The founding
On 29 September 1850, merchant Heinrich Salomon Hoffmann starts up his starch factory on what is now Hoffmannstrasse — with one worker, an eight-horsepower steam engine and one horse. Laundry and food starch is produced from wheat, later from rice.
The cat arrives
The company introduces its famous trademark: the white cat. "Hoffmann's Stärke" with the cat emblem becomes one of the best-known German brands of its era — a piece of advertising history to this day.
Europe's largest starch producer
Around 1,200 employees work at the factory — Hoffmann's Starch Factories are the largest industrial enterprise in the Principality of Lippe and one of the biggest starch producers in Europe, complete with a company housing estate along Hoffmannstrasse.
The end of production
After 140 years, starch production in Bad Salzuflen ends; the company headquarters moves to Hamburg. Most of the factory halls are demolished, and in 1995 the landmark clock tower falls too — exactly 145 years after production began.
The site transforms
New uses emerge on the former factory grounds: the health and residential quarter Hoffmannspark with radiology, practices and a senior residence, plus retail with a large Marktkauf store. Hoffmannstrasse becomes one of the town's most active commercial locations.
The next chapter
WeJa GmbH & Co. KG reopens the industrial building at Hoffmannstrasse 16: fully refurbished to KfW 40 standard, with a certified fire-safety concept, barrier-free access and genuine loft character. The first tenants — a professional firm, retail, a practice in planning — are here. To the project ›