The company "J. F. Hillebrand global beverage logistics" with headquarters in Mainz-Hechtsheim (Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany) is the world's largest wine and beverage forwarder. The company was founded in 1844 by Johann Friedrich Hillebrand (1819-1890) as a freight commission business with a loading and unloading service, including a customs agency. In the middle of the 19th century, there was an upswing in the wine trade in Mainz. The young Hillebrand started river transport on the Rhine by buying several barges (type of ship in open construction). This was followed by an expansion to rail and the inclusion of the eastern markets. From 1875 onwards, the two sons Dionis and Ludwig Damian Hillebrand expanded the business and took over the representation for ship passages of the Hamburg-America-Line for the German shipping company "Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-AG".
After the Second World War, the third generation of the family took over the helm in 1945. The business was completely destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Karl Hillebrand started trading between the French and American occupied zones. Jan W. Hillebrand took over the management of Mainzer Lagerhaus A.G., which was incorporated into the forwarding company in 1953. The company transported mainly German wines worldwide until the 1960s. From the mid-1960s, containers were used and exports were expanded to include wines from European countries. In 1974, the company moved to its new location in Mainz-Hechtsheim. Christof J. F. Hillebrand took over the management in 1986 in the fifth generation. In 2010, the company was awarded the "Best Logistics Company award" for the fifth time at the London International Wine Fair.
Today, the focus of JF Hillebrand Deutschland GmbH is on the transport of beers, wines and spirits produced in Germany and on the import of "New World wines". The transports are mainly carried out by ship, which is why the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg and Bremen are important hubs of the trade routes. However, all possible transport routes such as rail, road and rail are used. Around 40 to 50% of all imports to Germany are handled by the company, about a third of which are in bulk (bulk wine). J. F. Hillebrand France (Beaune, Bordeaux) handles about 65% of all French wine exports to the USA, 80% of those to Canada, and 70% to Japan. In 2007, the company employed 1,400 people in 46 offices in 22 countries. Turnover in 2009 was 567 million euros.
