Brod

What Brod does

Brod GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German wholesale and retail company headquartered in Hanau, founded in 1972 and led since 2004 by managing director Andreas Brod. The firm operates a dual business model: it resells operational hygiene products from third-party suppliers such as Metsä, Paperdi, Huchtemeier, WEPA, Celtex, LPNA, and TEMCA, and it manufactures its own branded wiping cloths and cleaning cloth rolls by converting mother rolls of cellulose, airlaid, or viscose into finished products with various grammages, sizes, and packaging. The proprietary brand portfolio includes Brod® (paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning cloth rolls, folded hand towels), Brotex® (Dry Soft and Mars airlaid wipes), NOWOZELL® (recycled-paper cellulose wipes), NOWOLAN® (care and wash cloths), NOWOLIN® (universal and polishing cloths), and Koton XL (viscose water-jet reinforced wipes). Assortment is organized into four categories: washroom hygiene, HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, catering), industrial supplies, and healthcare/practice supplies, with a small offering of dispenser systems from Katrin.

The company serves a diversified B2B and B2C customer base that includes hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, automotive dealerships, service providers, banks and insurance companies, and heavy industry, as well as hospitality and small/individual buyers reached through its e-commerce channels. Go-to-market is predominantly direct-to-consumer via the brod-gmbh.de online shop and an eBay storefront, supported by direct enterprise sales through personalized consulting; the operation is run by approximately 12 staff handling production, order processing, and consulting. Pricing is on a per-unit, pay-as-you-go basis with volume discounts, free shipping within Germany on selected products, and a payment stack comprising PayPal, Klarna, and SumUp. The company has no disclosed funding, no subsidiaries, and no parent company, operating as a GmbH & Co. KG with Brod Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH as the general partner.

There is no disclosed revenue figure, no AI/ML capability, and no patent portfolio; the only intellectual property references are five registered trademarks (Brod®, Brotex®, NOWOZELL®, NOWOLAN®, NOWOLIN®) and a regional Fairness im Handels membership. Geographic reach is concentrated in Germany, with primary operating geography cited as Hesse, and the company's online and logistics infrastructure (GLS, Raben) supports single-country/domestic distribution.

Name

Brod

Legal name

Brod GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://brod-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brod GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German wholesaler, retailer, and light manufacturer of operational hygiene products (paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning cloth rolls) serving healthcare, industrial, HoReCa, and SMB customers in Germany through its e-commerce shop, eBay store, and direct sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Wholesale and Retail: The company operates in wholesale and retail trade, selling operational hygiene products such as folding towels, toilet paper, and cleaning cloth rolls. The main business is the resale of operational hygiene products along with own manufacturing of wiping cloths and cleaning rolls.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brod is a German wholesale and retail supplier and manufacturer of operational hygiene products based in Hanau, founded in 1972. The company operates a dual business model: reselling third-party hygiene brands (Metsä, Paperdi, Huchtemeier, WEPA, Celtex, LPNA, TEMCA, Katrin) and manufacturing its own proprietary wiping cloths and cleaning cloth rolls from mother rolls of cellulose, airlaid, and viscose materials. Its 12 employees handle production, order processing, and individualized consulting for business customers across healthcare, industrial, pharmaceutical, automotive, and financial sectors.

Product overview

Brod GmbH & Co. KG operates as a wholesale and retail distributor and manufacturer of operational hygiene products, founded in 1972 and based in Hanau, Germany. The company operates on a dual business model: reselling third-party brands (including Katrin, Metsä, WEPA, Celtex, LPNA, TEMCA) alongside manufacturing its own proprietary brands. The proprietary brand portfolio consists of Brod® (core brand covering paper towels, toilet paper, and cleaning cloths) and specialized sub-brands including Brotex® Dry Soft and Brotex® Mars (premium embossed airlaid wipes), NOWOZELL® (layered cellulose wipes from recycled paper), NOWOLIN® (viscose/polyester universal and polishing wipes), NOWOLAN® (cellulosic care wipes), and Koton XL (viscose water-jet reinforced wipes). Products are organized into four main categories: Washroom Hygiene (paper towels, toilet paper, soap dispensers, disinfectants, waste containers), HoReCa (napkins, kitchen towels for hospitality), Industrial Supplies (cleaning cloths, industrial wipes, gloves), and Healthcare (medical practice supplies). The company operates its own manufacturing facility converting raw material rolls (cellulose, airlaid, viscose) into finished wipes and cleaning cloth rolls. The product range is complemented by dispenser systems for various hygiene applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brotex: Premium line of airlaid wipes including Dry Soft and Mars product lines, made from cellulose with textile-like character.
• NOWOZELL
• NOWOLIN
• NOWOLAN
• Koton XL

