The company started as a ferric hardware factory in 1911 under the name Berkenhoff & Paschedag, located in Hemer, Germany; it was taken over by Friedrich Grohe in 1936, who focused on sanitary faucets only. Before that, Friedrich used to work for his father's company Hansgrohe, founded in 1901. The first order from outside of Germany came in 1938. In 1948, the company was renamed to Friedrich Grohe Armaturenfabrik. In 1961, by which time the company had purchased a factory in Lahr/Schwarzwald, the company set up its first subsidiary abroad in France. A year later in 1962, Grohe acquired exclusive rights to produce the Moen Mixing Faucet, which mixes hot and cold water with a single lever.
In 1968, Friedrich Grohe sold a 51% stake , there were some additions to the Lahr production site and a new logistics dept was opened at Hemer-Edelburg.
