What C.H. Erbslöh does

C.H. Erbslöh GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held, family-owned specialty chemicals and industrial minerals distributor headquartered in Krefeld, Germany, tracing its origin to a heavy-chemicals wholesale business founded by Carl Hugo Erbslöh in Düsseldorf in 1876. The company intermediates between international specialty chemicals manufacturers (e.g., SEPPIC, Rio Tinto Alcan, Kusumoto Chemicals, HallStar, Momentive) and European industrial buyers, supplying additives, raw materials, and minerals across six business segments: coatings and adhesives, rubber and plastics, lubricant additives, water treatment and electronics, life sciences, and food and beverage. Its proprietary product lines include CHE®-COAT (coatings additives), CHE® Greencorr (plant-based flash-rust inhibitors), and a flavors portfolio through its Innotaste GmbH subsidiary.

The business model is a B2B technical distribution model: revenue is earned as a markup on third-party-manufactured specialty chemicals and minerals sold to industrial customers, augmented by technical application consulting. Pricing is negotiated case-by-case on volume, specification, and relationship. The company does not disclose pricing publicly and operates with 101–250 employees, an in-house analytical laboratory, and a 3,500 m² chemical warehouse on a 20,000 m² industrial site in Krefeld.

C.H. Erbslöh reaches its markets through a multi-layered distribution architecture: direct sales for Germany, wholly-owned or joint-venture subsidiaries in Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, and Russia, the Innotaste GmbH flavors subsidiary, and the co-founded LEL (European Distributors Group) alliance with Lake Chemicals (UK), URAI (Italy), Lavollée (France), Kemiropa, and Ricardo Molina, plus independent distributors in Asia-Pacific. The LEL alliance spans 28 countries with 18 local offices and 120 technical sales professionals, and combined sales exceed €310 million. The company is DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 certified and participates in the Responsible Care program.

Name

C.H. Erbslöh

Legal name

C.H. Erbslöh GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://prd.cherbsloeh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

C.H. Erbslöh is a family-owned specialty chemicals and industrial minerals distributor, founded 1876 and headquartered in Krefeld, Germany, supplying additives and raw materials to European industrial buyers across coatings, rubber, lubricants, life sciences, and food applications through direct sales, subsidiaries, and the LEL Alliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Krefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Specialty Chemicals Distribution: C.H. Erbslöh operates as a technical distributor of specialty chemicals and industrial minerals, providing raw materials and additives combined with technical consulting and service to industrial customers across Europe. Revenue is generated through the distribution and resale of specialty chemicals sourced from international manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

C.H. Erbslöh is a specialty chemicals and industrial minerals distributor operating across Europe. Founded in 1876, the company sources and supplies chemical raw materials and minerals to industrial customers, complemented by technical consulting and application support services for downstream manufacturing clients.

Product overview

C.H. Erbslöh is a specialty chemicals and industrial minerals distributor founded in 1876, headquartered in Krefeld, Germany. The company operates as a technical distribution specialist serving multiple industrial markets through six strategic business units: Coatings Adhesives (featuring CHE®-COAT and CHE® Greencorr product sub-brands), Rubber Plastics, Lubricant Additives, Watertreatment Electronics, Life Sciences, and Food (including Innotaste subsidiary for flavors). C.H. Erbslöh distributes products from internationally recognized manufacturers including SEPPIC (SIMULSOL surfactants, SOLAGUM/CAPIGEL thickeners), Momentive (Axilat™), Kusumoto Chemicals (Disparlon®), and HallStar. The company also distributes commodity specialty chemicals and partners with Rio Tinto Alcan for Aluminium Tri-Hydrate (ATH). Through its LEL European Distributor Alliance, the company provides pan-European distribution services with over €310 million in combined sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CHE®-COAT: Product brand for coating additives
• CHE® Greencorr

