How Housewife Melitta Bentz Invented the Coffee Filter and Founded the Melitta Group (6 photos)
In 1908, a remarkable story unfolded in Berlin: Melitta Bentz, an ordinary housewife, became one of the first women to patent an invention—one so successful it remains a staple of daily life over a century later. The German innovator patented a paper coffee filter so she could enjoy a smooth, clean cup of coffee without bitter grounds or sediment. 
Melitta was born in 1873 to a publishing family in Dresden. She was warmly regarded by all who knew her. She later married Hugo Bentz, a local government department manager in Dresden, and gave birth to two sons, Willy and Horst—who would both go on to become her key partners in the coffee business. 
Melitta with her husband, Hugo
It all started simply enough: Melitta loved drinking coffee, but hated the bitter, gritty residue left in her mouth at the bottom of the cup. Her first attempt involved punching holes in the bottom of a brass pot, but the brew still wasn't clean enough—she needed a much finer filter.
Ingeniously, Melitta tore a piece of blotting paper from her son Willy’s school notebook, folded and trimmed it to fit inside the pot, and topped it with a perforated lid. And just like that, the modern coffee filter was born! 
Coffee filter invented by Melitta
On June 20, 1908, Melitta Bentz secured a patent for her invention and soon launched the company "M. Bentz." The family enthusiastically marketed the filter through word of mouth: Melitta hosted coffee parties at home, while her husband demonstrated the product on their balcony to passersby. Their efforts paid off—just a year later, they sold 1,200 coffee filters at the Leipzig Trade Fair! 
By 1910, the family business had won a gold medal at the International Hygiene Exhibition. By 1928, demand was so high that an 80-person workforce had to operate in two shifts. Soon outgrowing their facilities, they relocated production to the city of Minden, where the company's headquarters remains to this day. 
The Melitta Group headquarters
Melitta Bentz’s company weathered the crises of both World Wars, and by the time of her passing, the brand was valued at 4.7 million Deutsche Marks. 
Today, Melitta’s grandsons, Thomas and Stephan Bentz, still control the Melitta Group KG. The company sells coffee, filters, coffee makers, tea, and cleaning products, with operations in 50 countries worldwide. Its revenue now stands at €1.2 billion—an astonishing growth from an initial capital of just 72 pfennigs, less than a single German mark!
