Firmenich was founded in 1895 in Geneva, Switzerland, by Philippe Chuit, a talented Swiss chemist, in association with Martin Naef, a shrewd businessman. They rented premises from a certain Charles Firmenich and it was there that they started creating ground-breaking molecules such as Dianthine^® and Iralia^® (still present on the market today) and attracting their first client, Mr Francois Coty.

The daughter of Charles Firmenich, Therèse, later married Philippe Chuit and her older brother, Frederic, soon joined the company as the salesman of Chuit, Naef & Co. Upon the retirement of Chuit and later Naef, the Firmenich Family became the majority partner and in 1934 the company changed its name to Firmenich & Co. Since then, Firmenich has remained independent, building on that original entrepreneurial vigor and pioneering spirit. Today we are the world’s largest, private company in the fragrance and flavor industry.