Products and services

• Specialty Chemicals Distribution Distribution of specialty chemicals to industrial customers across Europe as a B2B raw materials supplier.
• Industrial Minerals Trading Trading and supply of industrial minerals for various industrial applications, delivered to European industrial customers.
• Technical Consulting and Application Support Technical consulting, application advice, and laboratory-supported advisory services related to chemical raw materials and minerals, provided to industrial buyers.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SEPPIC S.A.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2012Since March 1, 2012, C.H. Erbslöh serves as distributor for SEPPIC products (non-ionic surfactants and thickeners) for home care and industrial & institutional cleaning in Germany and Austria. SEPPIC and C.H. Erbslöh had already been partners in Switzerland and Russia for personal care ingredients.
• Rio Tinto AlcanminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2011C.H. Erbslöh became the new distributor for Aluminium Tri-Hydrate (ATH/Aluminium Hydroxide) from Rio Tinto Alcan, Montreal. This expanded their portfolio of high quality specialty chemicals and minerals.
• LEL Alliance (Lake Chemicals & Minerals Ltd., URAI S.p.A., Lavollée SA, Kemiropa Ltd., Ricardo Molina S.A.U)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 1999LEL (European Distributors Group) is a strategic alliance of independent national distributors of specialty chemicals and industrial minerals. Founded in September 1999, the alliance enables manufacturers to access the European market through a network of partners with local market expertise. Total LEL sales exceed €310 million with 120 technical sales professionals covering 28 countries.
• Lake Chemicals & Minerals Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1999LEL Alliance partner covering the UK market. Founded in 2001 through restructuring measures to continue providing first class technical services on the British market.
• URAI S.p.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1999LEL Alliance partner founded in 1948 by Armando Giuliani, serving the Italian market with chemical raw materials, specialties and laboratory equipment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IMCD N.V. Rotterdam-headquartered global specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor with deep coverage in coatings, personal care, and life sciences — same end-markets and technical distribution model as C.H. Erbslöh, but at vastly larger scale with public-market discipline.
• Azelis S.A. Belgian-headquartered specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor operating across EMEA, Americas and Asia-Pacific with strong positions in personal care, pharma, coatings and rubber — direct overlap with C.H. Erbslöh's six business segments and similar manufacturer-principal model.
• Brenntag SE: Germany-based global market leader in chemical distribution with a large specialty chemicals arm — most relevant as a broad incumbent competitor headquartered in the same country and operating with a multi-region technical sales force comparable to C.H. Erbslöh's 120-strong LEL Alliance.

Direct peers

• Barentz International B.V. Dutch specialty ingredients distributor serving human/animal nutrition, personal care, and industrial markets across Europe — comparable mid-size European footprint, technical sales model, and growing life-sciences focus similar to C.H. Erbslöh's Innotaste subsidiary trajectory.
• Nordmann, Rassmann GmbH & Co. KG: Hamburg-based, family-owned specialty chemicals distributor serving coatings, adhesives, plastics, rubber, personal care, food and pharma — closest direct peer by ownership type, size band, and end-market portfolio, making it the natural German comparator for C.H. Erbslöh.
• Biesterfeld Spezialchemie GmbH: German specialty chemicals distributor focused on industrial chemicals, life sciences, personal care, and food ingredients — directly comparable technical distribution model with a pan-European footprint and overlapping principal relationships.
• Caldic B.V. Dutch-headquartered specialty chemical and food ingredient distributor with strong European presence and growing North American/Asia footprint — comparable as a mid-size, technically-led distributor serving life sciences, personal care, and industrial end-markets.
• Manuchar N.V. Belgian-headquartered international chemical distribution and trading group with operations in 35+ countries, focused on emerging markets — comparable as a similarly family-influenced European distributor expanding into Asia-Pacific and Africa.
• Helm AG: Hamburg-based family-owned specialty chemicals and crop protection distributor with global reach — comparable as a privately-held German-headquartered chemical distribution competitor with a similar generational-ownership profile and European operational base.

Regional players

• Lehmann&Voss&Co. KG: Privately-held Hamburg-based specialty chemicals and mineral compounds distributor serving coatings, plastics, rubber, and personal care — very comparable business model and end-market mix to C.H. Erbslöh, though more Germany-centric than European in distribution reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C.H. Erbslöh