbe & Berking was founded in 1874 and is still a pure family business today – now in its 5th generation.
Manu Factum – made by hand – is everything that bears the name of the company. The master silversmiths in the silver manufactory and the master boat builders in the Robbe & Berking yacht manufactory are responsible for the unrivalled quality worldwide. It is not the limited possibilities of rational large-scale production, but the hands of the master craftsmen and women alone that determine the form and quality of each piece of work.
This is how cutlery and tableware of timeless elegance and beauty are created, which never just follow passing fashions or trends, but are made to last for generations. As the market leader in silver cutlery, Robbe & Berking is a supplier to the world's finest businesses.