What Herbstreith & Fox does

Herbstreith & Fox (H&F) is a family-owned German specialty manufacturer of functional pectin ingredients, founded in 1934 and headquartered in Neuenbürg, Germany. The company produces four core pectin product lines — H&F Classic, Amid, Instant, and Combi — derived from apples and citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes), functioning as gelling, thickening, and stabilizing agents. Beyond its core platforms, H&F has developed specialty grades targeting sugar-reduced fruit spreads (including a calcium-free gelling pectin enabling Nutri-Score A products), vegan/vegetarian gummy confectionery (pectin-starch combination), cream cheese preparations, and dairy desserts, with a 2025 extension into savory applications such as BBQ sauces and ketchups via pectin combined with functional fruit fibers.

H&F operates production facilities in Germany (Neuenbürg HQ and Rotenbach warehousing, plus Werder) and Poland (Jasło), and wholly-owned sales subsidiaries in Italy (Milan, founded end-2023) and the United States. Its distribution model combines direct enterprise sales with technical consulting from application engineers and a network of sales partners covering more than 40 countries. The company maintains FSSC 22000, ISO 50001, ISO 45001, FDA, Halal, Kosher, Non-GMO, and vegan/vegetarian certifications across multiple legal entities. Its 2020 acquisition of Givaudan's pectin business was a material scale event.

H&F's business model is B2B ingredient sales to food manufacturers across jams and fruit spreads, confectionery, bakery, dairy, plant-based dairy alternatives, beverages, and fine foods, with emerging non-food applications in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Revenue is generated through direct sales relationships rather than public pricing; no revenue is publicly disclosed. The company is managed by Gerhard F. Fox and Sven Fox as Managing Directors of the general partner, with no external institutional investors indicated.

Name

Herbstreith & Fox

Legal name

Herbstreith & Fox GmbH & Co. KG Pektin-Fabriken

Website

https://herbstreith-fox.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Herbstreith & Fox is a family-owned German manufacturer (founded 1934) of specialty pectin ingredients derived from apples and citrus, supplying food manufacturers across confectionery, bakery, dairy, and plant-based segments in over 40 countries via direct sales and partner distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Neuenburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pectin Ingredients B2B Sales: Herbstreith & Fox sells specialized pectin ingredients directly to food manufacturers. As a B2B ingredient supplier, the company generates revenue through the sale of functional pectin products (Classic, Amid, Instant, and Combi pectins) to producers of jams, confectionery, bakery products, dairy products, beverages, and other food applications. The company provides application-specific consulting as part of the sales process.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Herbstreith & Fox manufactures and supplies specialized pectin ingredients derived from apples and citrus fruits, offering gelling, thickening, and stabilization functionalities for the food and non-food industries. The company sells its four core pectin families (H&F Classic, H&F Amid, H&F Instant, H&F Combi) as well as specialty formulations and ingredient combinations to food manufacturers producing jams, confectionery, bakery, dairy, plant-based, beverage, and fine food products. Sales are conducted through direct relationships supported by application engineering consulting, complemented by a network of sales partners in 40+ countries and direct subsidiaries in Italy and the United States.

Product overview

Herbstreith & Fox is a specialized manufacturer of functional pectins for the food industry. The company produces four main pectin product lines (H&F Classic, H&F Amid, H&F Instant, and H&F Combi) derived from apples and citrus fruits. These pectins serve as gelling agents, thickeners, and stabilizers across diverse applications including jams and fruit spreads, confectionery, bakery goods, dairy products, plant-based alternatives, beverages, and fine foods. The product portfolio includes both conventional and organic pectin options, with specialty formulations targeting sugar reduction, vegan confectionery, and specific texture requirements. The company also offers application-specific solutions combining pectin with other ingredients like starch and fruit fibers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• H&F Classic Pektin: Universal pectin product line for standard applications
• H&F Amid Pektin
• H&F Instant Pektin
• H&F Combi Pektin

