FriedWald
FriedWald GmbH operates Germany's largest forest burial network, with roughly 100 sites selling licensed tree burial plots and memorial services to consumers as a nature-based alternative to traditional cemetery interment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersGriesheim, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What FriedWald does
FriedWald GmbH is a German private operator of forest burial sites (Bestattungswald) headquartered in Griesheim, Hesse. Founded in 2000/2001 by Petra Bach and family-owned since, the company has built what appears to be the largest network of forest cemeteries in Germany, with approximately 100 sites nationwide. Its customers are end consumers (B2C) who purchase the right to be buried at the base of a specifically named tree in a managed forest, as an alternative to traditional cemetery interment. The company is led by Managing Directors Michael Bachmann and Matthias Laufer and operates with roughly 220 direct employees plus a partner network of around 300 foresters (Forstleute).
The core product is a licensed tree burial plot (Baumgrabstätte) tied to a specific tree, with usage rights typically structured as a long-term renewable term (commonly 20-99 years depending on tree species). Revenue mechanics combine a one-time plot acquisition fee, optional add-on services including biodegradable urns, name plates, funeral ceremonies, and online memorial pages (Gedenkseiten), plus ongoing maintenance contributions. The technology stack includes a proprietary geo-information system (Geo-Informationssystem) that allows customers to search for and select specific trees online, an e-commerce portal, a partner funeral home login area, and an AI-powered text chatbot for first-line customer inquiries, all built on Microsoft services.
The business model is asset-light with respect to land: FriedWald does not own the underlying forest but secures long-term usage agreements with state forest administrations (Landesforstverwaltungen), municipalities, churches, and private forest owners. The FriedWald® brand is a registered trademark in Germany and Austria, and each site is a legally permitted cemetery under German public cemetery law, both of which materially raise barriers to new entrants. The company is bootstrapped and family-controlled, with no disclosed external funding or audited financials.
FriedWald firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FriedWald
- Legal name
- FriedWald GmbH
- Website
- https://friedwald.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- FriedWald GmbH operates Germany's largest forest burial network, with roughly 100 sites selling licensed tree burial plots and memorial services to consumers as a nature-based alternative to traditional cemetery interment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FriedWald industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cemetery and Funeral Services
- NAICS
- Cemeteries and Crematories (812220)
- SIC
- Forestry (800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arborist Consulting, Tree Risk Assessments & Appraisals (HSAIADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Site Assessment, Planning & Permitting (Reforestation Plans) (AFAMACAC)
Keywords
Where FriedWald is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Griesheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
FriedWald business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Naturgrab Nutzungsrecht (Tree Plot Usage Rights): FriedWald sells usage rights (Rechtskauf / legal purchase) to natural grave sites (Naturgräber) at designated forest locations in Germany. Customers purchase the right to use a specific tree burial plot. This is the primary revenue stream. The company operates over 95–100 forest locations nationwide. Pricing varies by location and plot type, with price tables published per location.
- Bestattungsvertrag (Burial Services): Burial services are contracted separately (after a death occurs) and include the burial ceremony, use of the FriedWald urn, and coordination of the burial. Only biodegradable urns are permitted. The burial is conducted exclusively by FriedWald or an authorized company.
- Namenstafeln (Name Plates): FriedWald offers the manufacture and installation of personalized name plates for each grave site, creating a personal place of remembrance. Prices are determined per the current order forms.
- Biologisch abbaubare Urnen (Biodegradable Urns): FriedWald offers its own Ginkgo urn and additionally approves and resells biodegradable ornamental urns that meet FriedWald burial criteria. Only biodegradable urns (max diameter 23.5 cm, height 30 cm) are permitted for burial.
- Vorsorgeordner (Pre-planning Folder): A physical organizational folder for important documents in the event of illness or death, sold as a product. Available for order via the website, phone, or order card.
