ERBACHER the food family

What ERBACHER the food family does

ERBACHER the food family is a third-generation, privately held German family business headquartered in Kleinheubach, Lower Franconia, founded in 1941 by Joseph and Pauline Erbacher as a feed lime producer under the Josera name. The company has evolved into a multi-brand nutrition group organized around three core sectors: pet food (dogs, cats, horses) under the Josera brand; agricultural products including mineral feeds for beef, veal, pig, and silage under Josera Agrar and FarmChamps; and human food including spelt-based muesli and snacks under the ERBACHER Dinkelprodukte and foodforplanet brands. The portfolio comprises seven brands, with Josera being the most internationally recognized, and products are distributed to nearly 90 markets globally through a direct B2B sales model.

The company operates production facilities in Germany (Kleinheubach) and Poland (Nowy Tomyśl, including a new 40,000 m² pet food factory opened in 2025), a logistics hub in Ukraine (Lviv, established 2008), and an office and foundation presence in Tanzania (Dar es Salaam). It maintains an accredited in-house research laboratory and pilot plant (Technikum) for quality monitoring and product development from raw materials through finished output. The business is supported by a workforce of more than 1,000 employees across international locations, with operations structured through wholly owned subsidiaries including Josera GmbH, Josera Petfood GmbH, foodforplanet GmbH, Josera Polska Sp. z o.o., and Josera Petfood Sp. z o.o. The non-profit ERBACHER Foundation, established in 1989, supports roughly 650 development projects in Tanzania, Uganda, and India focused on rural agriculture and food systems.

Revenue is generated through one-time product sales of premium nutrition products across the three segments, with no disclosed pricing, subscription, or licensing model. Distribution relies on direct B2B sales, third-party logistics partners (B+S Alzenau, Teamlog GmbH), and digital time-slot booking systems (SyncroSupply, Platbricks, CargoClix) at production and warehouse locations. The company is privately held by the Erbacher family with no institutional investors, public listing, or disclosed funding rounds, and no revenue figures are publicly available. Certifications include ISO 9001-implied laboratory accreditation, GDPR compliance, and a published Code of Conduct aligned with EU supply chain compliance requirements.

Name

ERBACHER the food family

Legal name

ERBACHER the food family

Website

https://food.family

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ERBACHER the food family is a third-generation German family-owned nutrition group producing premium pet food (Josera), agricultural feed, and human food across seven brands, distributing to nearly 90 markets via direct B2B sales from facilities in Germany, Poland, Ukraine, and Tanzania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Nutrition and Food Products

NAICS

Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing (311111), Animal Food Manufacturing (31111)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Kibble (Dog & Cat) (CRADAFAA)

Keywords

• Pet food products
• Animal feed
• Livestock nutrition
• Spelt food products
• Premium animal nutrition

Headquarters

HQ city

Kleinheubach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pet Food: Production and sale of premium pet food products under brands including Josera for dogs, cats, and horses.
2. Agricultural Products: Nutrition products for beef, veal, pig, and silage sectors.
3. Human Food: Food products for human consumption, including products based on spelt and other ingredients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ERBACHER the food family manufactures and sells premium nutrition products across three sectors: pet food (Josera brand for dogs, cats, horses), agricultural products (Josera Agrar and FarmChamps for beef, veal, pig, and silage livestock), and human food (foodforplanet B2B nutrition concepts and ERBACHER Dinkelprodukte spelt-based muesli and snacks). The company produces through facilities in Germany and Poland and supplies products to nearly 90 markets worldwide.

Product overview

ERBACHER the food family operates as a multi-brand portfolio company organized around three core nutrition sectors: pet food (with brands Josera and Josera Petfood), agricultural products (Josera Agrar, FarmChamps for livestock nutrition including beef, veal, pig, and silage), and human food (foodforplanet, ERBACHER Dinkelprodukte). The portfolio comprises seven brands with Josera being the most recognizable. The company also operates the ERBACHER Foundation for development projects. The product architecture follows a brand-centric model where different legal entities (Josera GmbH, Josera Petfood GmbH, Josera Polska Sp. z o.o., foodforplanet GmbH, etc.) manage specific brand portfolios. The company emphasizes future-oriented production with an accredited research laboratory and quality monitoring across all production facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Josera: Most recognizable brand of ERBACHER the food family, producing pet food for dogs, cats, and horses.

