Schwelm is home to the ""Brauerei Schwelm"", the Schwelm Brewery, one of the few remaining private breweries in Germany. It was started in 1830 by Haarmann & Kathagen, the brewery was one of the first worldwide to switch from wooden to metal barrels. The original office building of the brewery, the "Rietz'sche Haus" built in 1701, is still in use today.