Becher

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The beginnings of Jan Becher - Karlovarská Becherovka, a.s. reach back almost two hundred years to the first decade of the nineteenth century. In 1807, Josef Becher, a pharmacist from Karlovy Vary, started selling bitters made according to his own original recipe. In 1841, over three decades later, Josef Becher passed on his budding business to his son and heir Johann. Johann startedlarge-scale production, and accordingly it is his name associated with Becherovka right up to the present day.
Over the next hundred years (until 1945) company management was passed down the generations of the Becher family. After the war the company was nationalized, and control of the company transferred to a board of management appointed by the state.
In 1999, the original Becherovka fromKarlovy Vary teamed up again with its estranged cousin that had enjoyed an independent existence in Germany since the end of the Second World War. Today Jan Becher has over 300 employees, joined in anticipation of the prosperous future of Becherovka - an original taste from the heart of Europe.

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Chance seems to stand at the head of many a great historical event. One such piece of luck broughtthe Imperial Count Plettenberg-Mietingen on a visit to Karlovy Vary in 1805, bringing with him an eccentric English doctor by the name of Frobrig. It must have been coincidence that the count and his personal physician Frobrig put up at the House of the Three Skylarks, which, by another piece of fortune, belonged to our Josef Becher, Karlovy-Vary pharmacist.

There was an inkling of somethingtruly inspired in Frobrig's blend of herbs and alcohol, and over the next two years Josef Becher went on to spend all his spare moments experimenting with the secret recipe. Then, in 1807, Josef Becher started selling cordial drops at his pharmacy according to his own recipe. Initially, his liqueur bore the names Carlsbad English Bitter, Carlsbad Bitter, English Bitter, and even the German nameOriginal Karlsbader Becherbitter. In short, Karlovy Vary Becherovka had seen the light of the world.

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[pic]Josef Becher was in charge of the budding enterprise until 1841, when he handed the reins of the family business over to his son Johann. Johann Becher excelled in his protection of the recipe, proving himself to be a very able businessman. He replaced the outdated machinery withmodern equipment and built a new plant. It was under Johann's management that Becherovka began to be sold in its typical flat bottles.
Johann was followed by his son Gustav, who registered the Becherovka trademark at the Chamber of Commerce in Cheb, naming it after his father, whose name has been borne by the company ever since. The reason behind this move was to try and stop imitations of the superbliqueur. Gustav was also the inspiration behind the production of small porcelain cups still bought by Becherovka lovers today. He implemented a new, ingenious, business strategy too: customers were always given less Becherovka than they had ordered, which made the market highly strung with demand greater than supply.
In 1901, Gustav's brother Rudolf acceded to the throne of the liqueur realm,and remained at the head of the company until the First World War, vigorously spreading its fame beyond the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Under Rudolf's management, Becherovka reached into France, Italy, Spain, and even distant Egypt. Company branches mushroomed in Paris, Vienna, and many other cities.
At the turn of the century, the company started picking up numerous prizes and medals;Becherovka reigned supreme at the World Exhibitions in Paris, Vienna, and countless other cities. In 1915 Alfred Becher took control of the company. The herbal liqueur coped well with the First World War - indeed, supplies to the army made it all the more popular. Alfred's dream was to reinforce Becherovka's status abroad, especially when Czechoslovakia found itself gripped by the economic...