--- title: Krispy Kreme Owners Paying For Family's Nazi-Supporting Past description: The billionaire Reimann family is having a public reckoning over its family's Nazi past. canonical: https://time.com/5558842/krispy-kreme-nazi-connection/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-03-26T16:05:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:58:22.580Z og:title: Krispy Kreme Owners Paying For Family's Nazi-Supporting Past og:description: The billionaire Reimann family is facing a public reckoning og:url: https://time.com/5558842/krispy-kreme-nazi-connection/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02a19de8b147252/6989475897cdff72ae6b78fa/krispykreme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3800 og:image:height: 2138 og:image:alt: Gainesville, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Krispy Kreme Owners Paying For Family's Nazi-Supporting Past twitter:description: The billionaire Reimann family is facing a public reckoning twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02a19de8b147252/6989475897cdff72ae6b78fa/krispykreme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Krispy Kreme and Panera Bread Owners Make Donations For Family's Nazi-Supporting Past > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7b1f2d96-0852-4e55-8ddc-5cab16cbe986&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7b1f2d96-0852-4e55-8ddc-5cab16cbe986&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=7b1f2d96-0852-4e55-8ddc-5cab16cbe986&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Mar 26, 2019 4:05 PM UTC  Gainesville, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images) Gainesville, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images) Jeff Greenberg&UIG via Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Mar 26, 2019 4:05 PM UTC The family that owns [Krispy Kreme](http://time.com/5492097/doughnut-truck-cops/), [Panera Bread](http://time.com/4101884/panera-cage-free-eggs/), Peet’s Coffee, Stumptown, [Dr. Pepper,](http://time.com/3752352/104-year-old-woman-dr-pepper/) and many other companies is in the midst of a public reckoning with its past. The Reimann family, who owns JAB Holding Company, which owns a vast array of popular coffee and food related companies, learned that their German ancestors not only supported Adolf Hitler during his rule of Germany, but used Russian civilians and French prisoners of war as forced labor in their family factory, [NBC News reports](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/krispy-kreme-panera-bread-owner-admits-family-s-nazi-ties-n987346). The family has been aware of their relatives close ties and support of the Nazi regime since discovering documents belonging to a now-deceased family member, Albert Reimann Sr. He and his son, Albert Reimann Jr., used forced laborers under the Nazis during World War II and made the work in the industrial chemicals company that helped start the family’s fortune. In 2014, the Reimanns hired a history professor at the University of Munich to find answers about their family’s Nazi ties, but did not make the Nazi ties known until they were unveiled in a story in the German newspaper, Bild. They were then confirmed by family spokesman, Peter Harf. “We were ashamed,” Harf [told the outlet in an interview](https://www.bild.de/politik/inland/politik-inland/reimann-vertrauter-harf-wir-waren-beschaemt-und-weiss-wie-die-wand-60837474.bild.html), per NBC News. “These crimes are disgusting.” To endeavor to make public amends for their family’s past history, the family plans to publish a book with the professor’s findings. They also claim they plan to donate $11.3 million to a charity, but have not yet decided which one. The family’s now-Luxembourg-based investment firm JAB Holdings owns a coffee-bagel-and-soda empire worth an estimated $3.1 billion. Their holdings include Snapple, Pret A Manger, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Au Bon Pain, K-Cup coffee maker Keurig, and many others. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5558842/krispy-kreme-nazi-connection/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5558842/krispy-kreme-nazi-connection/"},"headline":"The Krispy Kreme and Panera Bread Owners Make Donations For Family's Nazi-Supporting Past","datePublished":"2019-03-26T16:05:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:58:22.580Z","description":"The billionaire Reimann family is facing a public reckoning","url":"https://time.com/5558842/krispy-kreme-nazi-connection/","keywords":["Newsfeed","onetime","Business"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02a19de8b147252/6989475897cdff72ae6b78fa/krispykreme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf02a19de8b147252/6989475897cdff72ae6b78fa/krispykreme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gainesville, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts","caption":"Krispy Kreme makes donation","creditText":"Jeff Greenberg&UIG via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5558842/krispy-kreme-nazi-connection/","name":"The Krispy Kreme and Panera Bread Owners Make Donations For Family's Nazi-Supporting Past"}}]}] ```