Products and services

• H&F Classic Pektin Universal apple and citrus pectins providing versatile gelling, thickening, and stabilization functionalities for a wide range of food applications; positioned for standardized, broad-use deployment.
• H&F Amid Pektin Amid pectins that serve as a technological complement and alternative to classic pectins, offering specific gelling properties particularly suited to low-sugar applications with full mouthfeel and low syneresis.
• H&F Instant Pektin Technologically optimized pectins designed for applications requiring rapid hydration and gelling without additional processing steps.
• H&F Combi Pektin Specialty pectins formulated for specific, targeted applications requiring customized functional properties.
• Pektin Amid CF 005-AC Specialty amid pectin for sugar-reduced fruit spreads that gels without calcium addition, enabling minimal ingredient lists, full mouthfeel, full flavor, and low syneresis. Supports Nutri-Score A rated fruit spread formulations.
• Pectin Classic CD 202 Citrus pectin formulated for cream cheese preparations, delivering maximum creamy texture, smooth mouthfeel, and optimal spreadability even in reduced-fat formulations.
• H&F Pectin Classic AB 704 Apple pectin for chocolate topping, cream, and filling applications.
• H&F Pektin for vegan gummy confectionery Application solution combining H&F pectin with starch for producing vegetarian and vegan gummy sweets, offering shorter demolding time, reduced stickiness, better aroma release, increased throughput, and up to 5% starch savings.
• Functional fruit fibers Fruit fiber products combined with H&F pectin for spicy savory applications such as BBQ sauces and ketchups.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sugar-reduced fruit spreads can achieve Nutri-Score A rating
• +2 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BrevominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrevo is used as the marketing platform for email newsletter distribution. Customer data is transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's privacy policy when users subscribe to H&F News.
• Meta Platforms Ireland LtdminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeta Pixel and Meta Ads Manager are used for advertising on Facebook and Instagram. Herbstreith & Fox maintains social media presences on these platforms with joint controllership arrangements for data processing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ingredion: Ingredion is a major specialty ingredient supplier offering pectin, starches, and clean-label texturizing systems for food and beverage manufacturers. It directly overlaps with H&F in pectin and adjacent texturants serving confectionery, dairy, and fruit preparation applications.
• Tate & Lyle: Tate & Lyle produces specialty food ingredients including pectin and other texturants, with a focus on sugar reduction and clean-label solutions. Its portfolio and customer segments (food and beverage manufacturers) align directly with H&F's pectin-based offering.
• CP Kelco: CP Kelco (a Huber company) is one of the world's largest producers of pectin alongside other hydrocolloids such as carrageenan, xanthan, and gellan gum. It is a direct peer to Herbstreith & Fox in citrus and apple pectin for food and beverage applications, competing for the same manufacturer accounts globally.
• IFF (DuPont Danisco): International Flavors & Fragrances (including the legacy DuPont Danisco culture and texturants portfolio) supplies pectin and other hydrocolloids to food manufacturers. It is a direct peer in pectin and broader texturant categories targeting the same CPG and dairy customers as H&F.
• Yantai Andre Pectin: Yantai Andre Pectin is one of the largest dedicated pectin manufacturers globally, supplying HM and LM pectins for jams, confectionery, and dairy. It is a direct peer to H&F in pure-play pectin manufacturing, particularly in cost-competitive Asian and export markets.
• Cargill: Cargill's food ingredients business manufactures and supplies pectin (including the former FMC BioPolymer / Danisco-derived range) alongside starches, sweeteners, and texturizers. It directly competes with H&F in pectin supply to global CPG manufacturers and offers a broader ingredient portfolio to the same customers.

Broad incumbents

• Kerry Group: Kerry Group is a large taste and nutrition company supplying flavors, texturants, and functional ingredients to food and beverage manufacturers. While not a pure pectin producer, it competes with H&F in providing integrated texture and taste systems to the same global CPG customers.
• ADM: ADM's Nutrition segment supplies a broad portfolio of food and beverage ingredients including hydrocolloids and texturants. It competes with H&F for manufacturer accounts but as part of a much wider agricultural and ingredients platform rather than as a pectin specialist.
• Corbion: Corbion is a global food ingredients and biochemical company with texturant and preservation solutions overlapping with pectin applications in bakery, dairy, and beverages. It is a broad incumbent peer rather than a direct pectin competitor, but targets the same industrial food manufacturer customers.

Others

• DSM-Firmenich: DSM-Firmenich is a major flavors, fragrances, and nutritional ingredients company that divested its pectin business (acquired by H&F in 2020). It remains a related peer as a former pectin owner and a current supplier of adjacent food ingredients such as enzymes and nutritional cultures that interact with H&F's product range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/herbstreith-fox
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Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Herbstreith & Fox