WHITE ELEPHANT
Shortly after World War II, Robert Maderholz founded a pipe manufactory in the small Bavarian town Ettenstatt. According to his daughter Renate, 50.000 pipes were produced each year. Later, inlays made of pressed Meerschaum were added to the bowls, which were also produced by the company. The raw material was pulverised in a gigantic mill, and so the foundation for the Meerschaum filter production was laid.
While enjoying a few Franconian beers, the competitors were analysed. Dr. Perl’s activated charcoal filter was quite popular already, but there had been no filters with the very versatile Meerschaum on the market.
Suppliers for ceramic caps and husks were soon found and the manual production started. Only a name was missing. All Meerschaum came from Tansania back then, which also was the home of many elephants in the Serengeti national park. The name White Elephant was born.
Until this day, Smoking Systems is the only maker of filters with Meerschaum granulate.
As Michael Maderholz, grandchild of the founder, joined the company, his father trusted in his passion for machines. Step by step the production of filters was automated and the pipe production ceased. The pipes needed too much manual work, and with increasing labour costs in Germany, the production was not profitable any more.
Now 40 years laters, the family Kopp, Europe’s largest pipe importer, are the new brand owners and have revived White Elephant.
All pipes are designed at the company headquarter in Offenbach. The production takes place in two small workshops in Italy with a lot of love for detail.
