 The founding members were some of the wealthiest and prominent businessmen in the region and counted among them Hans Broge, Otto Mønsted and Harboe Meulengracht from Aarhus and Johan Ankerstjerne from Randers.The silo complex in the Port of Aarhus was heavily damaged during the Second World War when a German ammunition barge exploded on 4 July 1944.The complex had to be rebuilt almost from scratch but that also meant the branch in Aarhus entered to post-war years with modern facilities.