# Caelo ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 1886 | | Origin | Germany | | Headquarters | Hilden | | Status | Acquired | | Manufacturing | Hilden, Germany, Bonn, Germany | | Distribution | Pharmacy | | Website | https://www.caelo.de | Caelo is the brand name of Caesar & Loretz GmbH, a German company based in Hilden, in the Rhineland, that supplies pharmaceutical raw materials and makes its own ointments, ointment bases, oils, herbal drugs and tea blends. Founded in 1886 in Halle an der Saale, it works mainly behind the pharmacy counter: it sells active ingredients, excipients and herbal drugs to pharmacies and hospitals that mix individual prescriptions, and it manufactures under contract for the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries. A smaller over-the-counter range, from a plain base cream to bottled essential oils, carries the Caelo name directly to consumers. The company is no longer independent. In October 2026 the specialty pharmaceutical group Medios AG completed the purchase of a 74 percent stake, ending more than six decades of control by the von der Linde family; the previous owners keep a minority holding [14]. ## Origin & founders The business began in 1886, when Carl Wilhelm Caesar and his cousin Otto Loretz set up shop in Halle an der Saale, in central Germany [3]. Their trade was in medicinal plants: they bought, processed and in part grew the dried herbs that pharmacists used as raw material, mostly for pharmaceutical purposes. That focus on plant-based remedies still shapes how the company presents itself today. ## History & milestones The firm's first chapter ended under East German rule. In 1953 the authorities of the German Democratic Republic nationalised the business and gave it a new name. Rudolf Caesar, the founder's son, left for West Germany and started again from scratch in Michelstadt, in the Odenwald region. The rebuilt company did not stay there long. In 1959 it moved to Hilden in the Rhineland, where it expanded and leaned further into pharmaceutical raw materials. Three years later, in 1962, the von der Linde family took over the business, and the family would run it for the next 64 years. Growth came partly through acquisition. In 1998 Caelo bought the Vaselinfabrik Wasserfuhr in Bonn, a petroleum-jelly works that had already existed for more than a century and produced ointments and fatty oils [3]. Bonn became the company's second production site. Both locations were modernised in 2016: Hilden gained a new administration building and a new production hall, while the Bonn hall was rebuilt to meet the current EU rules on good manufacturing practice (GMP), the quality standard for medicine production. According to the company, it holds a manufacturing licence under section 13 of the German Medicines Act, and both sites carry a current GMP certificate [2]. The Hilden headquarters covers about 16,750 square metres and the Bonn plant about 3,500 square metres. Every active ingredient and excipient is tested in the company's own or in qualified outside laboratories, and each batch ships with its own certificate of analysis. Headcount figures vary across the company's own pages. Its "About us" page puts the workforce at 250 across both sites [2], its history page gives 230 [3], and the October 2026 announcement from Medios cites around 240 [14]. In recent years the company has built a public profile among pharmacists. Together with the pharmacy supplier WEPA Apothekenbedarf it runs a recurring "Rezeptursymposium", a one-day training event on compounding prescriptions; the fifth edition took place in Hamburg in November 2025, and a sixth was scheduled for Leipzig on 7 November 2026. Caelo also offers webinars on compounding and laboratory analysis and exhibits at expopharm, the German pharmacy trade fair, which it attended in Düsseldorf in 2025 and in Munich in September 2026. New products continue to appear, among them two isopropanol 70 percent biocide products in August 2025. ## Ownership From 1962 until 2026 Caelo was owned and run by the von der Linde family. On 11 August 2026 Caesar & Loretz GmbH and Medios AG agreed that Medios would acquire 74 percent of the company's shares [8]. The announcement, published on Caelo's own press page the following day, said the previous owners would keep a minority stake and that the deal still needed antitrust approval. It named international growth and higher earnings as the aims of the merger. Ulrich von der Linde would step down as managing director, and Asiye Dogan would lead the business. In the same release, Caelo described Medios as a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on sterile individual prescriptions, with a network of 800 pharmacies in Germany. Ulrich von der Linde said the market was changing at a rapid pace and that the company was well placed within a strong group; Asiye Dogan said she saw great opportunities in combining the two companies' strengths. Medios announced the closing on 1 October 2026, after competition clearance had been granted [14]. Options were agreed for the remaining 26 percent of the