yfood Labs

What yfood Labs does

yfood Labs GmbH is a Munich-based smart food company founded in 2017 that designs and sells nutritionally complete meal replacements in ready-to-drink, powder, bar, and hot bowl formats. Its core technology centers on formulating products that deliver approximately 25% of daily nutrient requirements per 500ml serving, with lactose-free and gluten-free recipes and a NutriScore A rating, and on satiety research conducted jointly with the University of Lübeck. The portfolio spans multiple product lines — Trinkmahlzeiten (drinks) in classic, vegan, and fruity variants; Pulver (powders) for shaker-based preparation; Riegel (bars) for on-the-go snacking; Hot Bowls for savory warm meals; and Probierpakete (taster packs) for trial conversion — priced from approximately €3.39 to €3.99 per meal.

The business operates a dual-channel go-to-market combining a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer storefront (yfood.com, available in seven languages across European markets with a "Subscribe & Save" subscription offering 15% recurring discount) with mass-market physical retail distribution through over 35,000 store locations across Europe via dm, Edeka, Kaufland, Rewe, Rossmann, Netto, Penny, Globus, tegut, Famila, and HIT. Customer acquisition is driven by a community-led influencer strategy featuring creators such as Fritz Meinecke, Vicky, Joshua McCartney, Fabien Damböck, and Ada Junghannß across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, supplemented by nutritional expert endorsements and educational content marketing.

yfood serves horizontal consumer segments — busy professionals seeking convenient nutrition, health-conscious and fitness consumers, and an emerging GLP-1 medication user segment — with annual revenue of approximately $174M (€150M) in 2025 and double-digit year-on-year growth across 30 countries. The company was acquired by Nestlé in two stages: a 49% minority stake in 2023 and full acquisition of the remaining 51% on July 3, 2026 at a $523M valuation, Nestlé's first acquisition under CEO Philipp Navratil.

Name

yfood Labs

Legal name

yfood Labs GmbH

Website

https://yfood.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

yfood Labs is a Munich-based smart food company that designs nutritionally complete ready-to-drink meals, powders, bars, and hot bowls for European consumers and an emerging GLP-1 user segment, distributed across 35,000+ retail stores and 30 countries, and now wholly owned by Nestlé following its 2026 acquisition at a $523M valuation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: yfood sells directly to consumers via its Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, offering both one-time purchases and subscription (subscribe & save at 15% discount). Subscription model provides recurring revenue with higher customer lifetime value.
2. Retail Distribution: yfood generates revenue through distribution agreements with major European retailers including dm, Edeka, Kaufland, Rewe, Rossmann, Netto, Penny, Globus, tegut, Famila, and HIT across more than 35,000 store locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

yfood Labs designs, manufactures and sells ready-to-drink meal replacement shakes (Trinkmahlzeiten), meal replacement powders (Pulver), on-the-go snack bars (Riegel) and savory Hot Bowls formulated as balanced "Smart Food." Each 500ml drink delivers roughly 25% of daily nutrient requirements with 3–5 hours of satiety, and the range is positioned as a convenient, nutrient-complete alternative to conventional meals for time-pressed consumers.

