Crown Strength

What Crown Strength does

Crown Strength operates as Kröner-Stärke GmbH, a privately held, family-controlled wheat starch manufacturer headquartered in Ibbenbüren, Germany. The company's core technology is a physical, water-based separation process that divides wheat flour into its principal components — starch and gluten — and extends this into native starches, pregelatinized starches, pregelatinized flours, gluten and protein concentrates, customized blends, textured wheat proteins (VTex) for vegan and meat-alternative applications, gluten-free variants, spelt-based products, and organic-certified lines. Production runs at a single site processing hundreds of thousands of kilograms of flour daily, delivered in 25,000 kg silo trucks, bagged goods, or BigBags to customers in 27 countries (EU plus USA). The company is operationally integrated with its own biogas plant and combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which convert wheat processing residues into CO2-neutral electricity and heat for internal use and the public grid.

The business model is B2B ingredient supply under quote-based pricing across three horizontal end markets: Food (primary), Feed (primary), and Non-Food industrial applications (paper, textiles, construction). Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supported by an international sales network, a website with downloadable product documentation and certificates, and a portfolio of third-party validations spanning food safety (FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, EFISC), energy management (ISO 50001), religious dietary compliance (Kosher, Halal), US market access (FDA registration), and multiple organic standards (Bio-EU KbA, Naturland, BIOSUISSE, Bioland). Ownership sits with three Managing Directors — Dr.-Ing. Götz Kröner, Henrik de Vries, and Michael Termöllen — and the company has no disclosed external investors, parent entities, or subsidiaries. Strategic emphasis is on sustainability (CO2-neutral energy from process residues), delivery reliability, customized product development, and multi-generational manufacturing expertise rather than on rapid scale or capital-markets activity.

Name

Crown Strength

Legal name

Kröner-Starke GmbH

Website

https://www.kroener-staerke.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crown Strength is a food and beverage company that manufactures organic and agglomerated products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wheat Starch Manufacturing

NAICS

Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122), Grain and Oilseed Milling (3112)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Native Starches & Flours (Corn, Potato, Tapioca, Wheat, Rice) (AFAJABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Modified Food Starches (Acetylated, Crosslinked, Pregelatinized, Dextrins) (AFAJABAA), Starch-Based Thickeners (Native & Modified Starches, Dextrins) (AFAJAMAA)

Keywords

• Wheat starch manufacturing
• Food ingredients supply
• Pregelatinized starches
• Wheat gluten protein
• Industrial starch applications

Headquarters

HQ city

Ibbenbüren

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Crown Strength (Kröner-Stärke GmbH) manufactures wheat starch and related wheat-based ingredients through water-based physical separation of flour into starch and gluten fractions. Its portfolio spans native and pregelatinized starches, pregelatinized flours, gluten/protein products, texturates, blends, spelt products, flakes, gluten-free lines, and organic-certified variants, sold to food, feed, and non-food/industrial customers.

Product overview

Kröner-Stärke GmbH is a modern wheat starch manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of starch-based products organized across three main segments: Food (including Native Starches, Pregelatinized Starches, Pregelatinized Flours, Gluten/Protein, Texturates, Blends, Spelt Products, Flakes, Gluten Free Products, and Organic Products), Feed (animal nutrition products), and Non-Food (industrial applications). The core product is wheat starch, with additional offerings in organic-certified variants. The company also provides VTex® texturates for vegan meat alternatives and operates its own biogas and power plant for sustainable production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Starch Product Portfolio (Native Starches, Pregelatinized Starches, Pregelatinized Flours, Gluten/Protein, Texturates, Blends, Spelt Products, Flakes, Gluten-Free, Organic)
• Feed Products
• Non-Food Industrial Starch Products

Quantifiable outcome

• Twice yearly production pauses for maintenance ensure equipment reliability

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avebe: Dutch cooperative producing potato starch and plant-based proteins, with growing focus on texturates for meat alternatives. Comparable in specialty starch/protein ingredients and B2B food-industry customer base.
• Roquette: French global leader in starch, polyols, and plant-based proteins, with major wheat and pea processing operations. Direct competitor to Kröner-Stärke in wheat starch, gluten, and texturate ingredients for food and industrial markets.
• AGRANA: Austrian producer of starch from corn, wheat, and potatoes serving food, feed, and industrial customers. Directly comparable in wheat starch and gluten product lines, with similar B2B ingredient focus.
• Emsland Group: German privately held starch manufacturer specializing in potato and wheat starch derivatives, including native and modified starches. Closest geographic and product-line competitor to Kröner-Stärke.
• Tereos: French cooperative producing wheat and corn starch, sweeteners, and proteins for food, feed, and industrial markets. Direct competitor with comparable wheat starch product lines and similar European customer base.
• Südstärke (Südzucker Group): German starch subsidiary of Südzucker, producing wheat starch and gluten for food and industrial applications. Comparable German-headquartered wheat starch producer with overlapping product portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global agricultural giant with significant starch and sweetener operations across multiple feedstocks. Overlaps with Kröner-Stärke in industrial starch and food ingredients but operates at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• Ingredion: US-headquartered global ingredient supplier producing specialty starches, sweeteners, and plant-based proteins. Comparable in starch and clean-label ingredient offerings, with broader geographic and product reach.
• ADM (Archer Daniels Midland): Global agricultural processor and food ingredient supplier with significant wheat-starch and protein operations (e.g., ADM's European starch business). Competes broadly in industrial and food-grade starch markets.
• Tate & Lyle: Global ingredient supplier focused on specialty starches, sweeteners, and texturants for food and industrial customers. Overlaps with Kröner-Stärke in modified starch and clean-label ingredient categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kroenerstaerke
• Facebookfacebook.com/kroenerstaerke

Compliance10 records

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 Crown Strength