List of 4 large food manufacturers in Germany

They still exist – the baker around the corner who bakes bread or rolls in his own business in the early hours of the morning. But the number of such traditional “artisan bakers” has been declining for many years. Instead, the importance of large bakeries has increased significantly. They not only supply bakery chains, which are particularly widespread in urban areas, but also food retailers.

Companies with more than 50 employees now account for more than a third of turnover in the “baking industry” – and the trend is rising. The concentration process is likely to continue in the coming years. In this sector in particular, “big is beautiful”. Industrial baking production on a large scale offers efficiency and cost advantages, a factor that should not be underestimated in the face of tough competition. Four major players – alongside many small businesses – characterize the bakery industry in Germany.

1. Harry Brot GmbH

Few companies can look back on a company history spanning several hundred years like Harry Brot. In 1688 – shortly after the Thirty Years’ War – Johan Hinrich Harie founded a bakery in Altona, the nucleus of Harry Brot. Today, the large bakery with almost 4,200 employees and nine production sites is considered the market leader. Harry Brot has a market share of around one third for bread products in Germany. Classic bakery products such as mixed, wholemeal and toast breads as well as sandwiches and rolls make up the product range, which is primarily sold to large food chains. In addition to supplying the domestic market, Harry Brot exports to Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, France and the Czech Republic. In Germany, business is concentrated in northern, eastern and western Germany. This is also where the production facilities are located. Harry Brot is not represented in southern Germany. Harry Brot owns the self-service bakery chains Backshop and Back-Factory.

Update 2024: Harry Brot GmbH closed 2023 with an increase in turnover.

2. Lieken AG

“Golden Toast” and ‘Lieken Urkorn’ are two well-known brands of Lieken AG. The second largest German baked goods manufacturer after Harry Brot has had an eventful company history. The company name goes back to Fritz Lieken, who set up a wholemeal bakery in the 1920s. Via the Wendeln wholesale bakery, Lieken came into the possession of entrepreneur Heiner Kamps in 2000 and became part of Kamps AG. Following the takeover by the Italian Barilla Group, Kamps AG became Lieken AG, thus reviving the original company name. Lieken has been part of the Czech conglomerate Agrofert since 2013. The company employs around 3,000 people in Germany. Lieken primarily produces packaged baked goods for private labels and bake-off stations.

3. CSM Deutschland GmbH

Until the end of 2009, CSM Deutschland GmbH operated under the name BakeMark Deutschland GmbH. CSM Deutschland is a manufacturer of frozen bakery products, baking mixes and a range of basic and ingredient products for bakeries, including baking fats, baking agents, specialty margarines, fillings and glazes. BakeMark Deutschland GmbH was formed in 2001 through the merger of MeisterMarken GmbH, Bremen, with Boehringer Backmittel GmbH & Co. KG, Bingen, in 2001. Today, CSM Deutschland GmbH is a subsidiary of CSM Bakery Solutions, an international baked goods group based in Atlanta, Georgia. The German CSM brands are Baker & Baker, Goldfrost, Marguerite, MeisterMarken and Ulmer Spatz. Production takes place in Delmenhorst and Neu-Ulm. The company is based in Bremen.

4. Kuchenmeister GmbH

Kuchenmeister GmbH was founded in Soest, Westphalia, back in 1884. Although Kuchenmeister has since developed into an internationaly operating industrial bakery, the company is still family-owned. As the company name suggests, Kuchenmeister specializes in baking cakes. It is the largest manufacturer of ready-made cakes in Germany and even the “world leader” in Baumkuchen and Christmas stollen. The main production still takes place at the company headquarters in Soest. Kuchenmeister also has additional production sites in Duingen, Mettingen and Salzkotten as a result of various acquisitions. The company employs around a thousand people. Around two thirds of turnover is generated in Germany, with the remainder coming from cake exports all over the world

Image source: Ales Krivec