What ReFood does

ReFood is a German B2B organic waste management and recycling company operating for over 30 years as a subsidiary of the SARIA Group, a diversified environmental services conglomerate. The company provides collection and processing services for food waste (Speiseresteentsorgung), used cooking and frying fats (Frittierfettentsorgung), grease separator contents (Fettabscheiderservice), and industrial special waste (Industrielle Sonderentsorgung) from commercial customers across Germany through a nationwide network of processing locations. Its underlying technology is anaerobic digestion: organic residues are unpacked, shredded, separated from foreign matter, and processed in biogas plants to generate renewable energy in the form of electricity, heat, and biomethane; used cooking fats are separately converted into biodiesel; and the nutrient-rich digestate byproduct is marketed as ReFood GP+, a proprietary organic fertilizer applied to agricultural fields to close the circular economy loop.

The business model is subscription-based B2B service revenue with multi-year contracts, customized disposal cycles, and tailored container systems priced via quote rather than published rates. ReFood sells across six primary verticals — gastronomy and hotels, system restaurants, butchers and meat processors, healthcare and care facilities, food retail, and food production — with direct sales coverage via local site account managers, phone (0800 733 66 30), and web-based quote requests. Secondary revenue comes from the sale of generated renewable energy (electricity, heat, biogas, biomethane) and biodiesel to grid and fuel buyers, plus the ReFood GP+ fertilizer brand. GTM is sales-led direct field/enterprise motion; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

ReFood is a privately held GmbH & Co. KG (limited partnership) registered in Dortmund with headquarters in Selm, led by a six-person Geschäftsführung board, and operates under SARIA Group ownership. Recent strategic positioning includes ISO certification (2025) for quality and environmental management, and a 2026 international expansion into UK school catering via a partnership with Dolce Schools Catering (with Olio handling surplus redistribution).

Name

ReFood

Legal name

ReFood GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://refood.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ReFood is a German B2B organic waste management company (part of SARIA Group) that collects and processes food waste, cooking fats, and grease separator contents from commercial customers across Germany via anaerobic digestion, producing renewable energy, biodiesel, and proprietary organic fertilizer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Waste Management and Recycling Services

NAICS

Fats and Oils Refining and Blending (311225)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Fats & Oils (2070)

akta.pro primary industry

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) & Biogas/RNG Production (Organics Feedstocks) (BPALAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic Waste Feedstock Aggregation & Pre-processing (FOG, Food Waste, Manure) (EUAAAEAK), Grease Trap, Used Cooking Oil & FOG Services (Collection & Recycling) (EUAIAGAK), Used Oil, Lubricants & Industrial Fluids Recovery/Recycling (IMAIAFAM), Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD)

Keywords

• Food waste disposal
• Cooking oil recycling
• Anaerobic digestion services
• Organic waste collection
• Grease separator maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Selm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Waste Collection and Disposal Services: B2B service providing collection and recycling of food waste, cooking oils, and grease separator contents. The company offers customized disposal cycles and container systems with scheduled pickups.
2. Renewable Energy Generation: Revenue generated from anaerobic digestion processing of collected food waste into biogas, electricity, heat, and organic fertilizer products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ReFood provides scheduled collection and recycling of food waste, used cooking oils, and grease separator contents from commercial and industrial food businesses in Germany. Collected organic material is processed at its biogas plants via anaerobic digestion to generate renewable energy (electricity, heat, biomethane) and nutrient-rich organic fertilizer branded ReFood GP+. Used frying fats are converted into biodiesel, completing a plate-back-to-field circular economy service.

Product overview

ReFood is a waste disposal and recycling company operating as part of the SARIA Group, offering a portfolio of collection and processing services for organic waste streams. The core services include Speiseresteentsorgung (food waste collection), Frittierfettentsorgung (frying fat disposal), Fettabscheiderservice (grease separator service), and Industrielle Sonderentsorgung (industrial special disposal). These collection services feed into ReFood's processing facilities where organic materials are converted through anaerobic digestion into renewable energy products (Strom, Wärme & Biogas), organic fertilizer (ReFood GP+), and biodiesel from cooking fats. The company provides nationwide service in Germany through strategically located facilities, offering customized disposal schedules and container systems for food production, hospitality, retail, and industrial sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReFood GP+: Nutrient-rich fermentation product (digestate) produced from organic waste processing, applied to agricultural fields to complete the circular economy loop: from plate back to field.

