80 years of HIKO - tradition meets innovation
A family company story told by Gisela Hinterkopf
“It all started with stoneware tins,” explains Gisela Hinterkopf, whose father-in-law founded HIKO in 1936. These one-liter containers could be found in almost every household in 1936, but today they need an explanation. “There was no way to freeze food at the time, there were no freezers yet. So canning and “stewing” was the only way to preserve fruit, vegetables, meat and other foods,” explains Gisela Hinterkopf. Her father-in-law Georg Hinterkopf took the plunge into self-employment at this time, in 1936: in times when the future was uncertain for everyone. “I peddled my bicycle,” Gisela Hinterkopf can still hear her father-in-law say today. A small store was opened in the Gallwitz barracks in Ulm, initially selling only stoneware tins. Later, tin cans for home butchering, preserving jars and rubber bands, and then freezer bags were added to the range.
The needs of farmers recognized - the first HIKO drinking bucket was developed
Quality products were also in demand among German farmers in the post-war period. And so Georg Hinterkopf developed the first drinking bucket – a high-quality product that farmers could rely on. The focus was on durability and ease of use. This is why the original HIKO drinking bucket was already extremely popular with farmers in the early years. The range in the “corner store” in Ulm grew steadily. In addition to drinking buckets, more and more agricultural products were introduced: covering film for silos, brooms, shovels, spades, garden sacks, baskets, buckets, hoes – the selection for farmers grew and HIKO established itself on the market. The small store developed into a wholesale business with a wide range of products. The premises in the Gallwitz barracks also became too small and in 1966 a new, larger warehouse was built in Böfingen.
Son Adolf Hinterkopf developed a globally unique riser tube device
In 1971, son Adolf Hinterkopf took over the company. As early as the 1970s, he recognized that farmers’ barns were getting bigger and bigger and that there was a need for a simple way to feed as many calves as possible at the same time. Adolf Hinterkopf developed the original HIKO riser device in a complex process. Quick and easy to assemble, versatile in use and the practical modular system were then as now the unbeatable advantages of the riser tube devices for calf and lambing pens. “My husband worked almost day and night back then and put his heart and soul into the development,” says Gisela Hinterkopf.
Even more news with son Martin in mind
After Adolf Hinterkopf’s death in 2014, his son Martin took over the business. And Martin Hinterkopf, who is now the third generation to run HIKO, was born with an innovative spirit. He is responsible, for example, for a completely new and unique goat lamb teat that has a significantly longer tip. Numerous tests in practice have shown that the innovative shape enables the young animals to understand more quickly what they have to do – namely suck. Farmers no longer have to spend several days learning the ropes. Another innovation is the transparent drinking bucket for calves and lambs. In future, all it will take is a glance into the calf/ lamb pen and the farmer will know who has drunk how much. Gone are the days when the farmer had to look into each bucket individually to get an idea of the drinking progress – a simple but extremely practical method and an enormous time saver for the farmer. “I can only marvel and am almost speechless at the energy and developer spirit with which my son goes about his work! So much has happened since Martin took over HIKO almost two years ago,” explains Gisela Hinterkopf. “Especially in the anniversary year 2016 – 80 years of HIKO – there are some new products on the market. But I still have so many ideas that I want to implement over the next few years,” reveals Managing Director Martin Hinterkopf.