Kopp Pipes / Kopp Tobaccos – Pipe Tobaccos and Pipe Accessories
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The History of Kopp: From Martin Wess to Today
On April 15, 1919, Martin Wess, the great-grandfather of today’s owners Oliver and Thilo Kopp, started his own business. As a master fine leather craftsman, he served prestigious clients such as Goldpfeil with cigar cases and worked for Swiss watchmakers by covering metal frames with fine leather to create travel clock cases. The late 1930s marked a golden age for leather goods production. During this prosperous era, Martin’s children, Gottfried and Frederike, along with Frederike’s husband Friedrich Kopp, joined the company. The business grew to nearly 100 employees and established a manufacturing facility and sales office on New York’s 5th Avenue to bypass high import duties.
After Martin Wess passed away in 1947 and his son Gottfried two years later, his daughter Frederike took over the responsibility of rebuilding the heavily damaged production facility in Offenbach. With the support of her friend and authorized officer Karla Kühn, she reestablished old business contacts and managed financial challenges. Despite health setbacks, Frederike prepared for the transition to her son, Bernd Kopp, before passing away in 1954. Becoming an orphan at the age of 14, Bernd Kopp continued his mother’s work after completing his commercial training. With guidance from experienced executives Kühn and Weiss, he successfully led the company forward, expanding into new business areas, particularly the production of pipe pouches under the Wess Design brand (Martin Wess).
A New Venture Beyond Leather Cases: Kopp’s Pipe Tobaccos
In 1971, Bernd Kopp and industry expert Lothar Otto founded Otto & Kopp, expanding the portfolio with renowned pipe brands such as Ascorti, Caminetto, and Nørding. After Otto’s passing, the two companies, Martin Wess and Otto & Kopp, merged to form today’s Kopp GmbH & Co. KG. The partnership with Michael Kohlhase and the acquisition of an 80% stake in Kohlhase & Bühler in 1979 were pivotal steps in the company’s expansion. The takeover of the English pipe tobacco producer Robert McConnell and Rattray’s, along with the booming cigar market in the 1990s, significantly contributed to Kopp’s growth.
Expansion and Innovation
By the late 1990s, Oliver Kopp joined the company, followed by his brother Thilo. Both quickly recognized the power of the internet and transformed Kopp Pipes into Europe’s largest pipe importer. Under their leadership, proprietary brands were developed, and international markets were opened up.
In 2004, Kopp Pipes acquired a 40% stake in Germany’s oldest cigar house, Dürninger, before selling its share in 2021. In 2019, Oliver Kopp succeeded his father as managing director, ushering in a new growth phase. Since early 2023, Oliver and Thilo Kopp have been the sole owners of Kopp Tobaccos. With an experienced management team and new premium brand partnerships, the company continues to expand.
Kopp Tobaccos: Premium Pipe Tobaccos from Around the World
Kopp is an importer of well-known pipe tobacco manufacturers from various countries, including Cornell & Diehl from the USA, Samuel Gawith from the United Kingdom, and Gladora from Turkey. A collaboration with a tobacco manufacturer from Brazil will be added in the future. Producing private-label tobaccos for specialty tobacco retailers has been a core activity of the company since its inception and remains an "unmissable" part of its operations today. As the buildings in Rellingen originally housed Wehde Tobacco, this tradition is upheld with the highest standards.
In addition to its own brands like Rattray’s and Robert McConnell, Kopp is increasingly producing tobacco under its own name. Limited-edition blends like the Kopp Limited Editions and Kopp Winter Editions are always in demand, thanks to their attractive tins.
The commissioning of its own flake presses marks another step toward independence from larger tobacco manufacturers and greater production flexibility. What Martin Wess started in 1919 has grown into a business group with 85 employees, remaining family-owned for over 100 years.
