When Helmut Schwichtenberg, a descendant of the Degraa Family, secured the trademark rights for DEGRAA in 2007, he laid the cornerstone for a new era. One year later, he commissioned an extensive market research study that showed what a beer from Aachen should taste like. His father, Karl-Heinz Schwichtenberg, was the last DEGRAA master and manager of the DEGRAA restaurant near the town theater for over 20 years. His grandmother, Käthe Schwichtenberg, ran the DEGRAA am Hansemann – better known as the “Os Oche” – for over 25 years. His great grandmother, Katharina Vonderbank, née Degraa, was the head of Josef Degraa Erben KG until her death; Josef Degraa Erben KG had been founded by her father, Josef Degraa, in 1888. Ever since that time, the DEGRAA brand has been well known, even beyond Germany’s borders.