ZOTT
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1926
- HeadquartersMertingen, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ZOTT does
Zott SE & Co. KG is a family-owned German dairy manufacturer (Genuss-Molkerei) founded in 1926 and headquartered in Mertingen, Bavaria, operating as a Kommanditgesellschaft with Zott Verwaltungs SE as general partner. The company manufactures and sells a broad portfolio of dairy products across eleven sub-brands spanning yogurt and fruit yoghurt (Jogobella, 57 SKUs), family desserts (Monte, 25 SKUs), mozzarella (Zottarella), cheese specialties (Bayerntaler, Gourmet Slices with up to 360-day shelf life), protein-enriched products (Zott Protein line with yogurt, pudding, mousse, drink and cheese variants), functional drinks (Caffreze, Zott Hungry meal replacement) and snack-style dairy (Zottis), and since 2022 has extended into vegan yogurt and dessert alternatives. Production runs across three sites (including Opole, Poland) with seven sales locations, and the company operates dedicated B2B portals for milk producers and retailers, plus a direct factory outlet at its Mertingen headquarters. It sells to retail consumers across Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, with brand websites in German, Polish, English, Czech, Slovak and Hungarian.
The company generates revenue through one-time sales of branded dairy SKUs to retail customers via supermarket channels, and through B2B supply arrangements with retailers and partner milk producers in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Poland. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; retailer and milk-producer transactions are mediated through dedicated login portals. Zott is controlled by its founding family, with no external institutional investors or parent company disclosed; it is led by Managing Directors Frank Uszko, Anton Hammer and René Roth, overseen by a Supervisory Board chaired by Christine Weber. Governance is supported by a BDO Legal-managed whistleblower system and a "House of Sustainability" framework covering climate, animal welfare, environment and employees. Recent strategic activity has focused on product-line expansion (vegan, protein, meal replacement), geographic broadening into Central Europe, a 2026 leadership change coinciding with the firm's 100th anniversary, and brand awards including Monte Top Brand 2025.
ZOTT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ZOTT
- Legal name
- Zott SE & Co. KG
- Website
- https://zott-dairy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1926
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where ZOTT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mertingen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ZOTT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dairy Product Sales: Zott generates revenue through the manufacturing and sale of dairy products including yogurt, desserts, Mozzarella, cheese, cream products, and milk-based snacks to retailers and consumers.
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
ZOTT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zott manufactures and sells branded dairy products including yogurt, desserts, Mozzarella, hard cheese (Hartkäse), coffee cream (Kaffeesahne), powder products and milk snacks across multiple European markets. Since 2022, the portfolio has expanded to include vegan yogurt and dessert alternatives. The company operates 3 production sites and 7 sales locations worldwide and sells its own multi-brand portfolio (Monte, Jogobella, Zottarella, Primo, Zott Protein, Bayerntaler, Gourmet Slices, Zottis, Caffreze, Zott Hungry) primarily through retail and a direct factory outlet at Mertingen.
Product overview
ZOTT is a dairy company (Genuss-Molkerei) operating as an international family business that produces a diverse portfolio of dairy products and, since 2022, vegan alternatives. The company manufactures yogurt and dessert products (Monte, Jogobella, Belriso), cheese products (Zottarella Mozzarella, Bayerntaler cheese specialties, Gourmet Slices), protein-enriched products (Zott Protein line including yogurts, puddings, mousses, drinks, and cheese), functional drinks (Zott Hungry? Drink this! meal replacement, Caffreze coffee drinks), and fruity snacks (Zottis). The core offerings span from family desserts and fruit yogurts to premium cheeses and health-focused protein products, with operations at 3 production sites serving international markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Monte: Family dessert brand.
- Jogobella
- Zottarella
- Primo
- Belriso
- Zottis
- Caffreze
- Zott Protein
- Zott Hungry
- Bayerntaler
- Gourmet Slices
Products and services
- Monte Monte is Zott's family dessert brand offering indulgent dessert products targeted at household consumers seeking everyday moments of indulgence.
- Jogobella Jogobella is a fruit yoghurt brand featuring extra-large fruit chunks, marketed to retail consumers across Zott's European markets.
- Zottarella Zottarella is Zott's Mozzarella cheese brand marketed for caprese and other dishes, sold to retail consumers.
- Primo Primo is Zott's extra creamy dairy brand targeted at retail consumers seeking everyday dairy creaminess.
- Belriso Belriso is a Zott dairy brand positioned as delicious and nutritious, marketed to retail consumers.
- Zottis Zottis is a fruity dairy snack brand for on-the-go and between-meal consumption, sold to retail consumers.
- Caffreze Caffreze is Zott's milk-coffee drink brand marketed as a Pick-Me-Up beverage for retail consumers.
