Company Profile
BRESSER was founded by Josef Bresser in 1957. The company began, by specializing in the import and distribution of binoculars.
In 1979, when Mr. Josef Bresser died, his son, Rolf Bresser, took over the business. He saw his main objective in the technical development and design of new and innovative optical products.
The product portfolio of BRESSER has been continuously expanded. In the last decades quite a number of patented product solutions have been established in all optical areas. This is why you can be sure that with the purchase of a BRESSER product you have purchased a state-of-the-art instrument at each price point.
Today BRESSER is one of the leading suppliers of optical instruments all over Europe and one of the largest in the world.
In order to remain a leader in the optical field, Rolf Bresser sold his business in 1999 to the American market leader MEADE INSTRUMENTS CORP. in Irvine, California. MEADE has established an excellent name in the telescope industry.
Founded in 1972 as a small mail order company, MEADE - a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock exchange - is a world market leader in this market. Because of the advanced computerized MEADE Telescopes, new solutions were offered not only to amateur astronomers but also to novice astronomers. Technology such as those had previously only been available to astronomy professionals.
In the year 2003, the BRESSER product range was completely re-designed, expanded and re-engineered. The vast assortment allows anybody interested in optics to satisfy her or his personal requirement.
Also in 2003, the Josef-Bresser-Observatory was opened, equipped with the largest series-production telescope of the world, the MEADE LX200 16". This reference level observatory is not just open to MEADE customers and partners, but also to the public.
In 2005 MEADE expanded once again with the purchase of CORONADO, a world leader in ultra-narrowband filters used for sun observation.
Due to the continuous growth of MEADE and BRESSER the facilities at our location in Borken became too small. The European center moved to new modern premises to the neighbor town of Rhede in 2006.
In 2007 Meade Instruments Europe celebrated its 50th company anniversary. Cause of this event a day of open doors with a lot of well visited meetings around the topics astronomy and nature observation had been arranged. More than 1,500 guests, who had partly traveled from overseas, could be welcomed to this solemn event.
In January 2009 the proprietor rights at Meade Instruments Europe GmbH & Co. KG changed. The company was purchased by its former owner Mr. Rolf Bresser, its longstanding main supplier Jinghua Optical + Electronics Co. Ltd. and Helmut Ebbert as the longtime Managing Director. At the same time, a Cooperation Agreement with Meade Instruments Corp. was signed to further guaranty a close partnership. This agreement allows for an exclusive distributorship in terms of the MEADE and CORONADO products throughout most of Europe.
The new proprietor structure allows us to not only position ourselves properly for the current market situation, but also with best outlooks for the future; it will combine Manufacturer and Distributor to a very competitive operation. The change of owners allows MEADE USA and MEADE Europe to have a much larger financial scope for future new product developments.
Under the new ownership MEADE Instruments Europe GmbH introduced a number of new product lines.
At the international Toy?s fair in Nuremberg the new line BRESSER Junior was introduced for the first time. Under the slogan "more than just a toy" this line consists of optical and scientific products for young pupils.
At the Didacta ? a show for education in Hanover ? own designs of microscopes were introduced, prominently the BRESSER "BioScience".
In addition the TDM (Telescope Drive Master) was gaining good attention. This instrument, measures slight vibrations and corrects motor drives. This patented solution is giving amateur astronomers new opportunities for night sky photography.
The new WTS (Wireless Telescope Server) allows you to remote control your telescope from inside you house fully wireless.
Also new in our product offerings are affordable star observatories out of heavy plastic and high performance ED APO refractors.
Complete new ways are directed by the BRESSER Multimedia articles. Those were shown for the very first time at the Consumer Electronics Show (IFA) in Berlin in 2009. Highlights are very compact, yet well performing projectors and digital frames with special features.
More than ever BRESSER will introduce new and innovative products which surely will be surprising for anyone.
