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Johann Wilhelm
Burmester
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18th Century
In 1730, Henry Burmester and John Nash founded Burmester & Nash in London, a
cereal trading company. They moved to Vila Nova de Gaia and in 1750 began
shipping port wine to the British Isles and the rest of Europe. The family name
originates from the German word 'Burgmeester', meaning 'mayor' - as the family
came from the small north Germany city of Moelln.
The firm was dissolved at the end of the 18th century, when Henry Burmester Jr.
and his two sons, Fredrick and Edward, set up a new port wine company,
H.Burmester & Sons.
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19th Century
After the death of his father in 1822, Fredrick became a prominent member of
the British community in Portugal as Treasurer of the Factory House in Porto,
whilst continuing to pursue his business interests in London as a founding
member of the Westminster Bank. From among the 12 siblings, it was John William
Burmester who operated in the financial sector, founding and running the London
County Banking Company.
The commercial and financial activities of the Burmester family were renowned
in London, to the extent that the family name lives on in the well-known
Burmester Road, in the attractive area of Wimbledon.
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The invasion of Portugal by Napoleon's troops forced Frederick Burmester to
abandon the country for a time, leaving no direct descendents behind him.
Later, in 1834, Johann Wilhelm Burmester, a distant relative from Hamburg, was
asked to run the port wine side of the company, changing the company name to
J.W. Burmester & Cº in 1880.
His marriage produced six sons, who all continued the family's commercial
interests in the areas of port wine, insurance, bottle production, shipping and
textiles. The eldest son, Gustav Adolf, together with his brother Otto, were
the two great port entrepreneurs of CASA BURMESTER. Gustav Adolf ran the
company with vision and significantly increased the company's exports to new
European markets and America. He defined a new marketing strategy, registering
the J.W. Burmester brand in 1900, creating new labels and winning great
accolades and awards at national and international wine competitions - Lisbon
1888; Berlin 1888; Paris 1889; Chicago 1893.
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20th Century
The First World War had a fairly negative impact upon the port sector. It was
up to the new generation to ensure the business got back on track. João
Guilherme Burmester, his son-in-law, Hans Steinmetz, and his nephew, Karl
Gilbert, oversaw the company's recovery, assisting and becoming involved in the
creation of new organisations that began regulating production, sales and
exports from the port sector.
From 1952 onwards, the Burmester Gilbert generation - Helmut and Arnold- took
over the business, having founded, in 1962 another port company - Gilberts e
Cº. From generation to generation, the Burmesters and Gilberts were noted for
their know-how and commitment to the port business, raising the Burmester
profile and ensuring the highest level of international recognition.
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21th Century
In the end of the millenium, Amorim Group acquires BURMESTER being recently acquired by Sogevinus SGPS, S. A. Group.
Having a larger scope through a wide range of wines available to their clients, the Sogevinus Group is prepared to rapidly answer to the market demands.
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| All rights reserverd to J. W. Burmester & Cª, S.A. |
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