Early Life
Josef Boquoi was born in 1934. After completing a business degree and apprenticeship in Hamburg, he joined his father's small coffee- and grain-roasting firm in 1953.
Rise to Success
In 1957, Josef took over the business, and in 1966, he founded bofrost, which pioneered a direct-to-consumer distribution model for frozen foods. In 1969 the first refrigerated vans hit the streets of Germany. bofrost quickly expanded throughout Europe, delivering upwards of 1,000 different food items directly to consumers. Key to bofrost's expansion was the franchising model, introduced in the 1970s, which fueled rapid growth across various European countries. By 2013, bofrost had approximately 11,000 employees, 4 million customers and $1.4 billion in revenue. Bofrost is based in Straelen, Germany. In 2013, Josef Boquoi stepped down from the leadership of the bofrost*Familienstiftung.
Key Business Strategies
Boquoi's business model focused on the direct sale and delivery of frozen foods, utilizing a fleet of sales vehicles. This strategy eliminated intermediaries and allowed for direct customer interaction. The use of franchising played a critical role in the company's expansion across Europe.
Philanthropy
Josef Boquoi, through the Josef H. Boquoi-Stiftung, has demonstrated some philanthropic engagement, with the foundation's subsidiary Agrikultur GmbH operating agricultural businesses.