In The Beginning, There was Water …
Rudolf Ehrenfried Buse originally pursued a completely different idea that had nothing to do with gas. In 1875 he set up a bag factory in Bad Hönningen.
But instead, he became much more enthused about the natural gases, now known as carbon dioxide, in the Hundsacker district of Hönningen. He was so interested in them that he devoted himself intensely to their liquefaction. He then set up carbonic acid plants in several locations across Germany, including one in Gerolstein.
As a pleasant by-product, he encountered water while drilling for carbonic acid from the spring. But it wasn’t just ordinary water. It was top-quality mineral water that had already been discovered in Roman times. At this historic moment, Gerolsteiner Flora-Brunnen was founded in 1883. From that point forth, Rudolf Ehrenfried Buse extracted not only mineral water in Gerolstein but also spring-sourced carbonic acid. He was able to sell this very profitably to the drinks industry.
But even that was not enough. As one of the first entrepreneurs of his time, he recognized the many possible uses of CO2. The foundation stone for setting up the BUSE Group was thus laid.
Over the subsequent decades, the mineral water business was expanded. Moreover, we are developing into one of the leading producers of CO2 in Germany and neighboring countries. At the same time, we have continued to further develop our expertise in the areas of application technology and plant construction.
In 1984, we merged with our main local competitor in the mineral water business. A milestone was the launch of Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG, and hence the leading mineral water brand in Germany to date.
But we are becoming increasingly important internationally as well. Establishment of the Buse Group at the international level follows logically from the increasing requests in the areas of plant construction and the CO2 business. During the mid 1980s, a branch was established in Greece and additional branches were set up in the Balkans, where BUSE developed into an established name in the local gas business.
At the same time, we established a further site in the Netherlands. We rapidly established ourselves as one of the leading service providers for inspecting and filling canisters for pressurized gas and extinguishing agents for the firefighting industry.
We are, to date, an expanding corporate group with international locations and a very broad services spectrum. Thanks to more than 130 years of experience and future-oriented ideas, we have become successful players in the gas market. Today, tomorrow and in the future.
»As a medium-sized business, we have the talent to continuously realign ourselves. With just 130 employees, a flat hierarchy and rapid decision-making processes, we are extremely flexible. We reflect on our strengths and focus on the products and services we can provide. This is because the BUSE Group is small, flexible and adaptable.
The future will mean changes for companies and their actions. We are ready for them.«
CEO BUSE-Group, Roland Bräkling
BUSE Group Code of Conduct for Suppliers
BUSE has developed a code of conduct for suppliers which summarizes important social, ecological and ethical standards.
Holding, Affiliates & Participations
Domicile and Shares
Holding | Domicile | |||
BUSE KSW GmbH & Co. KG | Bad Hönningen – Germany | |||
Affiliates and Participations | Domicile | Shares | ||
BUSE Gas B.V. | Arnheim – Netherlands | 100% | ||
BUSE Gases Ltd. | West Bromwich – Great Britain | 100% | ||
BUSE NATURAL RESOURCES | Bitola – North Macedonia | 100% | ||
BUSE Gas S.A. | Schimatari – Greece | 100% | ||
Specialty Gases Ltd. | West Bromwich – Great Britain | 100% | ||
BUSE Scientific Ltd. | West Bromwich – Great Britain | 100% | ||
BUSE Hygear Ltd. | West Bromwich – Great Britain | 50% | ||
S.I.P. Analytical Ltd. | Kent – Great Britain | 100% | ||
ITO Ltd. | Athen – Greece | 52% | ||
Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co. KG | Gerolstein – Germany | 33% | ||
ASCO KOHLENSÄURE AG | Romanshorn – Swiss | 30% |