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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.
THE 1920s |BUILDING 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.
THE 1930s |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.
THE 1940s |THE 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.
THE 1950s |A NEW FACTORY, A NEW SYMBOL
In 1958, Ernesto Luíz passed away at just 48 years old. Despite his young age, he had built a highly respected company, establishing Renner Herrmann as a leader in paints in Rio Grande do Sul, with an outstanding reputation in the region.
For context, while Rio Grande do Sul has a population six times smaller than Italy, its territory is equivalent in size. Following Ernesto’s passing, his younger brother, Hugo Herrmann, a 37-year-old chemical engineer who shared his father’s name, stepped in to lead the company.
It was during this period that the iconic white horse logo was created. In German, "Renner" means "runner", symbolizing agility and strength. To reflect these qualities, the sprinting horse emblem was adopted—eventually becoming the company’s iconic logo.
THE 1960s |BEGINNING 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.
THE 1970s |RENNER HERRMANN DOUBLES IN SIZE
In 1975, Renner Herrmann acquired 100% of Ideal Tintas e Vernizes, a company of equal size, marking its entry into the automotive paint sector. This acquisition instantly doubled the company's size, positioning it for further growth and innovation.
During this decade, Thomas and Marcos, sons of Hugo Herrmann, joined the executive team. Thomas would later become the company’s president in 1990, continuing the family’s leadership legacy.
THE 1980s |CONTINUOUS EXPANSION
The 1980s marked a pivotal era of growth and international expansion for Renner Herrmann.
In 1980, the company acquired 60% of Sayerlack Indústria Brasileira de Vernizes, providing capital investment that helped solidify its leadership in paints and varnishes for the Brazilian furniture industry. Under the leadership of Alexandre Cenacchi, the company thrived, eventually becoming Renner Sayerlack S.A., a global leader with manufacturing operations in multiple countries, including Italy, and a distribution network spanning over 90 nations.
This decade saw further expansion through the acquisition of key companies, including Polidura (from the then American DuPont), Oxford (from the then German Hoechst), Lorrileaux (from France), and Tintura. Additionally, Renner Herrmann took its first international step with the purchase of Sinpla in Uruguay, marking the beginning of its global footprint.
THE 1990s |EXPANDING BEYOND BORDERS
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.
THE 2000s |CONSOLIDATION & DIVERSIFICATION
The 2000s marked a period of consolidation and expansion, with a strong focus on general-purpose industrial paints and paints and varnishes for the furniture industry, as well as diversification into non-paint sectors.
One of the most significant moves outside the paint sector was the group's entry into the food industry in 2011, with the launch of a plant dedicated to transforming liquid whey into powder, leading to the production of dairy ingredients, especially whey protein.
In 2019, further strengthening this sector, Sooro Renner was established, now operating four industrial plants in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul.
Simultaneously, the company expanded its paint and non-paint industrial operations, both through new plants and acquisitions in Brazil, Chile, and Peru. Key acquisitions included Flex in Brazil, as well as Creizet and Cerrillos in Chile, in addition to numerous Renner Sayerlack operations.
As the company approached its 100th anniversary, in 2025 the fourth generation of the Herrmann family actively participated on several of the Group's boards of directors. Today, Renner Herrmann S.A. and its associated companies operate 12 industrial plants and 7 distribution centers across 10 countries, with products distributed in over 90 nations.
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