afreshed
afreshed GmbH is an Austrian D2C food subscription company that delivers weekly "rescue boxes" of cosmetically imperfect organic produce sourced directly from farmers to individual consumers across Austria and Germany via its own fleet and mobile app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLinz, Austria
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What afreshed does
afreshed GmbH is an Austrian direct-to-consumer food subscription company founded on 19 February 2021 and headquartered in Linz, with an additional site in Vienna. The company sources cosmetically imperfect and surplus organic produce directly from farmers (predominantly Austrian and Italian) and delivers it to consumers as recurring "Rescue Boxes" (Retterbox), starting at €25.99 per delivery with weekly, biweekly, or custom cadences managed through an e-commerce platform and a dedicated mobile app launched in April 2025. At an operating scale of 10,000+ active subscribers, 700,000+ cumulative lifetime deliveries, and roughly 15,000 kg of produce rescued weekly, afreshed reports 50+ employees across operations, sourcing, and marketing, and operates an in-house 12-vehicle delivery fleet alongside logistics partner LPS.
The core technical asset is "Pronto," an in-house CO2-optimized delivery routing system built in collaboration with FH Hagenberg and launched in December 2022, which plans last-mile routes across the Austrian warehouse network in Ansfelden/Linz and Vienna. The company holds AT-BIO-402 organic certification from Lacon Bio-Kontrollstelle and runs a reusable multi-way container system rather than single-use packaging. Revenue is generated almost entirely through subscription box sales on a pay-per-delivery basis, with no enterprise or B2B anchor customers disclosed; ancillary lines include Bio-Saisonboxen, Einkochkiste preserving boxes, and a small juice range.
Commercially, afreshed operates a DACH go-to-market: an Austrian core business, a German subsidiary established in May 2023, and the March 2026 acquisition of German competitor Etepetete to consolidate the German-speaking ugly-produce subscription category. Ownership is concentrated, with majority holder ECO21 Beteiligungs & Management GmbH at 69.66% and strategic stakes from LOMBA Beteiligungs GmbH and Raiffeisen-Holding Niederösterreich-Wien, while the three co-founders — Maximilian Welzenbach (CMO), Bernhard Bocksrucker (CFO), and Lukas Forsthuber (CPO) — continue to run the company as Geschäftsführer.
afreshed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- afreshed
- Legal name
- afreshed GmbH
- Website
- https://afreshed.at
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- afreshed GmbH is an Austrian D2C food subscription company that delivers weekly "rescue boxes" of cosmetically imperfect organic produce sourced directly from farmers to individual consumers across Austria and Germany via its own fleet and mobile app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
afreshed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Organic produce subscription delivery
- NAICS
- Fruit and Vegetable Retailers (445230), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (42448)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fresh Food Subscription/CSA & Produce Box Retail (CRAHAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale (AFAIAJAB), Fresh Organic Produce Wholesale (AFAIAJAA), Natural & Organic Foods Distribution (CRAOABAH)
Keywords
Where afreshed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Linz
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
afreshed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Subscription Box Sales: Recurring subscription revenue from weekly or periodic deliveries of rescued organic produce boxes to individual consumers. Customers pay per delivery based on box size/plan selected.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Produce Box |
Go-to-market motion2 records
afreshed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
afreshed operates a subscription-based direct-to-consumer delivery service for organic fruits and vegetables that are cosmetically imperfect or surplus, packing them into "Retterbox" rescue boxes and seasonal specialty boxes for home delivery across Austria and Germany. The company sources rescued organic produce directly from farmers, packages it in reusable multi-way containers, and delivers it on a recurring weekly cadence using its own routing software (Pronto), its own delivery fleet, and logistics partner LPS. Customers manage subscriptions through a website and mobile app.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Retterbox: The main subscription box product delivering rescued organic fruits and vegetables to consumers.
- Bio-Saisonboxen
- Einkochkiste
Products and services
- Retterbox (Bio Obst- & Gemüsebox) Recurring subscription box delivering rescued organic fruits and vegetables directly to consumer homes in reusable multi-way containers; configurable in size, content, and delivery interval, and pause- or cancellable weekly.
