- This article is about the German company. For the episode, see Madrigal.
| “ | It's owned by this company, this Madrigal Electromotive. It's this big German conglomerate right into everything. It turns out it's the same company that owns Fring's chicken joints.
|
„ |
| ― Hank Schrader to Walter White |
Madrigal Elektromotoren GmbH, or Madrigal Electromotive, is an enormous, multifaceted conglomerate headquartered in Hanover, Germany. The company is highly diversified in industrial equipment, manufacturing, global shipping, construction, and hospitality, which includes a fast-food chain in New Mexico known as Los Pollos Hermanos (Spanish for "The Chicken Brothers"). The nearest corporate office to Albuquerque is in Houston, Texas. Judging by Madrigal's size and diversity, it is likely they have an economic revenue measured in the billions.
Overview[]
Peter Schuler in front of Madrigal's Hanover office.
Madrigal Electromotive is a GmbH entity (an abbreviation for "Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung"), which means it is comparable with Limited Liability Companies in the United States. Such entities are very common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other Central European countries. The name of the GmbH form emphasizes the fact that the owners ("Gesellschafter", also known as members) of the entity are not personally liable for the company's debts.
Subsidiaries[]
Madrigal is spread across 14 divisions. The fast-food division, formerly run by Peter Schuler, encompasses a stable of over 7 fast-food concerns, including Los Pollos Hermanos, Stingin' Rays, Luftwaffle, Whiskerstay's, Haau Chuen Wok, Burger Matic, Polmieri Pizza, and at least five others. Prior to the collapse of Gus Fring's drug empire, Madrigal was the parent company of all Los Pollos Hermanos franchises in the US. The fried chicken chain had an industrial laundry in Albuquerque and a chicken farm outside the city.
Madrigal's fast food subsidiaries logos in their headquarters.
Besides fast food, the company is responsible for the manufacturing of industrial-grade HEPA air filters and other large industrial equipment.
The company has a stock depot in Albuquerque; likely one of many across the US, Europe, Asia, and the world. Madrigal also imports and distributes large quantities of industrial chemicals from China to the United States. Shipments of methylamine arrive at the Port of Long Beach in California (likely indicating a corporate office in Los Angeles) and are sent via the Southern Transcon & Santa Fe Railroads to pesticide interests in Texas and Oklahoma.
History[]
The grandfather of the current CEO and president of the company, Mr. Herzog, founded Madrigal Elektromotoren. ("Madrigal"). Peter Schuler was hired by Mr. Herzog in 1992 at Madrigal Electromotive GmbH. According to Herzog, Schuler “almost singlehandedly grew our little restaurant division into an industry leader, and a source of great personal pride.” ("Madrigal") However, unbeknownst to everyone, Schuler secretly used his position within Madrigal to fund his longtime acquaintance, Gustavo Fring's, vast drug distribution network within the American Southwest through Los Pollos Hermanos and aided him in procuring necessary finances, equipment and chemicals to aid in the production of illicit drugs and the expansion of his empire. At some point, the two allowed Lydia Rodarte-Quayle to take part in their secret business and she too aided Fring with his distribution network and the procurement of necessary equipment. By at least 2004, Schuler provided the financial means for Gustavo to secretly begin the construction of a secret, underground meth lab to domestically produce highly pure methamphetamine to undercut the Cartel's influence in his business and gain a firm grip over the drug trade in the American Southwest.
Better Call Saul[]
Season 3[]
Lydia drives Gus to Lavandería Brillante, which was listed for sale. Fring assesses the facility's potential, noting that "it could work". ("Off Brand")
Mike meets Lydia at her Houston office. She reassures him that the amount he is laundering is too small to raise suspicion and gives him a position of "security consultant". She further clarifies to Mike that his understanding of Gus is flawed, indicating that he isn't merely "a drug dealer" as Mike perceived ("Fall")
Breaking Bad[]
Season 3[]
The first appearance of the company was in a Los Pollos Hermanos television advertisement. Fine print appears during the ad that says "Los Pollos Hermanos Inc. is a registered trademark of Madrigal Electromotive GmbH" ("Kafkaesque").
Season 4[]
Gale's Lab Notes with the reference to Madrigal Electromotive.
A reference to the company was contained within the Lab Notes found by police in Gale's apartment.
Brochure for Madrigal's HEPA air filtration system.
After assisting in the investigation into Gale's murder, Hank Schrader explained the company's status to his former DEA colleagues. He also described that when he began making inquiries into the purchase of an air filter delivered to Gale he discovered there was no payment made for it and no record of who actually ordered it ("Problem Dog").
Hank discovered the industrial laundry that hid the superlab was owned by Madrigal Electromotive as well, and noted that such a location would be a good place to hide a meth lab ("Crawl Space"). He had earlier appraised the high grade filter as perfect for a meth lab, but he had not been able to connect Gus to the laundry operation.
Season 5[]
Following Peter Schuler's suicide, Mr. Herzog, and other members of the board then flew to Albuquerque to pledge their complete cooperation with the DEA's investigation of Gus Fring's meth distribution network. Lydia Rodarte-Quayle, a Madrigal executive based in the American southwest, was present at this meeting ("Madrigal").
After Mike's death, Lydia proposed a deal to Walt: sell Blue Sky to the Czech Republic via Madrigal's vast resources. Walt agreed and the deal continued with Jack Welker's Compound after Walt left Albuquerque ("Gliding Over All").
Following Lydia's poisoning and hospitalization shortly before her death, it can be presumed that Madrigal became the subject of intense public ridicule for its unknown connection to Walter White's drug empire through Lydia and their failure to have identified her as a secret mole in their company in league with Gustavo Fring and Walter White. ("El Camino")
Locations[]
Map of Madrigal's global distribution network ("Slip").
- Hannover, Germany
- Houston, Texas
- Las Cruces, New Mexico
- San Francisco
- Myanmar
- Colombia
- Chad(?)
- Alaska
Trivia[]
- The word "madrigal" comes from the latin for "womb" and is defined as "a part-song for several voices typically arranged in elaborate counterpoint and without instrumental accompaniment." Madrigal is also a surname in Spanish-speaking cultures.
- "Elektromotoren" means "electric motors" in German and it implies that the company was founded by Mr. Herzog's grandfather as a manufacturer of electric motors.
- Electromotion is a field of study in electronics to do with magnetism. Walt would later use a giant magnet to destroy Gus' laptop concealed in a police station evidence locker.
- In "Fall", Lydia states that Madrigal has 114,000 employees. However, in "Gliding Over All", she states that there are 46,000 employees instead.