In 1970, Dr. Georg Kremer, a chemist with a doctorate, received an enquiry from an English restorer friend. He was looking for "smalt", an intense shade of blue made from glass containing cobalt, which was no longer available at the time. The pigment was already known to the ancient Egyptians and experienced a renaissance during the Baroque period. Through research, Georg Kremer was able to compile the recipe for the ground blue glass in his laboratory at that time.

This work was the basis for the foundation of Georg Kremer's one-man business in Rottenburg am Neckar in 1977. The research and production of old and forgotten pigments combines his chemical knowledge and passion for history to this day. Thus, after only two years, the product range at that time already includes more than 100 different pigments. The niche company grows under the constant worldwide demand. In 1984, the company founder acquires an old flour mill in Aichstetten in the Allgäu region. The building is converted into a paint mill, which today houses production, storage, sales and a showroom. Branches are established in 1982 with the opening in Munich and in 1985 in Stuttgart. With the founding of Kremer Pigments Inc. in 1989 with headquarters in New York, the family business strengthens its international presence and opens up the American market for pigments for artists and restorers.