The Berolzheimer family’s remarkable history of involvement in the pencil industry spans seven generations, with roots dating back to 19th century Bavaria. Their story provides a living example of the growth and development of the wood-cased pencil industry over nearly 160 years.
By the time Heinrich Berolzheimer landed in New York, he’d already amassed 40 years of pencil-producing experience in Fürth, Germany. In the New World, he introduced new brands, including the famous Mirado, Prismacolor and Eagle Pencil Company brands, the latter of which eventually became Berol Corporation following a split around 1920 in the Berol and Berolzheimer family branches.
During the early 1900s, the family followed the U.S. pencil industry south, to be near forests of Eastern Red Cedar, the primary pencil wood at the time. As demand for pencils and other products produced from Red Cedar grew, the industry looked for improved supplies of alternate woods.
During this time, the Berolzheimer Family acquired Little St. Simons Island. This barrier island off the coast of Georgia was used briefly for its supply of Red Cedar and then was converted to a family retreat. Operated today as a unique Eco-travel resort, the amazing natural beauty of the Lodge on Little St. Simons Island lures visitors from around the world.
In the family tradition of following new pencil industry opportunities, Cal Cedar patriarch Charles Berolzheimer (grandson of Heinrich) headed west, to Stockton, California, purchasing California Cedar Products Company in 1927. Cal Cedar was an industry newcomer, producing pencil slats of Incense-cedar, a species that grows abundantly in California and Oregon forests. Incense-cedar proved an ideal substitute for Eastern Red Cedar as a pencil wood due to the ease of machining, sharpening, lacquering and imprinting. The quality of the timber, compounded by the wood being in much larger supply, made it a lasting improvement.
A modern day Renaissance man, Charles spoke seven languages, had a keen interest in people, forestry and wood science. He traveled extensively throughout the world, establishing lasting relationships with pencil manufacturers. He also is credited with developing innovative technologies for producing slats and other high quality products preferred by industry leaders internationally. Today, the vast majority of Cal Cedar slat sales remain outside of the United States.
During the 1960’s, Charles’ sons became deeply committed to growth and innovation in the pencil slat business as well as expanding into new ventures. In 1969, Cal Cedar introduced the California Cedar Firelog, today known as Duraflame®, developed to make the best possible use of cedar sawdust, and created the CedarPro brand, a growing specialty lumber business turning out home siding, decking and fencing from portions of the cedar tree best suited to these alternate uses.
Beginning in the late 1980s, the company faced new challenges from globalizing competition in the pencil industry, growing environmentalist pressures involving U.S. western forests and increasing concentration of customers at both the manufacturing and retail levels. The next generation that took control continued to innovate and adapt, introducing our ForestChoice brand (the first-ever, third party certified pencil slats and pencils), as well as EcoSlat products (alternate species slats) and, ultimately, transferring slat manufacturing from California to new operations in Tianjin, China in 2001 (following family tradition of moving where most opportunities lie). Here, Cal Cedar continues to produce premium California Incense-cedar slats as well as Ecoslat products sourced of Chinese basswood, including FSC-certified slats in both Genuine Incense-cedar and Basswood.
Today, Charles’s grandchildren and great grandson have assumed leadership positions across-the-board, and the new California Republic brand family and Pencils.com business units remain true to the traditional vision, mission and values of this multi-generational family business – our continued commitment to profitably delivering an expanding range of products and services, supporting the education and personal growth of our customers and being environmentally responsible.
