The F.L. Emmert Company

In 1881, in the heart of Cincinnati's brewing hub, Savior Maier and his son-in-law, F. L. Emmert, started a saloon. They quickly noticed a problem for local brewers: what to do with the massive amounts of wet spent grain left over from the brewing process. Seeing an opportunity, Emmert shifted his business to deal in this brewer's grain, selling it to local farmers and feed dealers. When F. L. Emmert passed away in 1889, his son Frederick took the helm and continued to innovate. The company developed a proprietary drying technique for the wet grain, which made it much easier to handle and ship, fueling the company's success. The business became a family affair, passing through multiple generations. However, the company faced significant challenges during Prohibition when its main suppliers, the breweries, were forced to close. For over a century, the F.L. Emmert Company carved out a niche as a manufacturer of advanced nutritional solutions, specializing in brewer's yeast and other ingredients for the pet and livestock industries. The family-owned business, which had grown to its sixth generation, focused on creating value-added products that promoted animal health. A major turning point came in June 2022, when the 140-year-old company was acquired by Wilbur-Ellis Nutrition, a large, international marketer and manufacturer of agricultural products and animal nutrients. The acquisition was seen as a strategic fit, combining Emmert's specialized research and development capabilities with Wilbur-Ellis's global reach, ensuring the family's legacy would continue on a much broader scale.