On April 16, 1960, the late founder, Joachim Böhme, opened a small pet shop in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. At that time, nobody could have guessed that sixty years later “JBL, his baby" would become one of the leading and best-known brands for aquaristics, terraristics and ponds in over 65 countries.
Today, on the occasion of JBL's 60th birthday, we would like to thank all our customers, suppliers and our great team. To this end, our Managing Director Roland Böhme, son of the founder, has spontaneously recorded a personal video message for you in his office and hidden a gift for you in it.
The first 60 people to comment on this myJBL Blog post will receive a free copy of the book delivered to their home. Please make sure that the address in your myJBL profile is complete and up-to-date. This book is a limited edition, available only in very small quantities.
A little history lesson to test your knowledge
We'd share some inside information beforehand. You’ll find more details on our homepage under Firma .
It all started because of a love of ornamental fish and a need to earn a bit of pin money. Yes, back then you could earn money by breeding enchytraeidae. Breeding ornamental fish was lucrative too. Combine this with a chemist’s training and you have the best foundation for producing innovative and useful hobby products and for creating a brand.
But the journey from a first product to a small pet shop, to a wholesale business for aquatic products, to a globally active industrial company was a long one fraught with risks and challenges.
An interest in butterflies and beetles meant he was never far from the world of terraristics. As a pharmacist and resourceful chemical scientist, producing products for care and nutrition was no problem. But the import of ornamental fish from Guyana was a challenge in 1968, and its solution resulted in a product that is still effective and well-known today. Stress during transport could result in the fish developing white spot disease, so for this Joachim Böhme created a new medication PUNKTOL - with resounding success. The fish flourished and it was now possible in Germany to sell fish from far off countries. The pet shop also nurtured his love of aviculture, and JBL initially listed numerous bird products in its range. Whether it was moulting salt, treats (Delikat), voice drops, JBL had it.
Some of the products and preparations that can still be found in the product range today were developed in those first decades: Ectol ( JBL Ektol fluid Plus 125 ), The 7 balls ( JBL PROFLORA 7 Kugeln (bilye) ), JBL Turtle Food ( JBL Turtle Food ), Weekend ( JBL Weekend ), Holiday ( JBL Holiday ), Oodinol ( JBL Oodinol Plus 250 ), Staple Food ( JBL NovoBel ), Blanki ( JBL Blanki ), Turtle Sun & Tortoise Sun ( JBL Tortoise Sun Terra ), Tortoise Shell Care ( JBL Kaplumbağa cilası ) or fish food tablets ( JBL NovoTab ), to name just a few examples. Do they sound familiar?
These products featured on the 1980 price list and were manufactured by JBL itself. The "classics" are still to be found in the range today - of course honed and improved by constant research and insights.
JBL has been based in Neuhofen since 1984, where it evolved from a wholesaler into a manufacturer. In 1991 Roland Böhme, who had previously worked for JBL as product manager, took over as general manager. His father, the founder Joachim Böhme, continued to offer his services to the company as a consultant.
You can read these and many more stories about the company founder himself and how he guided JBL into a strong brand in the founder's uniquely written, very personal and entertaining memoirs.