Products and services

• Speiseresteentsorgung (Food Waste Collection) Scheduled collection and recycling of kitchen scraps, plate waste, and food leftovers from commercial and industrial food businesses, processed via anaerobic digestion. Targets gastronomy, hospitality, retail, and food production customers in Germany.
• Frittierfettentsorgung (Frying Fat Disposal) Collection and recycling of old and frying fats from commercial kitchens, processed into environmentally friendly biodiesel through specialized processing. For gastronomy and food service businesses in Germany.
• Fettabscheiderservice (Grease Separator Service) Professional service for grease separator systems including emptying, maintenance, and general inspection according to DIN EN 40 40 100 standards. For hospitality and food service operators in Germany.
• Industrielle Sonderentsorgung (Industrial Special Disposal) Special disposal services for industrial waste streams including emergency response and accident recovery solutions for food production and industrial customers in Germany.
• Strom, Wärme & Biogas (Electricity, Heat & Biogas) Renewable energy generated from organic biomass through anaerobic digestion in ReFood's biogas plants, producing electricity, heat, and biomethane for energy markets.
• Biodiesel Environmentally friendly biodiesel produced from old and frying fats collected by ReFood, providing sustainable fuel from organic waste materials for the renewable fuel market.
• ReFood GP+ Organic Fertilizer Nutrient-rich digestate (fermentation product) from the biogas process, applied to agricultural fields as organic fertilizer under the ReFood GP+ brand, completing the circular economy cycle from plate back to field.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 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 core.

• Dolce Schools CateringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026ReFood has partnered with Dolce Schools Catering as part of their sustainability and food waste reduction strategy across schools in England and Wales. ReFood collects unavoidable food waste for anaerobic digestion to generate renewable energy. This partnership is part of Dolce's wider strategy across its network of 650 schools serving 130,000 meals daily. Hawarden High School in Flintshire is among the first schools to implement the initiative.
• OliocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOlio partners with Dolce Schools Catering alongside ReFood for food waste reduction. Olio redistributes surplus meals to local communities through its volunteer app network. ReFood handles the unavoidable food waste stream while Olio handles surplus food redistribution, creating a comprehensive sustainability solution for schools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Remondis: Germany's largest privately held waste and recycling services company. Directly competes with ReFood across organic waste collection, grease services, and biogas processing in the German B2B market with a comparable nationwide service footprint.
• PreZero (Schwarz Group): Environmental services and recycling division of the Schwarz Group (Lidl/Kaufland parent). Competes directly with ReFood in German organic waste valorization, recycling, and circular-economy services with comparable vertical exposure to retail and food production.
• Alba Group (Interseroh): German-headquartered recycling and waste services provider with strong presence in organics, dual systems, and circular-economy offerings. Competes with ReFood for commercial organic waste volumes and serves overlapping gastronomy, retail, and industrial food customers.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Umweltservice: German arm of Veolia, a global environmental services leader. Offers overlapping organics collection and processing capabilities, but as part of a much broader water/waste/energy portfolio rather than a food-waste specialist. Competes for the same B2B waste contracts.
• SARIA Group (parent): Diversified European rendering and environmental services conglomerate that owns ReFood. While not a direct competitor, its wider rendering and recycling portfolio overlaps with ReFood's organics valorization activities and represents the closest strategic comparable.
• FCC Environment: European waste management operator with organics and AD capabilities. Comparable to ReFood in service category and circular-economy positioning, though typically operating at regional rather than single-country nationwide scale.
• Stericycle: US-headquartered regulated waste and compliance services provider with food-waste capabilities. Overlaps with ReFood in B2B regulated waste collection, though far broader across medical and hazardous streams.

Regional players

• Clean Harbors (Safety-Kleen): North America's leading provider of environmental and industrial services including used oil re-refining via Safety-Kleen. Comparable to ReFood's biodiesel-from-UCO line in product economics, though serving US/Mexico rather than Germany.

Emerging players

• Olio: UK food surplus redistribution platform that complements ReFood's unavoidable-waste stream in the Dolce Schools partnership. Adjacent rather than competing — Olio handles edible surplus, ReFood handles non-edible organic waste.
• Grillo Werke: German specialty chemicals company producing oleochemicals and biodiesel from used cooking oils. Comparable in the fats-to-fuel pathway ReFood follows, though focused on industrial chemical products rather than waste collection services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refood-gmbh-co-kg
• TikToktiktok.com/@

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 ReFood