shares. In its release, Medios said Caelo expected revenue of around 40 million euros for the current financial year and described it as an established supplier of active ingredients, excipients and raw materials to pharmacies, clinics and industrial customers under the Caelo brand. Caelo is also one of six members of Galenos, a European association of pharmaceutical raw-material suppliers founded in 2012 [13]. The other members are DUCHEFA Farma in the Netherlands, FARMALABOR in Italy, Gatt-Koller in Austria, HÄNSELER in Switzerland and INRESA Pharma in France. Galenos is a voluntary association rather than a corporate group; each member keeps its own national GMP certification and operates independently. ## Philosophy & positioning Caelo presents itself as a mid-sized company with a long memory. On its consumer pages it describes itself as one of the few firms that recognised the power of nature early on and specialised in natural medicine and plant-based foods. The German-language pages speak of a tradition of more than 140 years, while the older English start page still refers to "more than 135 years" [10]; both figures are consistent with the 1886 founding date. The company says its name stands for four things: quality of products and services, competence built up over its long history, safety confirmed by regular audits, and environmental awareness. Its consumer tagline, "Mit Caelo aus Tradition gesünder", translates roughly as "healthier with Caelo, out of tradition", and the same page closes with the line "Unsere Berufung ist Ihre Gesundheit" ("Our calling is your health"). In its own account, Caelo sees itself not only as a supplier but as a partner that helps customers open up new possibilities. Its clients range from pharmacies and hospitals to industrial firms, from established drug makers to start-ups, and it says its mix of manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic equipment allows it to fill anything from a pilot batch to large volumes. In the Medios agreement announcement, it called itself Germany's leading supplier of pharmaceutical raw materials for individual prescriptions in pharmacies [8]. Environmental work forms part of that self-image. In 2023 the company installed a photovoltaic system on its roof, which it says saves 167 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, and the measure contributed to its recognition as an Ökoprofit company [4]. ## Products & innovation The company organises its work into four areas. The core is pharmaceutical raw materials: a full range of starting materials for pharmacies, including active ingredients, excipients, chemicals, controlled substances and galenic preparations, packed to customers' needs and supplied with batch-specific test certificates. A second area is contract manufacturing, which covers the whole chain "from raw material delivery to the finished product" for the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries. The third is herbal drugs, the dried medicinal plants of Western herbal medicine with which the business began. The fourth area, and the one most visible to consumers, is the over-the-counter range. Caelo describes these goods as being of the highest pharmacopoeia quality and says they are made and packed for sale exclusively in pharmacies [9]. The range sits closer to the pharmacy shelf than to the cosmetics counter. It includes a base cream, glycerol 85 percent, an aluminium chloride hexahydrate 20 percent roll-on, arnica and valerian tinctures, an alkaline bath salt and a herbal bitters sold as Hildanus Magenbitter. Essential oils are sold under the ProFuma line in 10 ml bottles. The range includes lavender, rosemary, peppermint, bergamot, eucalyptus, lemongrass, Japanese mint, clove and orange oil, together with an odour neutraliser. The company also packages herbal teas, spices and honey for pharmacy sale. An online pharmacy describes Caelo as a maker of health preparations and foods based on high-quality herbs [15], which reflects how the brand appears to consumers: a pharmacy name for basic remedies, oils and simple skin-care staples rather than a cosmetics label in the usual sense. On the pharmaceutical side, the company has also moved into newer areas of compounding. In November 2025 it launched a dronabinol concentrate of 125 mg/ml, which the company says makes it simple again for pharmacies to prepare a standard oily dronabinol solution of 25 mg/ml. ## Recognition The company's main documented distinction is the Ökoprofit seal, awarded in 2023 for its environmental measures, including the rooftop solar installation. No other awards or third-party certifications for its consumer products are documented. ## Current status Caelo is an operating company that has been acquired. Since 1 October 2026 Medios AG has held a 74 percent majority, with the former owners keeping the rest and options agreed for the remaining shares. The business continues under the Caelo name from its sites in Hilden and Bonn, with Asiye Dogan as managing director, supported by a management team that includes Marc Bartschat for quality, Eugen Stroscherer for corporate control and digitalisation, and Danijel Skaljac for purchasing and sales. Activity has continued alongside the change of ownership. The company exhibited at expopharm in Munich in September 2026, again launched its Christmas campaign for pharmacies that month, and had a sixth compounding symposium planned for November 2026. Its consumer products remain sold only through pharmacies. The company does not link to any social media accounts from its website. