Combining Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Our Commemorative History: Influencing the natural-based chemicals landscape for 175 years.
A legacy built over more than 185 years—still shaping the future today.
Thank you for visiting our 175-Year Commemorative History, originally created in 2015 to celebrate a major milestone in Emery Oleochemicals’ journey.
While this section reflects on our first 175 years, our story has continued to evolve. Today, with more than 185 years of heritage, we remain focused on advancing natural-based chemistry and delivering solutions that are Engineered for Performance, Sustainable by Nature™.
We invite you to explore this historical snapshot of our journey—from our beginnings in 1840 to our continued growth as a global leader in value-added, natural-based chemicals. For the latest updates on our progress, innovations, and business developments, please visit our News section or follow us on LinkedIn.
Let the history lesson begin...
Emery Oleochemicals is recognized for the successful development of high quality, natural-based chemicals - a business that began from a storefront that manufactured and produced tallow for oil lamps in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA in 1840.
In the 175 years since then, we have undergone significant expansion and growth, and have seen various iterations through mergers and acquisitions. Throughout, we have continued to supply high-performance, natural–based chemicals to our customers worldwide. Today, we have over 3,000 products and a constantly growing portfolio of leading product brands.
Throughout the existence of Emery Oleochemicals, the one constant has been our spirit of entrepreneurship and benevolence inherited from our founder, Thomas Emery Sr. Read about our rich history that tells the story of a business with a heart, and the like-minded people who made it so:
