100 years ago - the 50,000th Amazone celebrated

Precisely 100 years ago – on 16th July 1914, production of the 50,000th "Amazone” was celebrated at Amazone in Hasbergen-Gaste. This "Amazone" was a grain cleaning and sorting machine which the Amazone founder, Heinrich Dreyer, had newly developed in the early years of the company’s establishment. After this machine, which was also called a winnower, had been awarded 1st prize at various agricultural trade exhibitions, Heinrich Dreyer gave it the trade name "Amazone". It became a real best seller, so much so that, by 1904, 10,000 "Amazones" had already left the factory in Hasbergen-Gaste.

One year later, the founding father Heinrich Dreyer decided to enter into the export market with the winnowers and delivered them, to amongst other countries, Valparaiso in South America. So he had, early on, already laid down the basis for the strong export drive which is representative of the Amazone Group today.

The overwhelming market success of the "Amazone" finally resulted in the renaming of the former Maschinenfabrik H. Dreyer with approximately 120 employees to Amazonen-Werke. Because the business continued to run so successfully over the years, on 16th July 1914 it meant that the production of the 50,000th "Amazone" could be celebrated.

The programme of events started in the afternoon at 4 p.m. with coffee - accompanied by a concert and singing groups. At 6 p.m. all the clerks and workers of the factory were photographed, followed by an interim "general public amusement". A mutual dinner followed at 8 p.m., after which a fireworks and a torch light procession. Finally at the end there was a big dance festival that did not end until the next morning.

The "Amazone" grain cleaning and sorting machine stayed in the sales programme of Amazonen-Werke until 1960. In total more than 200,000 units were sold.