Product overview

yfood Labs is a Munich-based smart food brand offering complete nutrition products in multiple formats. The product portfolio centers on ready-to-drink meal replacement shakes (Trinkmahlzeiten), powder mixes (Pulver), snack bars (Riegel), and hot meals (Hot Bowls), all formulated to provide balanced nutrition for on-the-go consumption. The products are positioned as 'Smart Food' - scientifically-formulated meal replacements that deliver essential nutrients in convenient formats. The company operates across more than 35,000 retail locations in Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK) and also offers direct-to-consumer sales through its e-commerce platform with subscription options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trinkmahlzeiten (Ready-to-Drink Meal Replacement Shakes) 500ml ready-to-drink meal replacement shakes in classic, vegan and fruity variants. Each bottle delivers approximately 25% of daily nutrient requirements and 3–5 hours of satiety. Available in flavors including Classic Choco, Cold Brew Coffee, Smooth Vanilla, Happy Banana, Fresh Berry, Heavenly Hazelnut, Crazy Coconut, Fruity Mango, Salted Caramel, Creamy Cookie, Vegan Vanilla and Fruity Strawberry.
• Pulver (Meal Replacement Powder) Powdered meal replacement mixed with water in a shaker. Provides approximately 400 kcal per serving and offers customizable consistency and calorie content versus ready-to-drink variants.
• Riegel (Meal Replacement Bars) 60g meal replacement bars positioned as on-the-go snacks for small hunger between meals.
• Probierpakete (Taster Packs) Multi-pack sample bundles (5 × 500ml drinks at €19.95 or 10 × 85g powder sachets at €29.99) in classic, vegan and online-exclusive variants to allow consumers to try multiple flavors before committing to full-size purchases.
• Hot Bowls Warm savory meal products with rice/quinoa or gluten-free pasta bases combined with vegetables, plant-based oils, protein sources, and herbs and spices.
• Abonnieren & sparen (Subscribe & Save Subscription) Subscription service on yfood.com delivering recurring orders of drinks, powders, bars or Hot Bowls at 15% off the regular price, starting from €3.99 per meal, with the ability to change, pause or cancel anytime.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3–5 hours of satiety per serving
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NestlécoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2026Nestlé completed its acquisition of the remaining 51% stake in yfood from its founders in 2026, achieving full ownership of the company. Nestlé had initially taken a 49% minority stake in yfood in 2023. The deal valued yfood at $523 million. Nestlé plans to leverage yfood's position in functional nutrition to serve consumers using GLP-1 medications who require nutrient-dense meal replacements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Queal: Dutch meal replacement brand offering hot meal powders, RTD shakes, and bars across Europe. Directly comparable product mix and target customer segment to yfood's smart-food positioning.
• Jimmy Joy: Netherlands-based meal replacement brand selling Plenny shakes, powders, and bars across Europe. Directly comparable to yfood in product format, price point (~€2-4/meal), and target customer, with similar D2C-plus-retail distribution.
• Saturo: German/DACH-focused RTD meal replacement brand offering complete-nutrition drinks and powders. Direct competitor to yfood in core German market with overlapping retail distribution and consumer segments.
• Soylent: Pioneer US-based meal replacement brand offering RTD shakes, powders, and bars with complete nutrition positioning. Comparable product format and category-defining positioning; primarily US-focused but illustrates category dynamics.
• Huel: UK-based direct competitor offering RTD meal replacement shakes, powders, and bars with complete nutrition positioning. Closest peer to yfood in format mix, target consumer (busy professionals), and D2C-led omni-channel GTM across Europe.
• Mana (Active Nutrition): Czech-based meal replacement brand with strong European D2C presence offering RTD drinks and powders. Comparable product format, complete-nutrition positioning, and European omni-channel distribution strategy.

Emerging players

• Feed. German-based smart food startup offering complete-meal RTD drinks. Smaller and earlier-stage than yfood but directly competing in the DACH meal replacement category with similar positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Danone (Nutricia): Global food major with Nutricia medical nutrition portfolio and dairy-based functional beverages. Overlaps with yfood in nutritional drinks, meal replacement, and complete-nutrition categories across European retail.
• Herbalife Nutrition: Global nutrition company selling meal replacement shakes, protein drinks, and weight management products via direct-selling/distributor network. Comparable functional nutrition positioning and meal replacement product category.
• Abbott Nutrition (Ensure, PediaSure): Global nutrition major with established RTD nutritional shake brands (Ensure, PediaSure). Competes in the broader medical and functional nutrition category overlapping with yfood's positioning, with much larger distribution and clinical credibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/yfood
• Instagraminstagram.com/yfood
• TikToktiktok.com/@yfood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about yfood Labs