- Baumtausch (Tree Exchange): Customers who have pre-purchased a tree plot can exchange it for a tree at a different FriedWald location, subject to availability. A processing fee is charged for the exchange.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time | Tree plot usage rights — individual pricing per location |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
FriedWald product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FriedWald operates a nationwide network of 100 designated memorial forests across Germany where it sells usage rights (Rechtskauf) to natural tree burial plots as an alternative to traditional cemeteries. Customers purchase the right to be interred at the base of a named tree in a biodegradable urn, with on-site burial ceremonies conducted by FriedWald foresters and authorized companies. The offering spans pre-planning (Vorsorge), burial services, name plates, biodegradable urns, and online memorial pages.
Product overview
FriedWald operates a network of over 95 natural burial forests across Germany as a provider of nature burials (Waldbestattung), offering tree burial plots as an alternative to traditional cemeteries. The core offering is the FriedWald®-Naturgrab — a usage right (Rechtskauf) to a tree burial site in one of the company's designated forest cemeteries. The product portfolio centers on this core grave right, supported by an online shop for digital plot purchases, a Geo-Informationssystem for tree location, guided forest tours, pre-need funeral planning (Vorsorge), funeral ceremony services, memorial pages (Gedenkseiten), name plates (Namenstafeln), biodegradable urn offerings, remembrance services, and an event program. Partner-facing tools include a dedicated portal for funeral homes, a partner funeral home search tool, and an urn approval checker. The company also provides a chatbot for general inquiries and a Vorsorgeordner for document organization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FriedWald®-Naturgrab (Tree Burial Plot) Usage rights (Rechtskauf / legal purchase) to a natural grave (Naturgrab) at the base of a tree in one of FriedWald's legally permitted memorial forests. Customers select a specific tree where a biodegradable urn with ashes will be interred. Pricing varies per location and plot type.
- FriedWald Online-Shop
Quantifiable outcome
- Customer satisfaction rated 'very high' (sehr hoch) every year since 2014, based on over 4,600 customer evaluations annually
Companies that use FriedWald
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
FriedWald technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
FriedWald partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRWcoreThe state forest enterprise of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is a key partner in operating FriedWald forest burial sites. For the FriedWald Euskirchen location, Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRW manages the forest and supports on-site operations alongside FriedWald GmbH as the concept provider.
- Stadt EuskirchencoreThe municipality of Euskirchen is the legal operator (Trägerin) of the FriedWald Euskirchen cemetery under public law. FriedWald GmbH provides the concept, administration, and brand standards while the city owns and manages the land through its forest enterprise.
- Stadt Bad BerkacoreThe municipality of Bad Berka operates a FriedWald location under a separate AGB. FriedWald GmbH handles contract administration on behalf of the city. This is one of the locations with location-specific terms.
- Stadt RudolstadtcoreThe municipality of Rudolstadt operates the FriedWald Rudolstädter Hain under a separate AGB. FriedWald GmbH handles contract administration on behalf of the city.
- Bestattungsunternehmen (Funeral Homes)majorFuneral businesses across Germany serve as local partners who advise clients on FriedWald forest burial options and coordinate burial arrangements. FriedWald provides a partner portal, webinars, cooperation agreements, and listing in its Bestattungshaus-Suche. Partners can register via the FriedWald website.
- Forstverwaltungen (Forest Administrations)coreGerman state forest administrations (Forstämter) and church forest owners partner with FriedWald to designate areas of their forests as legally permitted burial grounds. FriedWald provides the concept, quality standards, and operational framework while forest owners provide the land and ongoing forest management.
- Kirchen (Churches)minorChurch organizations that own or manage forests partner with FriedWald to establish forest burial sites on church-owned land. FriedWald provides the operational concept and brand standards.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FriedWald competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- StoneMor Partners: US publicly listed operator of cemeteries and funeral homes, focused on perpetual-care cemetery property. Comparable to FriedWald as a cemetery operator with recurring revenue from pre-need property sales, though concentrated in traditional rather than forest burial.
