Company development

Ehlbeck & Cordes was founded in 1957 by the export merchants Manfred Ehlbeck and Günter Cordes. Among the import and export of wood and wooden semi-finished products also raw coffee was traded.

Due to inheritance problems within the family Manfred Ehlbeck had to terminate his partnership with  Ehlbeck & Cordes at the beginning of the 1960s. The company was lead on by Günter Cordes and it was focused on wooden products.

From about 1962 onwards substantial quantities of semi-finished and finished products of the timber and furniture industry were exported overseas via Hamburg’s or Bremen’s export business trough the medium of Ehlbeck & Cordes. The diversity of the assortment was constantly expanded. Mainly in the 1970s and 1980s various individuallly planned church, kitchen, bank and doctor´s offices were planned and designed by Hannelore Cordes and built in partly by own craftsmen.

In 1997 – the year of it´s 40th anniversary – the junior Claus Cordes entered into the company, after having studied business administration and having worked in Max Bahr Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte´s purchasing department for a while.

Since 2001 the company had been administrated by Günter and Claus Cordes as Ehlbeck & Cordes oHG.

2007 the 50th anniversary was celebrated. The business was concentrated on the international and national brokerage of mainly sawnwood, Nordic planed timber, construction timber, glue laminated timber and hardwood for the timber wholesale and retail trade.

Since 2012 Ehlbeck & Cordes has been managed by Claus Cordes in the second generation but the senior Günter Cordes is still available for help and advice.