On top, in a village street on the outskirts of the village, stand the bright building and the factory hall of the family business, which advertises with the slogan: “Made in the Black Forest”. The reference to the Black Forest, “where the cuckoo clocks come from”, is particularly popular with customers in Asia and the USA, explains boss Alicia Lindner: “Everyone immediately thinks of nature, forests, streams,” says the 30-year-old and laughs.
ALICIA LINDNER SEES BÖRLIND “KISSED BY THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES”
She shares her office as well as the management of the company with her brother Nicolas, who is five years older, so she welcomes us in the bright meeting room. There, she first fills the glasses with water – from a bottle with the imprint “Annemarie Börlind”. The water comes from a deep spring under the company grounds and is a clear commitment to nature, region and quality. It flows into the production of Börlind’s skin and hair care products and cosmetics – just as natural, regionally and often organically produced ingredients as well as sustainable processes are used. The company was already focusing on this when natural cosmetics were far from being a label that corresponded to the spirit of the times. The GmbH was founded in 1959 by Alicia Lindner’s grandparents Annemarie and Walter, who had previously been expropriated in the GDR and fled, and their business partner Hermann Börner, who already had experience in the trade in nature-identical medicines. Their names gave rise to the brand name. Since 2003, the company has been the sole owner of the Lindner family, who are now handing over the business to the third generation: Founder’s son Michael, who expanded the portfolio to include the dermatological brand series Dado Sens, among other things, handed over the operational business to two of his four children at the beginning of 2020 – and at an apparently ideal time. “We are kissed by the spirit of the times,” says Alicia Lindner, who actively joined the company in 2014 after completing her studies and taking her first career steps at consultancies. While she gradually took over responsibility for sales, the Dado Sens brand, financial accounting and controlling, among other things, climate change became the global mega issue: customers demand vegan ingredients, sustainable management – the entire beauty industry is tinkering with sustainable products and processes.
ALICIA LINDNER STANDS FOR VALUES AND CHALLENGES AT BÖRLIND
But while giants such as Beiersdorf or L’Oréal are making enormous efforts to change course and buy natural cosmetics start-ups, the grandchildren of the Börlind founder are expanding their ideological and entrepreneurial legacy. The Annemarie Börlind brand has positioned itself exceptionally well in the highly competitive selective cosmetics market. While the market is stagnating, Börlind is scoring points in the growing segment of natural cosmetics. The siblings are carefully expanding their product range, responding to trends with innovations and, for example, have launched an award-winning facial oil on the market that is intended to combat skin aging caused by radiation from computer screens. Since 2012, the family-owned company has also been certified with the strict international sustainability label CSE. “To do this, we let ourselves be screened from A to Z. Climate goals cannot be achieved with fig leaf campaigns – but only if everyone makes their contribution,” says Alicia Lindner.
HIGH-QUALITY RAW MATERIALS FROM THE REGION
And high-quality raw materials can sometimes be found around the corner: The company’s own researchers discovered the positive properties of the stem cells of the Black Forest rose for the skin when the Federal Horticultural Show took place around the corner. And for ingredients grown far away, such as jojoba oil or shea butter, the company is pushing ahead with socially responsible cultivation projects such as those in Namibia and Nepal. They also act as empowerment for the women, who thus secure their own income – a matter close to the boss’s heart, which she talks about enthusiastically.
FAMILY ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ACTION
Even the Corona pandemic has not harmed Börlind so far, says the boss. “In times of Corona, people are spending more time with themselves and asking how healthy and sustainable what their body touches and absorbs is – after all, the skin is our largest organ. We can clearly see this in the demand.”
