The average person probably hasn’t heard of JAB Holding. The same can’t be said for the vast empire of brands — a stable that includes Keurig coffee pods, Dr Pepper, Snapple, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Krispy Kreme doughnuts — it amassed in years of deal-making. Here’s how the conglomerate, whose controlling family is now grappling with its Nazi past, flourished.

[Read our article about the Nazi past behind JAB Holding, and the company’s efforts to atone.]

The beginning

JAB grew out of the personal fortune of the Reimann family, which founded the German chemical company Benckiser. (The company was previously known as Joh. A. Benckiser, for one of the family patriarchs.) Benckiser eventually merged with Reckitt & Colman of Britain to become Reckitt Benckiser, whose holdings include Durex condoms, Lysol cleaner and Clearasil.

Cosmetics

In 1992, JAB bought control of Coty, a cosmetics maker, from Pfizer. Since then, it has become an industry giant, assembling an array of celebrity-backed fragrances, as well as those from well-known brands like Calvin Klein.

The company gained a new level of prominence in 2012 when it unsuccessfully bid nearly $11 billion for Avon Products, a better-known but struggling rival.