True Fruits

What True Fruits does

true fruits GmbH is a German privately-held beverage company founded in 2006 and headquartered in Bonn. The company manufactures and sells chilled fruit smoothies (250ml and 750ml glass bottles), energizing shots (99ml), and NoLemonade, a non-carbonated lemonade-style fruit drink (330ml). Core formulations use whole fruits ripened at origin without concentrates, artificial colors, stabilizers, or additives, and the company has deliberately used glass packaging exclusively since inception to preserve taste and enable recyclability.

The business operates a dual revenue model. Primary revenue is generated through retail grocery sales of beverages distributed across discounters (Aldi Nord/Süd, Lidl, Netto, Penny, Rewe), hypermarkets (Kaufland, Edeka, Real, Metro), gas station chains (Aral, Tank & Rast), and specialty retailers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Luxembourg. A secondary revenue stream comes from direct e-commerce sales of upcycling accessories — stainless steel bottle caps and attachments (shakers, spice grinders, tea strainers, dispensers, wool sleeves) — that convert empty glass bottles into household items, sold via the company's Shopware-powered online store. The company also runs a recurring limited-edition program featuring brand collaborations (Früh Kölsch, Kinder Em-eukal, Fisherman's Friend, Ahoj Brause, Löwensenf, Center Shock) and seasonal SKUs that generate media coverage and consumer engagement.

The company is founder-controlled with three managing directors (Marco Knauf as Chair, Nicolas Lecloux for Marketing, Inga Koster for Products and Finance), employs 11–50 people, has no external institutional funding, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed revenue. Operations leverage external production and distribution partners, and the company emphasizes a distinctive irreverent brand voice and sustainability positioning as core to its market positioning.

Name

True Fruits

Legal name

true fruits GmbH

Website

https://true-fruits.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

True Fruits GmbH is a Bonn-based beverage company (founded 2006) that produces chilled fruit smoothies, shots, and NoLemonade exclusively in glass bottles, distributed across discounters, hypermarkets, and specialty retailers in six European countries. It also sells upcycling accessories online.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chilled Fruit Beverages

NAICS

Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Juice & Nectar Production (Including Juice Drinks) (AFAFABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Alcoholic Beverage Bottling/Canning & Packaging Operations (AFAFABAO), Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Juices & Juice Blends (Cold-Pressed, NFC, From Concentrate) (AFAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Chilled fruit smoothies
• Glass bottle beverages
• Upcycling bottle accessories
• Fruit shots
• No additive drinks

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Beverage sales (retail): Revenue primarily from selling chilled smoothies, shots, and NoLemonade through retail grocery partners across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Spain. Sold in chilled supermarket aisles.
2. Upcycling accessories (e-commerce): Direct online sales of stainless steel bottle caps and accessories (shakers, sugar shakers, grinders, dispensers, etc.) through the company's own e-commerce store. Ships to Germany, Austria, France, Spain, and Switzerland.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

True Fruits GmbH manufactures and sells chilled fruit and vegetable smoothies, energy shots, and NoLemonade drinks packaged exclusively in glass bottles through major European retail chains. The company also operates a direct online store selling stainless steel upcycling accessories (shakers, grinders, dispensers, strainers) that transform empty bottles into household items, supporting a circular use-of-glass brand promise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NoLemonade: A fruit drink product line available in varieties like Raspberry-Maracuja, Pear-Grapefruit, and Calamansi-Lemon.
• Smoothies
• Shots

