What Werners Gourmetservice AB does

Werners Gourmetservice AB is a Swedish importer and distributor of premium gourmet ingredients founded in 1990 in Skara, Sweden, and majority-owned by Orkla/KåKå since May 2018. The company stocks 1,331+ specialty food products across categories including truffles, caviar, Valrhona chocolate (249+ SKUs), Sosa professional ingredients (128 SKUs), Sicoly fruit purees, specialty spices (296 SKUs), vinegars, duck products, teas, and portioned desserts. Its primary customers are professional chefs, pastry chefs, and confectioners in restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and catering businesses across the Nordic countries, with a secondary segment of enthusiast home cooks served through the same e-commerce platform.

The business operates a centralized distribution model from its Skara headquarters and warehouse, supplemented by a Stockholm sales office. Beyond product distribution, Werners operates three content and education assets: Werners Education (paid culinary training courses on-site, in Skara, and at Valrhona's pastry school in France), a public recipe platform with 776+ recipes, and Werners Värld magazine. The company monetizes primarily through B2B product markup on imported goods, account-based pricing with negotiated terms, course fees for educational services, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales. Revenue exceeds 180 million SEK annually with 60+ employees, positioning Werners as a mid-sized specialty distributor with a knowledge-led value proposition in the Nordic premium foodservice market.

Name

Werners Gourmetservice AB

Legal name

Werners Gourmetservice AB

Website

https://wgs.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Werners Gourmetservice AB is a Swedish importer and distributor of premium gourmet ingredients — including truffles, caviar, Valrhona chocolate, and specialty spices — serving professional chefs, pastry chefs, and enthusiast home cooks across the Nordic countries since 1990, majority-owned by Orkla/KåKå.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gourmet Food Distribution

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Gourmet Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gourmet & Fine Food Stores (CRAHAGAG), Baking & Pastry Arts (EDAOAKAB)

Keywords

• Gourmet food distribution
• Specialty food importer
• Professional chef supplies
• Culinary education services
• Foodservice wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

Skara

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Import and sale of quality food products including truffles, caviar, Valrhona chocolate, desserts, spices, oils, vinegars, and more. Over 1,400 stocked articles available for immediate delivery. Revenue generated through product markup and volume-based B2B pricing.
2. Education Services: Educational programs and training for professional chefs and confectioners. Includes courses at customer premises (half to 2 days), training in Skara (1-2 days), and education at Valrhona's pastry school in France. Revenue generated through course fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Werners Gourmetservice AB is a Swedish importer and distributor of gourmet food products serving professional chefs, pastry chefs, restaurants, hotels, cafes, caterers, and home cooking enthusiasts in the Nordic region. The company supplies over 1,400 specialty food items including truffles, caviar, Valrhona chocolate, Sosa professional ingredients, Sicoly fruit purees, spices, vinegars, oils, desserts, and teas. It also operates Werners Education, providing culinary training programs at customer premises, in Skara, and at Valrhona's pastry school in France.

Product overview

Werners Gourmetservice is a specialty food importer and restaurant supplier founded in 1990, offering over 1,331 gourmet food products to professional chefs, pastry chefs, and home cooking enthusiasts in the Nordic region. The product portfolio centers on premium ingredients including Valrhona chocolate (249+ products), Sosa professional culinary ingredients (128 products), Sicoly fruit purees (50+ products), specialty spices (296 products), vinegars (61 products), teas (68 products), and desserts (99 products). Key product categories include truffles, caviar, duck products, rapeseed oils, and bourbon vanilla from Madagascar. The company also operates Werners Education offering culinary training programs and maintains a recipe platform with 776 professional recipes. Products are distributed primarily from headquarters in Skara, Sweden, with a sales office in Stockholm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Werners Utvalda: Selected/premium product line under Werners brand featuring high-quality ingredients and specialty items
• Werners Education
• Werners Värld

Products and services

• Werners Gourmetservice Specialty Food Products Curated catalog of over 1,331 gourmet food products spanning truffles, caviar, Valrhona chocolate (249+ products), Sosa ingredients (128 products), Sicoly fruit purees (50+ products), spices (296 products), vinegars, oils, desserts, and teas. Sold to professional chefs, pastry chefs, and home cooking enthusiasts via direct sales and the wgs.se e-commerce platform.
• Werners Education Educational programs for culinary professionals including courses at customer premises (half to 2 days), courses at Werners' Skara headquarters (1-2 days), and training at Valrhona's pastry school in France. Covers techniques, craftsmanship, and industry knowledge for professional chefs and confectioners.
• Werners Utvalda Selected/premium product line under the Werners brand featuring high-quality ingredients and specialty items curated for professional kitchens and discerning home cooks.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chaîne des RôtisseurscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting young chefs through the 'Årets Unga Kock' (Young Chef of the Year) competition. Werners collaborates with the international culinary organization to nurture culinary talent in Sweden.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• METRO AG: European cash-and-carry and foodservice operator (METRO Cash & Carry, Classic Fine Foods) serving HoReCa customers with a specialty gourmet arm in multiple countries. Represents the broadline incumbent alternative to Werners in Sweden and neighboring markets.
• Brakes Group: One of the UK's largest foodservice wholesalers (Sysco subsidiary), serving pubs, restaurants, hotels, and schools with broadline and specialist ranges including a dedicated gourmet and patisserie category. Similar end-markets and a comparable specialty sub-brand structure.
• Barry Callebaut: Global chocolate and cocoa manufacturer with a B2B foodservice arm supplying professional chefs, bakeries, and patisseries — the same end-customer Werners serves via its chocolate category. Competes on assortment in cocoa-heavy product lines and represents both an adjacent incumbent and a parallel specialty B2B channel.
• Bidvest Foodservice: International broadline foodservice distributor operating across the UK, Ireland, continental Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Comparable at the macro-model level (foodservice distribution with a specialty/produce premium tier) though far larger and more diversified than Werners.

Direct peers

• Menigo Foodservice: One of Sweden's largest broadline foodservice distributors, serving restaurants, hotels, and caterers across the Nordics with both commodity and specialty ranges. Direct competitor for the same professional-chef customer base that Werners targets, though Menigo's assortment is broader and less curated toward premium gourmet.
• Martin & Servera: Sweden's leading foodservice company, owned by the Axfood group, supplying restaurants, public-sector kitchens, and convenience operators nationwide. Overlaps directly with Werners on the B2B foodservice motion and on Nordic geographic coverage, but operates at materially larger scale with a more generalist assortment.
• Chefs' Warehouse: US-listed specialty foodservice distributor supplying premium ingredients (cheeses, meats, oils, chocolates, truffles) to fine-dining chefs. Closest pure business-model analog globally: relationship selling to professional chefs with a curated, education-supported assortment rather than broadline logistics.

Others

• Valrhona: Premium French chocolate manufacturer and Werners' largest single supplier brand (249+ SKUs in the Werners catalog). Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem partner whose distribution strategy materially affects Werners' chocolate assortment, pricing, and competitive moat.
• Orkla Foods (parent group): Norwegian branded consumer-goods group that acquired the majority stake in Werners in May 2018. Sister Orkla-owned foodservice and specialty-food businesses in the Nordics could plausibly be combined with Werners over time, making the parent group a relevant reference point for portfolio and consolidation logic even though it is not a direct market competitor.

Regional players

• Euro-Cater A/S: Danish foodservice distributor serving hotels, restaurants, and caterers in Denmark with both broadline and specialty ranges. Operates in the same Nordic trade area and competes with Werners for cross-border Danish and Swedish accounts, though primarily Danish-centric.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Werners Gourmetservice AB