Fritz Hoffmann was born in Basel, Switzerland () on 24 October 1868, the third child of Friedrich Hoffmann and Anna Elisabeth Merian. His godparents were his maternal grandfather Johan Heinrich Merian von der Mühll; his uncle, the Mayor of Basel, Carl Felix Burckhardt von der Mühll; and Anna Von der Mühll.Wanner, Gustaf Adolf (1968). p.21 His family were wealthy businesspeople from Basel's social elite ("the Daig"), and they provided both employment experience and investment at the beginning of his business career. In the 1870s and 80s he completed primary and high school in Basel and then completed an apprenticeship at a bank in the francophone part of Switzerland.Wanner, Gustaf Adolf (1968). p.23 When he returned to Basel in 1889 he entered a second internship at a pharmaceutical company.Wanner, Gustaf Adolf (1968). pp.25–27 Between 1891 and 1892 he stayed in London, and between 1892 and 1893 in Hamburg to further his experience in chemistry-related business. Upon his return to Basel his father became a shareholder of his former employer, who then gave Fritz a leading position in the business.Wanner, Gustaf Adolf (1968). p.27
