# Hans Imhoff

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hans_Imhoff
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hans_Imhoff.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Imhoff
> Source revision: 1297600733
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

**Hans Imhoff** (March 12, 1922 – December 21, 2007) was a German chocolate producer and founder of the Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum (English: Imhoff Chocolate Museum, nowadays: [Schokoladenmuseum Köln](/source/Schokoladenmuseum_K%C3%B6ln), English: Chocolate Museum Cologne) in [Cologne](/source/Cologne), Germany.[1]

Imhoff was born in Cologne to Franz and Charotte Imhoff (née Gallé). After leaving Elementary School he then joined a Trade School, where he trained in Commercial and Vocational Studies. Imhoff founded a chocolate and sugar factory after [World War II](/source/World_War_II) where he produced non-branded chocolates, which became very successful. In 1969 he took over the [*Hildebrand* chocolate company](/source/Theodor_Hildebrand_%26_Sohn) in [Berlin](/source/Berlin) – Germany's oldest chocolate manufacturer - who held the chocolate brand "[Scho-Ka-Kola](/source/Scho-Ka-Kola)". In 1972 Imhoff took over the failing [Stollwerck](/source/Stollwerck) chocolate company, and managed to convert it into a successful business. He built up a European Chocolate group through acquiring other brands such as [Sprengel](/source/Sprengel) and [Sarotti](/source/Sarotti). Imhoff retired from the company in 2002.[1]

In 1993 Imhoff opened the *Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum* (Imhoff Chocolate Museum) in Cologne which creates around 650,000 visitors per year.[1][2] In 2001 the city of Cologne gave Imhoff an [honorary citizenship](/source/Honorary_citizenship).

Imhoff was married to Clare Gerburg Schmitt, with whom he had four children. He died on 21 December 2007 (aged 85) of an infection caused by lung inflammation.[3]

## Titles

- [Honorary consul](/source/Honorary_consul) of [Togo](/source/Togo)
- 2001 honorary citizenship, of Cologne

## Literature

- [Claus Jacobi](/source/Claus_Jacobi): *Der Schokoladenkönig. Das unglaubliche Leben des Hans Imhoff*. Langen Müller, München 1997, ISBN 3-7844-2650-6 (German)

## References

1. [Official Website of the Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum Cologne](http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/index_e.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090122072806/http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/index_e.html) 2009-01-22 at the Wayback Machine

1. ["Das Schokoladenmuseum – from geschichte.nrw.de (German)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120215215154/http://www.geschichte.nrw.de/artikel.php?artikel%5Bid%5D=385&lkz=de). Archived from [the original](http://www.geschichte.nrw.de/artikel.php?artikel%5Bid%5D=385&lkz=de) on 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2009-03-16.

1. [„Schokoladenfabrikant Imhoff gestorben“](http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,525113,00.html), [Spiegel Online](/source/Spiegel_Online), 22. December 2007

## External links

- [Hans Imhoff obituary](https://archive.today/20121208204742/http://www.ksta.de/html/artikel/1198278216329.shtml), [Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger](/source/K%C3%B6lner_Stadt-Anzeiger), 22. December 2007

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hans Imhoff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Imhoff) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Imhoff?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.