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1886 | Founded in Halle an der Saale by Carl Wilhelm Caesar and his cousin Otto Loretz; trade and processing of medicinal plant drugs for pharmaceutical purposes. | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 1953 | Business nationalised and renamed by the GDR; son Rudolf Caesar relocates to West Germany and restarts in Michelstadt/Odenwald. | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 1959 | Moves to Hilden (Rhineland); expansion, especially into pharmaceutical raw materials (Pharma-Grundstoffe). | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 1962 | Taken over by the von der Linde family. | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 1962 | Company taken over by the von der Linde family ("Übernahme durch die Familie von der Linde.") | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 1998 | Acquires the Vaselinfabrik Wasserfuhr in Bonn (over 100 years old; ointments, fatty oils). | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 1998 | Acquired Vaselinfabrik Wasserfuhr, Bonn (ointments, fatty oils) | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 2016 | New administration building and new production hall in Hilden; Bonn production hall rebuilt to current EU-GMP requirements. | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | | 2023 | Recognised as an Ökoprofit company; rooftop photovoltaic system installed. | https://www.caelo.de/werte.html | | 2026 | 11 Aug 2026: agreement for Medios AG to acquire 74 % of Caesar & Loretz GmbH; Ulrich von der Linde to leave as managing director, Asiye Dogan to lead the company. | https://www.caelo.de/presse_news-detail.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=412&cHash=f475fefa682a871873ae896c502478b6 | | 2026 | 1 Oct 2026: Medios AG announces closing of the 74 % acquisition after antitrust clearance; options agreed for remaining 26 %. | https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2026-10/69724801-eqs-news-medios-ag-medios-uebernimmt-caelo-und-staerkt-sein-europaeisches-compounding-essentials-geschaeft-022.htm | | 2026 | Acquired (74 %) by Medios AG; previous owners keep a minority stake; closing announced 1 Oct 2026 | https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2026-10/69724801-eqs-news-medios-ag-medios-uebernimmt-caelo-und-staerkt-sein-europaeisches-compounding-essentials-geschaeft-022.htm | ## Awards {#belagg-awards} | Year | Awards | Category | Source | |---|---|---|---| | 2023 | Ökoprofit-Betrieb (Ökoprofit seal) | Environmental management (company-level) | https://www.caelo.de/210.html | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **ProFuma essential oils (e.g. Lavendelöl, Rosmarinöl, Pfefferminzöl "ProFuma", 10 ml)** — Lavendelöl "ProFuma" (Item w560, 10ML) — https://www.caelo.de/essential-oils-otc.html - **Basiscreme Caelo HV-Packung** — "Basiscreme Caelo HV-Packung" (Item 7829, 100G) — https://www.caelo.de/pharmaceuticals.html - **Aluminiumchlorid Hexahydrat 20% Roll-On Caelo** — "Aluminiumchlorid Hexahydrat 20% Roll-On Caelo HV-Packung" (Item 7775, 50ML) — https://www.caelo.de/pharmaceuticals.html - **Glycerol 85 % Caelo** — "Glycerol 85 % Caelo HV-Packung" (Item 7830, 100ML) — https://www.caelo.de/pharmaceuticals.html - **Caelo Rizinusöl** — Caelo RIZINUSÖL – Beauty & Pflege — https://www.shop-apotheke.com/marken/caelo/ ## Mentioned in {#belagg-press} - **EQS-News (Medios AG corporate release) via finanznachrichten.de** (2026) — Acquirer's release announcing closing of the 74 % acquisition of Caesar & Loretz GmbH (Caelo); states ~EUR 40m expected revenue and ~240 employees. Corporate release, not independent editorial. — https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2026-10/69724801-eqs-news-medios-ag-medios-uebernimmt-caelo-und-staerkt-sein-europaeisches-compounding-essentials-geschaeft-022.htm ## Sources 2. (T1) https://www.caelo.de/unternehmen.html 3. (T2) https://www.caelo.de/210.html 4. (T2) https://www.caelo.de/werte.html 8. (T2) https://www.caelo.de/presse_news-detail.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=412&cHash=f475fefa682a871873ae896c502478b6 9. (T2) https://www.caelo.de/geschaeftsbereiche.html 10. (T2) https://www.caelo.de/en.html 13. (T2) https://www.caelo.de/galenos.html 14. (T4) https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2026-10/69724801-eqs-news-medios-ag-medios-uebernimmt-caelo-und-staerkt-sein-europaeisches-compounding-essentials-geschaeft-022.htm 15. (T4) https://www.shop-apotheke.com/marken/caelo/ --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-10-05 Please cite with a link to the article URL.