130 Years of Expertise in Cleaners and Care

The history of Werner & Mertz GmbH started in the 1860s. In 1867, the "Gebrüder Werner" wax goods factory was founded by the descendants of Wolfgang Werner, a bell ringer of St. Quintin zu Mainz. In 1878, Georg Mertz added his name to the business. Since that time, the company has been in business as "Werner & Mertz".
 
In 1887, Philipp Adam Schneider, Georg Mertz' son-in-law, took over management of the company. Based on the competence in wax processing he developed a completely new style of shoe polish which was to become an important milestone in an unparalleled success story. In 1901, the product name „Erdal“ was registered for the new shoe polish packed in an impressive metal can. Shortly after that, the figurative mark of the "Erdal" frog king was first used on the metal can. The Frosch’s triumph began and soon it became impossible to imagine shoe care without Erdal. In 1921, Erdal was the top-selling shoe care product in Germany.

The years after 1945 saw the company grow swiftly by expanding its areas of operation. In the fifties, the brands “REX” (car care) and “Tuba” (carpet care) were introduced. The subsidiary plant in Hallein/Austria started production in 1954.

The brands “Tofix” and “Tarax” enabled the successful launch of a new product line in the market for bathroom and toilet care. In 1971, Tana Chemie GmbH was founded, which produces and sells cleaning products for professional large-scale customers.

In 1973, the new brand emsal caused a stir in the market as the first floor care product to combine cleaner with polish. In 1982, Erdal shoe polish revolutionized the shoe care market with a self-shining agent.

In 1986, the Frosch brand was introduced. This marked the start of a successful product line of environmentally-friendly household cleaners. The grand opening of a new modern logistic centre in 1996 completed the largest investment in the company’s history so far.

To expand the strategic markets in Eastern Europe systematically and continually, the sales company Werner & Mertz Polska was founded in 1999 and the companies Werner & Mertz Slovakia and Czech Republic followed in 2001.

Also in 2001, the brand Erdal celebrated its one hundred year anniversary with many guests, an anniversary exhibition and a 12 metre high Erdal cold air frog weighing 400 kg, which sat on its throne over the storage building of Werner & Mertz in Mainz and is already being handled as the new landmark of its home town.