What Zentrag does

Zentrag, operating under the brand GILDE – Ihr Partner für das Lebensmittelhandwerk eG, is a registered cooperative (eingetragene Genossenschaft) headquartered at Grüne Straße 40-42 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Founded in 1947, it functions as a Verbundgruppenzentrale — a central coordinating body for a network of food craft and trade businesses (Lebensmittelhandwerk), including butchers, bakeries, delis, and specialty food producers. The firm operates with 11-50 employees and serves members primarily in Germany, with extended reach into South Germany, Vorarlberg (Austria), and Switzerland.

The cooperative's core offering combines collective purchasing power, the GILDE Eigenmarke private-label product line (including the newly launched GILDE Sauce Hollandaise, meat specialties, oysters, and premium desserts), and a knowledge-sharing platform anchored by the Genuss-Handwerk magazine. Members gain access to a full product portfolio at cooperative-negotiated pricing, marketing support, and participation in flagship industry events — the HGK-Generalversammlung (where GILDE is a main sponsor), TRIALOGE (co-hosted with AFMO in Ludwigsburg), and the Genusswerk (premiered in Ulm with approximately 150 exhibitors). Strategic partners include Peter Kölln Profiline (Livio plant-oil brand) and AFMO (Verbundgruppe alliance).

The revenue model is subscription/recurring in nature, driven by cooperative membership fees and collective purchasing flows through the supplier network. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is event-driven, supported by content marketing through the Genuss-Handwerk publication, a professional website, and direct account management via the Frankfurt headquarters. The firm is privately held as a cooperative, with no public ticker, no disclosed funding rounds, no acquisitions, and no patents or certifications on record.

Name

Zentrag

Legal name

GILDE – Ihr Partner für das Lebensmittelhandwerk eG

Website

https://zentrag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zentrag / GILDE is a German food-trade cooperative (eG) headquartered in Frankfurt, founded 1947, that provides collective purchasing, a private-label product range, and industry events to a network of SMB food craft members (butchers, bakeries, delis) across Germany and the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Trade Cooperative Services

NAICS

All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Food Buying Clubs & Cooperative Bulk Programs (CRAHAMAM)

Keywords

• Food trade cooperative
• Butcher cooperative society
• Collective purchasing association
• Private label food
• Trade marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cooperative membership and purchasing: GILDE operates as a cooperative (eingetragene Genossenschaft) providing its members with access to a full product range, collective purchasing power, and shared marketing and knowledge services for the food trade and craft sector. Members pay membership fees and purchase through the cooperative's supplier network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zentrag is a butcher's cooperative society that provides an array of effective sales promotion concepts, trade and services to its members in the German food craft sector. Operationally linked to GILDE – Ihr Partner für das Lebensmittelhandwerk eG, it aggregates collective purchasing power for SMB food trade businesses, distributes a GILDE private-label food range (Eigenmarke) such as GILDE Sauce Hollandaise through partner retailers, and delivers member marketing, industry knowledge (Genuss-Handwerk publication), and participation in flagship trade events (HGK-Generalversammlung, TRIALOGE, Genusswerk).