- Bio-Saisonboxen Seasonal produce subscription boxes with rotating contents and exotic European-origin items (mangoes, peaches, apricots, avocados) for customers seeking limited-time specialty produce.
- Einkochkiste Seasonal cooking box featuring specific produce (e.g., apricots) for canning, preserving, and batch cooking, targeted at customers who want to process surplus seasonal fruit at home.
- Organic Juice Products Limited organic beverage line including Bio-Apple spritzer, Bio-Apple-Carrot, Bio-Grape spritzer red, and organic cherry fizzante, sold as complementary add-on products to subscription boxes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Rescues 15,000 kg of produce weekly from going to waste
Companies that use afreshed
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
afreshed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
afreshed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- EtepeteteminorAcquired German competitor specializing in rescued produce subscriptions. Strategic acquisition to expand market presence and acquire customer base in adjacent German market.
- LPS (Logistics Partner)coreLogistics service provider handling transportation and delivery operations for produce distribution.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
afreshed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Imperfect Foods: US-based subscription service delivering 'imperfect' and surplus produce and groceries direct to consumers — same rescue-produce thesis as afreshed, with comparable subscription/box economics and customer profile.
- Etepetete: German 'ugly produce' rescue-box subscription service acquired by afreshed in March 2026 — directly comparable model (rescued organic produce, DTC subscription, German market) that has now become a subsidiary brand.
- Farmy: Swiss online marketplace/delivery for organic and regional produce, including imperfect fruits and vegetables. Closely comparable DTC organic produce proposition to afreshed, with similar customer profile across DACH.
- Wilder Harter: German organic food subscription/delivery service specialising in seasonal and farm-direct produce boxes. Comparable direct-to-consumer organic produce subscription motion in the same DACH region.
- Misfits Market: US DTC subscription for 'ugly' and surplus produce with a strong sustainability brand; directly comparable business model and value proposition to afreshed, useful as a US benchmark for scale and unit economics.
- Oddbox: UK subscription service delivering surplus and cosmetically imperfect fruit and vegetables weekly — same DTC rescue-produce motion as afreshed and a useful European benchmark.
Broad incumbents
- HelloFresh: Largest DACH/global meal-kit subscription operator with overlapping customer-acquisition channels and recurring-delivery infrastructure; competes for the same weekly-grocery wallet share even though it sells recipes kits rather than produce boxes.
- Knuspr: German online grocery delivery service from Rohlik Group offering organic and conventional groceries at scheduled delivery slots — competes with afreshed for online grocery basket and last-mile delivery slots in Germany.
- Bringmeister: German online supermarket (Edeka-backed) offering scheduled grocery delivery, including organic SKUs; a broader incumbent competing for the same online-grocery customer in the German market afreshed just entered.
Emerging players
- Original Unverpackt: Berlin-based zero-waste grocery concept; adjacent rather than direct, but its zero-waste and sustainability positioning overlaps afreshed's narrative and could expand into produce boxes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
afreshed social profiles
Digital presenceafreshed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
afreshed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
afreshed subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
afreshed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
afreshed M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about afreshed
What does afreshed do?
afreshed operates a subscription-based direct-to-consumer delivery service for organic fruits and vegetables that are cosmetically imperfect or surplus, packing them into "Retterbox" rescue boxes and seasonal specialty boxes for home delivery across Austria and Germany. The company sources rescued organic produce directly from farmers, packages it in reusable multi-way containers, and delivers it on a recurring weekly cadence using its own routing software (Pronto), its own delivery fleet, and logistics partner LPS. Customers manage subscriptions through a website and mobile app.
Is afreshed a public or private company?
afreshed is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was afreshed founded?
afreshed was founded in 2021. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is afreshed based?
afreshed is headquartered in Linz, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does afreshed make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Box Sales.
Who are afreshed's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Imperfect Foods, Etepetete, Farmy, Wilder Harter, Misfits Market and Oddbox. Broad incumbents are HelloFresh, Knuspr and Bringmeister. Original Unverpackt is listed as an emerging player.
Does afreshed have an API?
No public API is recorded for afreshed.
What industry is afreshed in?
afreshed's product category is Organic produce subscription delivery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAHAG, Fresh Food Subscription/CSA & Produce Box Retail, with a secondary code of AFAIAJAB, Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 445230.