One of the richest families in Germany has pledged to give 10 million euros to charity after discovering that their ancestors were staunch supporters of the Nazi party and profited from the use of forced labour during the war.

German family’s ties to Nazi regime

The Reinmanns, whose JAB holding company owns controlling interest in major brands such as Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Doctor Pepper and is worth an estimated 33 billion euros, began digging into their family’s past in the early 2000s. In 2014, they decided to commission a historian from Munich to produce an in-depth report on their ancestors’ links to Nazism.

Focusing on two family members, Albert Reinmann Sr. and Albert Reinmann Jr., and working from letters and archival documents, historian Paul Erker was able to unearth a dark past that had previously remained hidden. Both men were sworn anti-Semites and enthusiastic supporters of Hitler, with Reinmann Sr. making substantial donations to the SS as early as 1931.

By 1943, the family has 175 forced labourers - Russian civilians and French prisoners of war - working for the company. In a letter to the mayor of Ludwigshafen (a German city near Stuttgart where the family’s factories were primarily based), Reinmann Jr. once complained that the prisoners weren’t working hard enough.

Reimanns are “speechless”

Peter Harf, the Reinmann family’s spokesman, confirmed the findings of the report and said that the family was “speechless” when they found out. “We were ashamed and white as sheets,” he added. “There is nothing to gloss over. These crimes are disgusting.”

He asserted that, although the two businessmen have since passed away, “they actually belonged in prison”. So far, there has been no effort to provide compensation to the forced labourers, and the family is determined to do more. Harf confirmed that, once the historian’s report is complete, it will be made available to the public.

The family has not yet announced which charity will receive the donation.