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BEFORE 1927, SETTING THE FOUNDATION
Beginning in July 1824, hundreds of thousands of German immigrants from various regions of Germany arrived in southern Brazil, initiating a migration wave that lasted for a century. From 100 onward, they were joined by Italian immigrants, primarily from Veneto and other northern regions of Italy.
In this scenario, in 1922, a German chemical technician named Arthur Koepke arrived with his family at the port of Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Born in Pomerania, Koepke once tried to paint a piece of furniture with the paints available on the market. After three days of painting, the piece of furniture was still damp and he soon realized the poor quality of the paints produced in the country at the time. Friends of the brothers Leopoldo, Felipe and Waldemar Renner, they decided to invest and set up a paint factory. The Renner brothers were grandsons of German immigrants from the Hünsruck region who arrived in 3 and settled in the city of Montenegro, 1825 km away from Porto Alegre.
Their brother, Antônio Jacob Renner (AJ), was already a successful entrepreneur in the textile industry, owning a large industrial plant in Porto Alegre, strategically located near the Guaíba River.
This historical backdrop set the stage for the founding of what would become Renner Herrmann S.A. in 1927.
20s | THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE COMPANY
Thus, the Renner brothers plus Koepke set up the small paint factory and on June 18, 1927, the company was founded, which would later become international in scope.
The factory was set up within the industrial park of Antônio Jacob Renner (AJ), a highly successful industrialist who would become both a partner and mentor to the business. In a modest 200m² space, located at the back of AJ’s industrial park and near the Guaíba River, Tintas Renner began its operations.
30s | UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ERNESTO LUÍS
In 1930, Olga Renner Herrmann, one of the four Renner sisters and widow of Hugo Herrmann, a fellow German immigrant, joined the company. Born in Mainz, on the banks of the Rhine River, Hugo arrived in Porto Alegre in 1903, working as a sales representative on horseback. During one of these business trips, he met Olga in Montenegro.
After Hugo’s passing in 1924 at the age of 44, Olga was left to raise their five children. Recognizing the family’s potential role in the company, Antônio Jacob (AJ)—a key leader in the business—invited his sister to join, emphasizing that her sons would work there. True to his vision, in 1930, Ernesto Luís, Olga's eldest son and still a teenager, assumed leadership of the company.
The company grew rapidly, setting up a metal packaging factory in 1933. In 1937, pioneer Arthur Koepke retired from the company. In 1939, 12 years after its founding, the company already had 200 employees.
40s | Herrmann Era
In 1941, the company changed its name from Renner Koepke to Renner Herrmann. Also in 1941, a major flood of the Guaíba River, only surpassed by another catastrophic flood in 2024, nearly wiped out the company. If it weren't for the resilience of A.J.Renner and his nephew Ernesto Luíz Herrmann, the company would have closed its doors.
Thanks to the resilience of AJ Renner and his nephew Ernesto Luíz Herrmann, the company refused to close its doors. Instead, they took decisive action, purchasing 11 hectares of land about 10 km away and constructing a new, larger, and more modern factory, far from the river’s reach. By 1951, the facility was fully operational, laying the foundation for the company’s significant expansion in the years ahead.
50s | NEW FACTORY - NEW SYMBOL
In 1958, Ernesto Luiz passed away at the age of 48. Even at such a young age, he had built a highly respected company in the region, with an excellent reputation and a leading paint manufacturer in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
For comparison, although today the state of Rio Grande do Sul has a population six times smaller than Italy, its land area is equivalent. His younger brother, Hugo, 37, who shared his father's name and was a chemical engineer, then took over the leadership of the company.
On this occasion, the famous white horse logo was created. Renner, in German, means "runner". To reflect the idea of agility and solidity, the figure of the galloping horse was adopted, which ended up becoming an iconic logo.
60s | START OF EXPANSION IN BRAZIL
The 1960s marked the beginning of Renner Herrmann’s expansion across Brazil. During this decade, the company built new factories in Bahia and São Paulo, further strengthening its national presence. Additionally, it acquired Louçalin Paint Industry, a key competitor in Rio Grande do Sul.
This period also saw the arrival of the third generation in the business, as Ernesto Egon, son of Ernesto Luíz, joined the company, continuing the family legacy.
70s | RENNER HERRMANN DOUBLES IN SIZE
In 1975, the company acquired all the shares of Ideal Tintas e Vernizes, then a company the size of Renner Herrmann itself, marking the beginning of automotive paint manufacturing within the Group.
Overnight, the company doubled in size. In this decade, Thomas, who would become president of the company in 1990, and Marcos, Hugo Herrmann's sons, joined the executive team.
80s | CONTINUOUS EXPANSION
In 1980, a milestone occurred that has very important repercussions to this day. Renner Herrmann acquired 60% of Sayerlack Industria Brasileira de Vernizes, capitalized the company, which, under the leadership of Alexandre Cenacchi, consolidated its position as a leader in supplying paints and varnishes to the Brazilian furniture industry and later became Renner Sayerlack SA, a leading company with manufacturing operations in several nations, including Italy, and product distribution in more than 90 countries.
The 1980s were a period of great expansion, with the acquisition of companies such as Polidura, from the then-American DuPont; Oxford, from the then-German Hoechst; the French Lorrileaux; Tintura; and taking its first international step with the purchase of Sinpla in Uruguay.
90s | INTERNATIONAL WALK
With a strong foundation in Brazil, Renner Herrmann accelerated its international expansion during the 1990s. The company acquired Blundell in Chile, Panamericana and Pintcol (via Sayerlack) in Argentina, and established a distribution center in Paraguay, further strengthening its presence in Latin America.
A noteworthy moment in 1995 highlighted the brand's visibility beyond business: with Renner’s logo on its jersey, Grêmio, the Porto Alegre soccer team, won the Brazilian Championship, Copa do Brasil, and Copa Libertadores da América, securing a spot in the Club World Cup final against Ajax in Tokyo.
2000s | CONSOLIDATION
The 2000s were a period of consolidation and growth, focusing on the industrial paints sector for general use and paints and varnishes for the furniture industry, as well as other non-paint sectors.
Among the non-paint sectors, it is worth highlighting the group's entry into the food area in 2011, with the start of operations at a plant for transforming liquid whey into powder, resulting in the manufacture of dairy ingredients used in a wide range of products, especially whey protein.
In 2019, also within this sector, the Sooro Renner association was created, which today operates 4 industrial plants in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul.
At the same time, more industrial paint and non-paint plants were established or acquired in Brazil, as well as paint plants in Chile and Peru, such as Flex in Brazil, in addition to the Creizet and Cerrillos companies in Chile. This is without mentioning the numerous operations of Renner Sayerlack. The fourth generation of the Herrmann family is currently active on several of the boards of directors of the Group's various companies.
In 2026, on the eve of its 100th anniversary, the companies and associations of Renner Herrmann SA will operate 14 industrial plants and 7 distribution centers in 10 different countries, distributing products in another 90 nations.
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