Products and services

• true fruits Smoothies Fruit and vegetable smoothies (varieties include Yellow with mango & maracuja, Purple berry mix, Orange with mango/acerola/orange peel, Pink, Violet, Mint, and Green) sold in 250ml single-serve glass bottles and 750ml triple packs. Chilled, with shelf life of 35+ days, no artificial additives, colors, stabilizers, or concentrates, made with whole fruits ripened at origin. Targeted at health-conscious consumers shopping in mainstream retail across Europe.
• true fruits Shots Energizing shots in 99ml glass bottles including Ginger variants and Vitamin B Shot. Designed for on-the-go functional consumption with no artificial additives.
• true fruits NoLemonade A still lemonade-alternative fruit drink in 330ml glass bottles, available in Raspberry-Maracuja, Pear-Grapefruit, and Calamansi-Lemon varieties. Provides a low-calorie soda alternative without carbonation or artificial additives.
• true fruits Upcycling Bottle Accessories Over 20 stainless steel bottle caps and attachments (Zuckerstreuer/sugar shakers, Multistreuer, spice grinders, shakers, tea strainer sets, savings caps, sprayers, pour spouts, ashtray caps, funnels, permanent magnetic closures, wool sleeves, Starter Set bundles) that transform empty 99ml, 250ml, and 750ml True Fruits glass bottles into kitchen and household tools. Sold exclusively through the company's e-commerce store with shipping to Germany, Austria, France, Spain, and Switzerland.
• true fruits Limited Editions & Seasonals Limited-run smoothie, shot, and NoLemonade editions released in collaboration with brands such as Früh Kölsch, Kinder Em-eukal, Center Shock, Löwensenf, Ahoj Brause, and Fisherman's Friend, plus seasonal offerings like Strawberry Matcha Latte and the Vermisst 2025 campaign. Sold in retail for limited periods as collector's items.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shelf life of 35+ days for smoothies and 13+ days for juices from delivery
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Früh KölschminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited edition collaboration where True Fruits created a smoothie or shot in partnership with Früh Kölsch, a Cologne-based brewery. The edition was sold in retail for a limited time as a collector's item.
• Kinder Em-eukalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited edition collaboration with the German candy brand Kinder Em-eukal, creating a special shot flavor. Sold as a limited edition in retail.
• Center ShockminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited edition 'Center-Shots' collaboration with the Center Shock candy brand. Combined the candy brand's flavor profile with a shot product.
• LöwensenfminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited edition shot collaboration with Löwensenf (German mustard brand), creating a unique flavor inspired by the mustard brand.
• Ahoj BrauseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited edition collaboration with Ahoj Brause (German powdered drink brand), creating a shot with the brand's signature flavor.
• Fisherman's FriendminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited edition shot collaboration with Fisherman's Friend (the iconic British throat lozenge brand), bringing the intense menthol/eucalyptus flavor into a drinkable shot format.
• DHLminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary shipping partner for online orders within Germany. Also offers Packstation delivery service for German customers.
• DPDminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping partner for deliveries to Spain (exclusive) and other European destinations. Standard delivery partner alongside DHL.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Press London: UK-based cold-pressed juice and smoothie brand with a premium, health-focused positioning. Comparable on cold-pressed/whole-fruit beverage category and health-conscious consumer target, though primarily UK-distributed.

Direct peers

• Naked Juice: PepsiCo-owned smoothie and juice brand offering chilled fruit smoothies in similar pack sizes. Directly comparable on product format (smoothies/juices) and target consumer, with significantly larger distribution and marketing resources.
• Innocent Drinks: Coca-Cola-owned smoothie and juice brand widely considered the category pioneer. Directly comparable to True Fruits on product (fruit smoothies/juices), target consumer (health-conscious adults), and premium natural positioning, though it has historically used plastic bottles.

Broad incumbents

• Bolthouse Farms: Large US-based producer of smoothies, juices, and plant-based beverages (Campbell Soup subsidiary). Comparable on chilled smoothie category, broad retail distribution, and similar pack-size portfolio.
• Capri-Sun: Iconic German-origin fruit drink brand with deep European retail penetration and a family of fruit-based beverages. Comparable on country of origin, broad European supermarket distribution, and fruit-based beverage category.
• Eckes-Granini: One of Europe's largest fruit juice producers, owner of brands such as hohes C and granini. Comparable as a broad incumbent in fruit-based beverages with deep European retail relationships and category scale that True Fruits operates within.
• Tropicana (PepsiCo): Global juice and juice-smoothie brand owned by PepsiCo. Comparable as a broad incumbent in fruit-based ready-to-drink beverages with category scale, chilled distribution expertise, and large retailer bargaining power.

Regional players

• Bionade: German organic, fermented soft-drink brand from Bavaria with a similar natural/irreverent brand voice and broad German retail presence. Comparable on country, premium positioning, and marketing-driven differentiation, though in carbonated beverages rather than smoothies.
• Rabenhorst: Long-established German juice brand (Schwarze Elster fruit juice tradition). Comparable as a German fruit-juice brand with supermarket distribution and a heritage natural/quality positioning.
• Voelkel: German family-owned organic juice and smoothie producer. Comparable to True Fruits on country, family/founder-led ownership, organic natural positioning, and broad DACH retail presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/true.fruits.no.tricks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3849408
• Xx.com/truefruits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 True Fruits