Melitta Bentz found coffee preparation inconvenient due to grounds and bitter aftertaste. She experimented by using a perforated tin pot and blotting paper from her son's notebooks. This created a prototype coffee filter that produced perfect coffee. Her friends were delighted with the improved coffee at a gathering. In 1908, Melitta patented her coffee filter invention, a rare accomplishment for women at the time. She then established her company, M. Bentz, in Dresden in 1909, managing it herself with limited initial capital. The company initially employed her husband and sons, and sales of the filters grew rapidly. World War I disrupted production when her husband and son were drafted, forcing her to temporarily switch to making cardboard boxes. After the war, demand for coffee filters surged, leading to business expansion and international sales. The company eventually relocated to Minden, Westphalia, due to space limitations in Dresden. Melitta Bentz passed away in 1950, and her company remains a family-run business managed by her great-grandson. She is recognized as an important historical figure, with a memorial plaque honoring her birthplace production facility.