Keurig's owner, Dr. Pepper, discovers links with the Nazi regime

The Washington Post, attributing a German television channel, reported that the two men were anti-Semites and "avowed supporters of Adolf Hitler". They made a donation to the paramilitary SS as early as 1933, the year of Hitler's accession to power in Germany.

$ 11 million for charity

The story of JAB Holding's Nazi relations was widely reported earlier this week, including by CBS News on its Monday night show.

In this archive photo of May 27, 2016, the spokesperson of the Peter Harf family, who runs the holding company JAB Holding Reimann, is photographed in Berlin, Germany. One of the richest families in Germany said she would donate millions to a charity after learning that their ancestors enthusiastically supported the Nazis and used forced labor. (Photo: Soeren Stache, AP)

Harf told Bild that JAB Holding planned to donate about $ 11 million to an "appropriate organization" after learning about its past. The family commissioned a historian from Munich University, Paul Erker, to study its links with the Nazi regime, according to the Washington Post.

"When Professor Erker reported, we were speechless," Harf told Bild. "We were ashamed and white like the wall, there is nothing to hide, these crimes are disgusting."

In a transaction announced Monday, January 29, 2018, Keurig will buy Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, creating a beverage giant with an annual business turnover of about $ 11 billion. (Photo: Jim Cole / AP FILE)

Erker told the Washington Post that he had unlimited access to family records for his ongoing work on the report. Harf said the family was considering disclosing more information discovered by Erker once his work was done.

Tom Johnson, a spokesman for JAB Holding Co., said in an email to the Burlington Free Press that he had nothing to add to what Harf had said, but he confirmed the only thing he had said. accuracy of the statements made by Harf.

JAB Holding Co. holds a stake in Krispy Kreme donuts. (Photo: NELL REDMOND)

JAB Holding Co. bought Keurig Green Mountain in December 2015 for $ 13.9 billion in cash. In January 2018, Keurig Green Mountain merged with Dr. Pepper Snapple Group to form Keurig Dr. Pepper, who holds a prominent position in Vermont, particularly in Waterbury, where Keurig Green Mountain was based.

Bild has identified the Reimann family as the second-richest in Germany, worth nearly $ 40 billion. In addition to Keurig Dr. Pepper, JAB Holding Co. manages nearly $ 70 billion and holds some or all of the well-known brands including Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread and Coty, whose portfolio includes Burberry, Gucci and Tiffany & Co. .