Kopp Pipes / Kopp Tobaccos – Pipe Tobaccos and Pipe Accessories
The Development of Kopp: From Martin Wess to Today
On April 15, 1919, Martin Wess, the great-grandfather of current owners Oliver and Thilo Kopp, took the step into self-employment. As an experienced master leather craftsman, he supplied renowned clients like Goldpfeil with cigar cases and produced fine leather cases for travel alarm clocks for Swiss watch manufacturers. In the late 1930s, the leather goods business flourished, and Martin’s children, Gottfried and Frederike, along with Frederike’s husband, Friedrich Kopp, joined the company. With nearly 100 employees, the company even operated a branch on New York’s 5th Avenue to bypass high import duties.
After Martin Wess passed away in 1947 and his son Gottfried followed two years later, his daughter Frederike took over leadership and the reconstruction of the damaged production building in Offenbach. With the support of her longtime confidante Karla Kühn, she restored former business connections and secured the company’s economic future. Despite health setbacks, she prepared the transition to her son Bernd Kopp before her death in 1954. At just 14 years old, Bernd continued the family business after completing his commercial training, establishing new business sectors, particularly the production of pipe pouches under the name Wess Design (Martin Wess).
Expansion Into Pipe Tobacco: Kopp Diversifies
In 1971, Bernd Kopp and Lothar Otto founded Otto & Kopp, expanding the product range to include renowned pipe brands such as Ascorti, Caminetto, and Nørding. After Otto’s passing, Martin Wess and Otto & Kopp merged to form today’s Kopp GmbH & Co. KG. The collaboration with Michael Kohlhase and the acquisition of 80% of Kohlhase & Bühler in 1979 marked a significant expansion.
Expansion and Digitalization
At the end of the 1990s, Oliver and Thilo Kopp joined the company. They quickly recognized the potential of the internet and developed Kopp Pipes into Europe's leading pipe importer. Under their leadership, own brands were established and new markets opened.
In 2004, Kopp Pipes acquired a stake in Germany’s oldest cigar house, Dürninger, but divested from it in 2021. Since 2019, Oliver Kopp has been leading the company and steering it towards growth. Since 2023, Oliver and Thilo Kopp have been the sole owners of Kopp Tobaccos. With an experienced team and new premium brand partnerships, the company continues to expand.
Kopp Tobaccos: International Pipe Tobaccos
Kopp is an importer of renowned pipe tobacco brands from around the world, including Cornell & Diehl from the USA, Samuel Gawith from the UK, and Gladora from Turkey. A new partnership with a Brazilian tobacco manufacturer is in the works. The production of private label tobaccos for specialized retailers remains a central pillar of the company, a tradition that continues in the historic Wehde tobacco buildings in Rellingen.
In addition to in-house brands like Rattray’s and Robert McConnell, Kopp increasingly produces tobaccos under its own name. Limited specialty blends such as the Kopp Limited Editions and the Kopp Winter Editions are particularly popular.
With the acquisition of its own flake presses, Kopp is gaining increasing independence from major tobacco producers and enhancing its flexibility in manufacturing. What Martin Wess once started has now grown into a thriving family business with 85 employees—and after more than 100 years, it remains family-owned.
