Made in Michiana: The Lebermuth Company

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -

ABC 57's final stop in November to local businesses "Made in Michiana" is one that's been around for over a century.

The Lebermuth Company sits on Technology Drive and it started its roots in Michiana back in 1908.

Russian immigrant Morris Brown was asked if he would like to trade produce for peppermint oil.  

He tried it, and trading peppermint launched the business that is still run by the same family today.

“My great grandfather took the oil back to Chicago and took it to the Wrigley Company and that's kind of how we got into the business," said Company President Robert Brown.

The company produces essential oils, fragrances, and flavors, and ships them to customers across the globe.

In fact, Brown said Lebermuth provides 30 percent of natural lavender oil around the world to the United States.

“You create a mood, you create an atmosphere you create a place where people want to go and want to be," said Chief Perfumer and Vice President of Operations James Fuchs.

In the South Bend products laboratory its cranking out smells and ingredients for everything from candles, chewing gum, fine fragrances, cleaner, soap and more.

The company has a focus of working with natural ingredients and while its based in the Midwest, the products aren't staying there.

“We're an international company both importing and exporting, globally," said Brown

Lebermuth may have just started with Brown's great grandfather, but now it has 65 employees.

“There's two things going on, one is a blending operation where those materials are blended together to form a unique product," said Fuchs. "The other is actually selling those products as ingredients."

Fuchs said they have about 5,000-6,000 raw materials to work with in their factory.

“What we do in the factory is manufacture fragrances and blends and these are to specifications that our customers require so that they work properly in their products," said Fuchs.

The company has large tanks and a number of small ones for distillation.

The oils can spend a couple of days in the tanks and are then tested in the lab for quality.

Once cleared, they are shipped off to customers who add it to products like toothpaste, mints, fragrances and more.

“Our market is both coasts in the United States and we have an extensive library of materials flavors and fragrances that we use to make products to make life interesting to people," said Fuchs.

You can find a link to the company by clicking, here.