Product overview

GILDE is a cooperative (eG) serving the food artisan trade (Lebensmittelhandwerk) in Germany. The company operates primarily as a B2B partner offering its own private label products (GILDE Eigenmarke), including specialty foods such as meat specialties, oysters, and premium desserts. The product portfolio is distributed through a network of industry and trade partners. The offering is a single unified brand with a diversified product range rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GILDE Eigenmarke (Private Label Product Range) Zentrag's private-label food product range (GILDE Eigenmarke), covering a full portfolio for food trade and artisan food businesses. Made available to members and end customers via partner distributors and retailers in the cooperative's network.
• GILDE Sauce Hollandaise A ready-to-serve creamy Hollandaise sauce made with plant-based oils and natural aromas, without declarable additives. Ideal for cooking or gratinating. Sold via GILDE partner retailers and intended for use by food craft businesses (butchers, delis, caterers) and foodservice operators.
• Cooperative Purchasing and Trade Service Membership The core service offering of the cooperative: SMB food trade businesses (butchers, bakeries, delis, specialty food producers) become members of the Verbundgruppe and gain access to a full product range, collective purchasing power, marketing support, and industry knowledge services managed by the Verbundgruppenzentrale in Frankfurt.
• Member Marketing and Sales Promotion Services Shared marketing services and sales promotion concepts provided to cooperative members, supporting member businesses' brand identity and customer outreach in the German food trade and craft sector.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Peter Kölln Profiline (Livio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeter Kölln Profiline is featured as a key partner on GILDE's homepage partner section. The Livio® Klassik-Pflanzenöl (plant oil) is highlighted as a product within GILDE's portfolio, suitable for dips, pesto, sautéing, and salad dressings. This partnership provides GILDE members with access to Kölln's branded food products through the cooperative's distribution network.
• AFMOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGILDE and AFMO are two strong cooperative groups (Verbundgruppen) that co-organize the TRIALOGE annual event in Ludwigsburg. The partnership provides members of both groups with direct exchange with selected industry and trading partners, combining their networks for mutual member benefit.
• HGK (H Gastronomie und Kommunen? — likely HoGa Kontor or similar German food service association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGILDE was one of the main sponsors (Hauptsponsor) of the HGK-Generalversammlung 2026 held in Dresden. At this event, GILDE presented selected meat specialties, oysters, and premium desserts. The sponsorship positions GILDE prominently within the German hospitality and food service community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Service-Bund GmbH & Co. KG: Service-Bund is a German purchasing and marketing cooperative (Verbundgruppe) for the skilled-trade and food-craft sector. It mirrors GILDE's cooperative structure, member base, and shared-purchasing value proposition, making it a direct structural peer.
• Handelshof Management GmbH: Handelshof is a German food-service and food-craft wholesaler with long-standing operations, comparable B2B focus, and a similar regional footprint to GILDE. It serves many of the same buyer types (butchers, bakeries, caterers) and competes directly on product range and supplier relationships.
• AFMO: AFMO is a German purchasing and marketing cooperative (Verbundgruppe) for the food trade sector and a direct partner of GILDE — the two jointly organize the TRIALOGE annual event. Operationally and structurally it is the closest comparable: same target members (food craft and trade SMBs), same cooperative model, same event-driven GTM.
• INTERGAST GmbH: INTERGAST is a German voluntary chain / purchasing cooperation for the food-service and hospitality sector. It provides cooperative procurement services similar to GILDE's, targeting overlapping end-customers in German gastronomy and food craft.

Emerging players

• Handwerkernetzwerk (Zentralverbund): An emerging cooperative/purchasing platform targeting German food craft and trades. Comparable in member segment and intent, though smaller scale and less established than GILDE's 1947-founded operation.

Broad incumbents

• METRO AG: METRO is a large European cash-and-carry and food service wholesaler serving hospitality and trade customers. It competes with GILDE for the same HoReCa and food trade customers that GILDE members serve, and represents an alternative procurement channel that threatens GILDE's member value proposition.
• Rewe Group: Rewe is another major German retail cooperative with significant food private-label and wholesale activity. Like EDEKA, it is a broad incumbent whose private-label scale and supplier relationships shape the competitive environment for GILDE's smaller Verbundgruppe model.
• Transgourmet Deutschland: Transgourmet is a major European food-service wholesaler owned by the Coop Group. It targets the same hospitality and food-craft customers as GILDE members and competes via broad assortment, logistics, and private-label scale — a relevant broader incumbent peer.
• EDEKA Group: EDEKA is Germany's largest retailer-organized cooperative and a broad incumbent in the German food value chain. It competes with GILDE indirectly through private-label offerings and direct relationships with food suppliers that bypass smaller cooperatives. Comparable as a German cooperative model in food distribution.

Others

• Peter Kölln GmbH & Co. KGaA: Peter Kölln (Kölln Profiline) is a partner named on GILDE's homepage supplying plant-oil products into the cooperative's distribution network. Included as an ecosystem participant — a key supplier partner that shapes GILDE's product range and an example of comparable branded food-supplier players.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GildeDieMarkeDerMeister
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zentrag-zentralgenossenschaft-des-deutschen-fleischergewerbes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Zentrag