Products and services

• Josera Pet Food Premium pet food products for dogs, cats, and horses sold under the Josera brand, the company's most recognizable label, built on more than 80 years of animal nutrition expertise. Targeted at pet owners via B2B distribution to retailers and specialty channels.
• Josera Petfood (Specialized Companion Animal Nutrition) Specialized pet food offering operated through Josera Petfood GmbH and Josera Petfood Sp. z o.o., focused exclusively on companion animal nutrition. Targeted at pet food buyers across European and global markets.
• Josera Agrar (Agricultural Mineral Feeds) Agricultural products division offering mineral feeds and nutritional solutions for beef cattle, veal, pigs, and silage production. Sold to livestock farmers, feed dealers, and agricultural cooperatives.
• FarmChamps Agricultural Nutrition

Quantifiable outcome

• Products supplied to nearly 90 markets worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• atarax corporate groupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIndependent trust center handling the company's whistleblower system. Manages reporting of suspected cases, compliance investigations, and data protection oversight. Provides multilingual reporting capabilities and ensures GDPR compliance.
• B+S AlzenauminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLogistics partner at Industriegebiet Süd D09, Alzenau, handling warehousing and distribution operations.
• Teamlog GmbH Spedition & LogistikminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLogistics partner at Großostheim handling packaged raw materials transportation and delivery coordination.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bosch Tiernahrung GmbH & Co. KG: German family-owned premium pet food producer for dogs, cats, and horses with strong DACH retail presence. Directly competes with Josera in the German premium pet food category and shares the family-business DNA.
• Saturn Petcare GmbH: European leader in private-label pet food manufacturing with production in Germany and the Netherlands. Directly comparable to Josera Petfood's co-manufacturing and B2B positioning, serving retail chains with both dry and wet formats at scale.
• BEWITAL petfood GmbH & Co. KG: German premium pet food manufacturer (bewital, agriVITAL brands) producing dry food, wet food, and treats for dogs and cats. Closest mid-sized German peer to ERBACHER's Josera Petfood segment, competing on quality, specialty nutrition, and European private-label/private-brand manufacturing.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill Animal Nutrition: Global agribusiness division producing animal feed and nutrition solutions across livestock species. Comparable to ERBACHER's Josera Agrar and FarmChamps mineral feed business but at vastly greater global scale and with commodity-feed exposure.
• Alltech Inc. Global animal nutrition company producing premixes, feed additives, and specialty ingredients for livestock and companion animals. Comparable to ERBACHER's specialty mineral-feed focus (Josera Agrar) and its emphasis on quality and accredited laboratory capability.
• Mars Petcare: World's largest pet food company (Royal Canin, Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba) and the dominant incumbent in premium pet nutrition. Sets the competitive benchmark for Josera in the European premium segment and across nearly 90 export markets ERBACHER serves.
• Nestlé Purina PetCare: Global pet care division of Nestlé, second-largest pet food company worldwide (Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Friskies). Competes with Josera across mass and premium tiers and represents the scale benchmark ERBACHER is unlikely to match organically.
• Nutreco N.V. Global animal nutrition leader (Trouw Nutrition, Skretting) producing feed for livestock, aquaculture, and companion animals. Larger incumbent spanning agricultural feed and specialty nutrition, comparable to ERBACHER's combined Josera Agrar and Josera Petfood footprint at much greater scale.
• Hill's Pet Nutrition: Science-led pet food brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive, focused on therapeutic and specialty diets. Comparable to Josera's premium/quality positioning and competes in veterinary and specialty retail channels in Europe.

Emerging players

• Dechra Pharmaceuticals / Dechra Veterinary Products: Specialty veterinary pharmaceutical and nutrition company producing therapeutic diets and specialty animal health products. Comparable overlap with Josera's premium/specialty pet nutrition positioning in the European veterinary channel, though focused on pharmaceuticals-adjacent categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries9 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 ERBACHER the food family