Voelkel

What Voelkel does

Voelkel — legally and commercially branded as "Voelkel – die Bio-Safterei" — is a privately held, family-owned German producer of certified organic and Demeter biodynamic beverages, headquartered in Wendland, Lower Saxony. The company was founded in 1919 by Margret and Karl Voelkel, who settled in the Wendland region inspired by the Demeter idea and began pressing neighbors' orchard fruit with a mobile press. The current generation of family leadership is represented by Stefan Voelkel. Today Voelkel self-describes as the world's largest organic juice producer and offers more than 200 SKUs spanning fruit juices and nectars, vegetable juices, smoothies, shots, organic lemonades (BioZisch), Schorlen spritzers, iced teas, kombucha and water kefir, hot beverages, plant-based drinks, syrups, non-alcoholic cocktails, apple cider vinegar, and curated fasting packages.

Underlying production centers on organic and Demeter-certified raw material sourcing through long-term fair-trade farmer partnerships, processing of a diverse raw material base, and a product range explicitly free from artificial additives. Certifications include EU-level bio organic and the more stringent Demeter biodynamic standard. The business operates as a "gemeinwohlorientiertes Familienunternehmen" (community welfare-oriented family enterprise) under the Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie framework, evaluated by independent GWÖ audits rather than targeting profit maximization, with stated commitments to ecological sustainability, human dignity, solidarity, and transparency.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through sale of the beverage portfolio via two channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at shop.voelkel.bio and wholesale distribution through Germany's organic grocery retail network (Bio-Märkte), supplemented by cross-brand promotional campaigns with peer organic producers. There are no enterprise or B2B anchor customers on record. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is effectively set by individual retail partners for the wholesale channel and by the company for DTC. Distribution is concentrated in Germany, with English-language site localization signaling nascent interest in cross-border reach but no disclosed export operations.

Name

Voelkel

Legal name

Voelkel – die Bio-Safterei

Website

https://voelkeljuice.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Voelkel is a privately held, family-owned German producer founded in 1919 that operates the world's largest organic juice press, offering 200+ Demeter-certified beverages — juices, smoothies, kombucha, plant drinks — to health-conscious consumers via Bio-Märkte retail and its own e-commerce shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hohbeck

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Beverage Product Sales: Voelkel generates revenue through the sale of over 200 organic and Demeter-certified beverage products including fruit juices, vegetable juices, nectars, smoothies, shots, lemonades, iced teas, kombucha, water kefir, plant-based drinks, syrups, and non-alcoholic cocktails. Products are sold both direct-to-consumer via their e-commerce shop and through retail channels including organic grocery stores.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

No source data was provided in the input to describe Voelkel's core offering.

Product overview

Voelkel is an organic and Demeter-certified juice company offering more than 200 products. The company operates as a unified portfolio of organic beverages including fruit juices & nectars, vegetable juices, smoothies, shots, BioZisch lemonades, Schorlen (juice spritzers), iced teas, Kombucha & water kefir, hot beverages, plant drinks, syrups, non-alcoholic cocktails, apple cider vinegar, and fasting packages. Products are organized by category and occasion (wellness/Vital line, seasonal offerings) with no separate platform or modular software architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AllosminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Allos is a partner in Voelkel's educational sticker campaign for children. The campaign involves purchasing products from participating brands (Voelkel, Allos, Bauck, Holle, Gläserne Molkerei) to receive sticker sheets and win a farm vacation prize.
• BauckminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Bauck participates in Voelkel's children-focused sticker campaign, a joint marketing initiative with multiple organic brands to educate children about organic agriculture.
• HolleminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Holle participates in Voelkel's children-focused sticker campaign, a joint marketing initiative with multiple organic brands to educate children about organic agriculture.
• Gläserne Molkerei (Transparent Dairy)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Gläserne Molkerei participates in Voelkel's children-focused sticker campaign alongside other organic brands, promoting organic food education and consumption.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bionade: German organic fermented beverage brand. Comparable on organic positioning, German retail distribution, and Demeter-adjacent ingredient sourcing in the premium soft-drink category.
• Rauch: Austrian family-owned beverage company producing juices, nectars, smoothies and functional drinks across Europe. Highly comparable in product mix, family-ownership structure, and European DACH-centric distribution.
• Hipp: German family-owned organic baby food producer with a Demeter-certified juices and baby beverage range. Comparable on Demeter organic certification, family governance, and German retail distribution.
• Innocent Drinks: UK-origin smoothies and juice brand (Coca-Cola owned). Comparable product categories (smoothies, juices) and premium natural positioning, though currently absent from DACH markets.
• Eckes-Granini: One of Europe's largest juice and beverage producers with strong German market presence (hohes C, granini, Joker). Directly comparable as a mainstream juice competitor with overlapping distribution in German retail.
• Rapunzel Naturkost: German organic food manufacturer (sourcing cooperative) with a Demeter-certified portfolio spanning juices, jams, and pantry staples. Comparable as a values-led Demeter organic producer selling into the same Bio-Märkte channel.

Emerging players

• SodaStream: At-home sparkling water brand (PepsiCo) that competes in adjacent 'make-at-home beverage' occasions overlapping with Voelkel's Schorlen (juice spritzer) category.
• Provamel (Alpro): European plant-based drink brand owned by Danone, overlapping with Voelkel's Pflanzendrinks (plant-based drinks) category and German retail presence.

Broad incumbents

• Refresco: Largest independent beverage bottler in Europe, producing private-label juices and soft drinks for major retailers. Comparable as a competitor supplying German retailers and as a co-packing alternative.
• Alnatura: Germany's largest organic supermarket chain with a strong private-label brand including beverages. Comparable as both a retail channel for Voelkel products and an organic producer competitor in the German market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VoelkelNaturkostsafterei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/voelkel-gmbh

Compliance2 records

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 Voelkel