Products and services

• Waschraumhygiene (Washroom Hygiene) Complete range of washroom hygiene products including paper hand towels, toilet paper, hand towel rolls, soap/hand disinfectants, dispensers, waste bins, trash bags, surface disinfectants, feminine hygiene products, and cosmetic tissues, sold to business customers.
• HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant & Catering) Hygiene products for the hospitality sector including napkins, kitchen towels, dishcloths, and trash bags, sold to hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses.
• Industriebedarf (Industrial Supplies) Industrial-grade cleaning products including paper cleaning cloth rolls, special wipes, textile cleaning rags, gloves, and hand washing paste, sold to industrial and manufacturing customers.
• Healthcare (Praxis/Klinikbedarf) Professional healthcare hygiene products including examination table covers, care wipes, soap, and disinfectants for medical practices, clinics, and hospitals.
• Brotex Dry Soft Wipes Premium airlaid wipes with embossed texture, available in 57 g/m² and 70 g/m² variants, made from cellulose with VAT binder, suitable for indirect food contact.
• Brotex Mars Wipes Airlaid wipes with smooth surface texture, 60 g/m² weight, made from cellulose, available in 25-tissue packs and 700-sheet rolls.
• NOWOZELL Layered Cellulose Wipes Layered cellulose wipes (Lagenzellstofftücher) made from recycled paper, available in 3-ply and 4-ply versions, HACCP approved for indirect food contact.
• NOWOLIN Universal and Polishing Cloths Universal wipes with hole structure or smooth textile-like finish, made from viscose/polyester blend, including polishing cloths for delicate surfaces.
• NOWOLAN Care and Maintenance Cloths Wash and care cloths with smooth surface, made from cellulose, designed for healthcare and personal care applications.
• Koton XL Viscose Wipes XL-size viscose wipes, water-jet reinforced, 45 g/m² grammage, single-use textile-character disposable cloths suitable for polishing and cleaning tasks.
• Dispensers (Spender) Dispenser systems for various hygiene products including hand towel roll dispensers, folded hand towel dispensers, toilet paper dispensers, and soap dispensers from the Katrin brand.
• Custom Manufacturing (Lohnfertigung) In-house contract manufacturing service converting mother rolls of cellulose, airlaid, or viscose into wipes and cleaning cloth rolls to customer specifications (grammages 57-70 g/m², various sizes, and packaging options).

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MetsäcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMetsä is a product partner supplying paper and hygiene products. Metsä's logo appears on the website indicating an active business partnership for product supply.
• PaperdicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPaperdi is listed as a business partner supplying paper products. Their logo appears on the website indicating a product supply relationship.
• HuchtemeiercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHuchtemeier is a business partner supplying hygiene products. Their logo appears on the company website.
• WEPAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWEPA is a product partner supplying paper and hygiene products. Their logo appears on the website as a key business partner.
• CeltexcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCeltex is listed as a business partner supplying paper and cleaning products. Their logo appears on the website.
• LPNAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLPNA is a product partner. Their logo appears on the website indicating an active business relationship.
• TEMCAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTEMCA is listed as a business partner supplying cleaning and hygiene products. Their logo appears on the company website.
• GLS (General Logistics Systems)minorOthersGLS Germany is used as the transport service provider for shipping goods to customers, as mentioned in the privacy policy.
• Raben Trans European GermanyminorOthersRaben Trans European Germany is used as a transport service provider for shipping, as mentioned in the privacy policy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IGEFA Handelsgesellschaft: IGEFA is a German group of hygiene, cleaning, and catering supply wholesalers serving SMB and enterprise customers. Directly comparable to Brod as a multi-brand hygiene distributor with similar customer verticals, product range, and channel mix.

Broad incumbents

• Lyreco: Lyreco is a major European distributor of workplace and hygiene supplies to businesses. Comparable to Brod in distributing paper hygiene and cleaning products to enterprise and SMB customers, though at substantially larger scale and pan-European scope.
• CWS Hygiene (Haniel): CWS is a European provider of washroom hygiene, mat, and workwear services. Comparable to Brod in serving the same end-customer need (operational hygiene) but at much larger scale and with a rental/service model layered on top of consumables.
• Metsä Tissue: Metsä Tissue is one of Europe's largest tissue and hygiene paper producers (parent of the Katrin brand Brod resells). Comparable to Brod as both a competing manufacturer of hygiene paper and a key upstream supplier whose products flow through Brod's distribution.
• WEPA Industrieholding: WEPA is a major European manufacturer of hygiene paper products (toilet paper, hand towels, tissue) headquartered in Germany. Listed both as a Brod product partner and a competitor, WEPA operates at industrial scale while Brod operates as a regional converter and reseller.
• Celtex: Celtex is an Italian manufacturer of tissue, airlaid, and nonwoven hygiene products serving the European professional market. Comparable to Brod as both a converter of airlaid/cellulose substrates and a brand supplier whose products Brod resells.
• Essity (Tork): Essity's Tork brand is a global leader in professional hygiene paper and dispensers. Comparable to Brod as a direct competitor in folded hand towels, toilet paper, and industrial wiping products for the same enterprise and HoReCa customer base.

Regional players

• TEMCA: TEMCA is a German manufacturer of hygiene paper and cleaning supplies (industrial wipes, paper rolls). Listed as a Brod product partner and directly comparable as a regional producer of overlapping substrate products (airlaid, nonwoven wipes).
• Hagleitner Hygiene: Austrian family-owned manufacturer and direct distributor of professional hygiene products across the DACH region. Closely comparable to Brod in business model (own-brand hygiene manufacture plus direct B2B distribution to HoReCa, healthcare, and industry) and regional focus.

Emerging players

• Katrin (Metsä brand): Katrin is the professional hygiene brand of Metsä Tissue, focused on dispensers and consumables for washrooms. Comparable to Brod because Brod explicitly resells Katrin dispensers and products, putting the two into direct customer overlap in the same German accounts.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/brod-betriebshygiene
• Instagraminstagram.com/hygiene.rheinmain

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Brod