- Co-op Funeralcare: UK's largest funeral director, part of the Co-operative Group, with a national network of funeral homes. Increasingly offers low-cost and natural burial options, making it a broad incumbent competitor for end customers considering forest/natural burial as an alternative to traditional funerals.
- Service Corporation International: Largest publicly listed funeral services and cemetery operator in North America, with a network of funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematoria. Relevant as a scaled death-care incumbent whose strategic moves and product extensions in 'green' natural burial shape the category FriedWald operates in.
- Dignity plc: UK-listed funeral services group operating a large network of funeral homes and crematoria. While not a natural-burial specialist, it is a broad incumbent in the death-care market and increasingly offers natural and woodland options alongside traditional services, putting it in indirect competition with FriedWald for end-customer burial spend.
Direct peers
- Hug Der Wald: Hug Der Wald is a German forest burial operator offering tree-burial plots in designated forest locations. It is a smaller, regionally focused direct competitor to FriedWald with a similar product offering and target customer base.
- RuheForst: RuheForst is the closest direct competitor to FriedWald in the German forest burial market, operating its own network of memorial forests under a comparable concept where ashes are interred at the base of trees. It competes head-to-head for partnerships with municipalities, churches, and forest owners across Germany.
Emerging players
- Greenfield Woodland Burial: UK-based operator of woodland burial parks, offering natural burials among native trees. Conceptually aligned with FriedWald — ashes buried in designated natural settings — but smaller in scale and focused on the UK market.
- Memorial Woodlands: Operator of managed woodland burial sites in the UK, providing tree burial plots in protected forest settings. Comparable to FriedWald's product model and target demographic, though operating in a different national market.
- Natural Death Centre: UK charity that advocates for and supports natural and woodland burials, including publishing directories of woodland burial sites. It is comparable to FriedWald as a promoter/operator of the natural burial category, though its primary role is advocacy and education rather than direct site operation.
Regional players
- Natuurbegraven Nederland: Dutch foundation operating natural burial sites in protected nature reserves across the Netherlands. It is highly comparable to FriedWald in concept (ashes interred in nature preserves) but operates in a different geography, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FriedWald social profiles
Digital presenceFriedWald financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FriedWald leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
FriedWald funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FriedWald M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FriedWald
What does FriedWald do?
FriedWald operates a nationwide network of 100 designated memorial forests across Germany where it sells usage rights (Rechtskauf) to natural tree burial plots as an alternative to traditional cemeteries. Customers purchase the right to be interred at the base of a named tree in a biodegradable urn, with on-site burial ceremonies conducted by FriedWald foresters and authorized companies. The offering spans pre-planning (Vorsorge), burial services, name plates, biodegradable urns, and online memorial pages.
Is FriedWald a public or private company?
FriedWald is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was FriedWald founded?
FriedWald was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is FriedWald based?
FriedWald is headquartered in Griesheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does FriedWald make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Naturgrab Nutzungsrecht (Tree Plot Usage Rights) is the primary driver. The others are bestattungsvertrag (Burial Services), namenstafeln (Name Plates), biologisch abbaubare Urnen (Biodegradable Urns), vorsorgeordner (Pre-planning Folder) and baumtausch (Tree Exchange).
Who are FriedWald's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are StoneMor Partners, Co-op Funeralcare, Service Corporation International and Dignity plc. Direct peers are Hug Der Wald and RuheForst. Emerging players are Greenfield Woodland Burial, Memorial Woodlands and Natural Death Centre. Natuurbegraven Nederland is listed as a regional player.
Does FriedWald have an API?
No public API is recorded for FriedWald.
What industry is FriedWald in?
FriedWald's product category is Cemetery and Funeral Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAIADAJ, Arborist Consulting, Tree Risk Assessments & Appraisals, with a secondary code of AFAMACAC, Site Assessment, Planning & Permitting (Reforestation Plans). Its NAICS code is 812220 and its SIC code is 800.