- Zott Protein Zott Protein is a protein-enriched dairy line spanning yogurt, pudding, mousse, drink and cheese products, positioned for in-between snacks and post-workout meals for retail consumers.
- Zott Hungry? Drink this! Zott Hungry? Drink this! is a drinkable meal-replacement brand with 26 vitamins and minerals, designed to balance the day and keep hunger away for hours, sold to retail consumers.
- Bayerntaler Bayerntaler is a cheese-specialty brand inspired by Bavarian craftsmanship, made from high-quality milk and matured to perfection, sold to retail consumers in formats such as 200g Emmental, 200g Emmental Light and 3kg Emmental.
- Gourmet Slices Gourmet Slices is a long-shelf-life sliced cheese brand offering Burger, Sandwich, Toast and Mozzarella variants with up to 360 days of shelf life, sold to retail consumers across European markets.
- Zott Factory Outlet Mertingen Direct factory outlet at the Mertingen headquarters enabling visiting consumers to purchase Zott dairy products at the production site.
- Vegan yogurt and dessert alternatives Vegan yogurt and dessert alternatives launched by Zott in 2022, extending the portfolio beyond dairy into plant-based categories for retail consumers.
Companies that use ZOTT
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ZOTT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ZOTT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BDO Legal Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbHcoreLegal partner managing the Zott whistleblower system. Provides three ombudspersons (lawyers of confidence): Jesko Thrams, Dr. Andy Breitner, and Dr. Cora Keller. The system allows anonymous reporting of alleged violations by Zott Group employees or contractors.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ZOTT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Danone: Global dairy and plant-based leader (Activia, Danio, Alpro). Competes with Zott across yogurt, dessert, and (via Alpro) vegan dairy categories at a much larger scale; benchmark for category leadership and retailer negotiations.
- Arla Foods: European dairy cooperative spanning milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter across Northern and Central Europe. Comparable to Zott in multi-country European distribution and dairy breadth, with significantly larger scale.
- FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative with strong branded presence in yogurt, dairy drinks, and cheese (including Landliebe). Directly comparable in Central European branded dairy reach and product breadth versus Zott.
- Lactalis: World's largest dairy group with a broad cheese and dairy portfolio. Relevant incumbent peer given overlap with Zott's cheese (Zottarella, Bayerntaler, Gourmet Slices) and overall dairy manufacturing scale.
- Nestlé: Global food and beverage incumbent with significant dairy presence (yogurts, desserts, milk-based beverages, infant nutrition). Relevant broad peer benchmarking Zott's branded dairy portfolio and European retail scale.
Emerging players
- Alpro (Danone): European plant-based dairy specialist (yogurts, desserts, drinks). Direct comparable to Zott's 2022-launched vegan line and benchmark for plant-based category leadership Zott is competing against.
Direct peers
- Müller (Theo Müller Group): German family-owned dairy group with brands in yogurt, desserts, and milk drinks (Müller Milch, Müller Corner). Closest direct competitor to Zott in branded German dairy with similar family-owned, multi-brand structure and overlap in desserts and yogurts.
- Hochwald: German dairy cooperative producing milk, cheese, and dairy ingredients with broad European distribution. Comparable to Zott in scale, multi-country footprint, and breadth of dairy product portfolio.
- Ehrmann: Bavarian-based dairy company producing yogurts, desserts (including the Almighurt and Milka collaborations), and protein products. Directly comparable to Zott in product mix (yogurts, desserts, protein), German footprint, and family-ownership profile.
- Meggle: German dairy company with operations in cheese, butter, and dairy ingredients. Comparable to Zott in Bavarian origins, family-owned structure, and German/Central European distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ZOTT social profiles
Digital presenceZOTT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ZOTT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
ZOTT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ZOTT M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ZOTT
What does ZOTT do?
Zott manufactures and sells branded dairy products including yogurt, desserts, Mozzarella, hard cheese (Hartkäse), coffee cream (Kaffeesahne), powder products and milk snacks across multiple European markets. Since 2022, the portfolio has expanded to include vegan yogurt and dessert alternatives. The company operates 3 production sites and 7 sales locations worldwide and sells its own multi-brand portfolio (Monte, Jogobella, Zottarella, Primo, Zott Protein, Bayerntaler, Gourmet Slices, Zottis, Caffreze, Zott Hungry) primarily through retail and a direct factory outlet at Mertingen.
Is ZOTT a public or private company?
ZOTT is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was ZOTT founded?
ZOTT was founded in 1926. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is ZOTT based?
ZOTT is headquartered in Mertingen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does ZOTT make money?
One revenue line is on record: dairy Product Sales.
Who are ZOTT's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Danone, Arla Foods, FrieslandCampina, Lactalis and Nestlé. Alpro (Danone) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Müller (Theo Müller Group), Hochwald, Ehrmann and Meggle.
Does ZOTT have an API?
No public API is recorded for ZOTT.