Herbafood
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersWerder, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Herbafood does
Herbafood Ingredients GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer of multifunctional food ingredients of plant origin, founded in 1980 in Neuenbürg as a subsidiary of the former Pektin-Fabrik Hermann Herbstreith KG and relocated in 1993 to its current headquarters and production site in Werder (Havel), Brandenburg. The company is a member of the H&F Group and a wholly owned subsidiary of Herbstreith & Fox GmbH & Co. KG, operating as a family-owned private limited company (GmbH) with 51-100 employees and no external institutional funding, public listing, or recorded M&A activity.
The company's core technology is the upcycling of fruit pomace from the juice industry and by-products from pectin production into high-value functional ingredients, including citrus fibers (Herbacel AQ Plus), apple fibers (Herbacel AQ AFB-200, AFB-250, Herbacel Classic), oat fibers (Herbacel Classic Plus), naturally coloring apple extracts (Herbarom), and low-viscosity apple pectins (Herbapekt LV, APE). These multifunctional ingredients deliver water binding, emulsification, texturization, stabilization, viscosity control, fiber enrichment, and fat/sugar/salt reduction capabilities, and are declared as 'citrus fiber', 'apple fiber', 'apple extract', and 'oat fiber' to support Clean Label formulations across dairy, dairy alternatives, meat and meat alternatives, bakery, beverages, delicatessen/sauces, instant foods, ice cream, and fruit preparations.
Herbafood operates a direct B2B sales model selling proprietary branded ingredients to food industry manufacturers, supported by a global network of sales partners active in more than 30 countries. Revenue is generated through one-time sales of proprietary ingredients rather than licensing, with application-technical consulting as a key conversion lever. Go-to-market relies on the company website, downloadable technical sales flyers, email newsletter (Brevo), social media presence, and participation in major food industry trade shows (Fi Europe, Intrafood). The company holds FSSC 22000 food safety certification, ISO 50001 energy management, Halal, KLBD Kosher, and FDA registrations, supporting qualification with multinational food manufacturer procurement systems.
Herbafood firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Herbafood
- Legal name
- Herbafood Ingredients GmbH
- Website
- https://herbafood.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Herbafood industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Ingredients
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Spice and Extract Manufacturing (311942)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Byproduct & Co-Product Processing (Pomace Valorization, Fiber, Extracts, Animal Feed) (AFAKAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients for Food Manufacturing (Diced, Slices, Fillings, Toppings) (AFAKAFAI)
Keywords
Where Herbafood is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Werder
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Herbafood business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- B2B Ingredient Sales: Herbafood sells functional food ingredients (fibers, pectins, apple extracts) directly to food manufacturers as B2B raw material supplier. Revenue is generated through sale of proprietary branded ingredients for use in food production across diverse applications.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Herbafood product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Herbafood Ingredients GmbH manufactures and supplies multifunctional food ingredients of plant origin, including citrus fibers, apple fibers, oat fibers, coloring apple extracts, and pectins. The company produces these ingredients through upcycling of fruit pomace from the juice industry and by-products of pectin manufacturing, selling them as B2B raw materials to food industry manufacturers for clean label and reformulation applications.
Product overview
Herbafood Ingredients is a German manufacturer of functional food ingredients specializing in plant-based fibers, pectins, and apple extracts. The core product portfolio includes Herbacel® AQ® Plus Citrus (multifunctional citrus fiber for texturizing and emulsification), Herbacel® AQ® AFB-200 and AFB-250 (high-functional apple fibers for water binding and texturizing), Herbacel® Classic and Classic Plus (standard fiber products for enrichment), Herbarom® (coloring apple extract for natural brown shades), and Herbapekt® LV and APE (low-viscosity and extract pectins for gelling and health benefits). These ingredients serve food industry applications including dairy, meat alternatives, beverages, baked goods, and vegan products, enabling clean label formulations with functional benefits like fat/sugar reduction, texturizing, and stabilization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HERBACEL®: Brand for functional and dietary fibers including citrus fiber and apple fiber products.
- HERBAROM®
- HERBASWEET®
- HERBA CUISINE
- APFELCHOLEST
- Herbapekt®
- Herba ComBind®
Products and services
- Herbacel AQ Plus Citrus Fiber Multifunctional citrus fiber with emulsifying capability and very high water-binding capacity. Used by food manufacturers for texturizing, stabilizing, viscosity adjustment, and clean label declarations as 'citrus fiber' in dairy products, meat alternatives, beverages, baked goods, and vegan applications.
- Herbacel AQ AFB-200 Apple Fiber Functional apple fiber providing high water binding capacity and golden-brown color tone. Supports texturizing in baked goods, meat alternatives, and provides anti-caking properties for confectionary and fruit pieces.
- Herbacel AQ AFB-250 Apple Fiber High-functional apple fiber with exceptional water binding capacity and excellent cold swelling properties. Color-neutral variant suitable for applications requiring bright appearance, used alongside starches, citrus fiber, and gums.
- Herbacel Classic Apple and Citrus Fiber Apple and citrus fiber with 50-70% dietary fiber content. Suitable for fiber enrichment with balanced soluble/insoluble fiber ratio and moderate water-binding capacity. Labeled as 'apple fiber' or 'citrus fiber'.
- Herbacel Classic Plus Oat Fiber Oat fiber with 70-90% insoluble dietary fiber content (cellulose and hemicellulose). Neutral taste with low to medium water-binding capacity. Finely ground white to cream colored powder labeled as 'oat fiber'.
- Herbarom Coloring Apple Extract Natural coloring and flavoring apple extract providing golden-yellow to dark-brown shades. Used for clean label brown coloring in meat alternatives, meat products, BBQ sauces, and savory products. Declared as 'apple extract'.
- Herbapekt LV Low-Viscosity Apple Pectin Low-viscosity apple pectin with high fiber content. Provides positive regulating effects on blood cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Used for fiber enrichment and viscosity control in beverages and instant products.
- Herbapekt APE Apple Pectin Extract Apple pectin extract for gelling and viscosity build-up. Used in fruit preparations, bake-stable applications, and compotes. Works in combination with H&F pectins for low-calorie bake-stable fruit preparations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Citrus fibers enable shear and heat stable emulsions with fat content from 5% to 50% without animal ingredients
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Herbafood
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Herbafood technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Herbafood partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- H&F GroupcoreHerbafood Ingredients GmbH is a member of the H&F Group and a subsidiary of Herbstreith & Fox GmbH & Co. KG in Neuenbürg. The H&F Group provides shared corporate services, policy frameworks (quality, food safety, energy, OH&S), and strategic oversight. Herbafood operates as a specialized ingredient production unit within this family-run corporate structure.
- Herbstreith & Fox GmbH & Co. KGcoreHerbstreith & Fox is the parent company of Herbafood Ingredients GmbH, founded in 1980 as Herbafood Nahrungsmittel GmbH as a subsidiary of the former Pektin-Fabrik Hermann Herbstreith KG. The parent company specializes in pectins and provides shared corporate governance and brand development for Herbafood.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Herbafood competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Agrana: Austrian-based fruit, starch, and sugar group producing fruit preparations, fruit juice concentrates, and pectin-based ingredients. Identified in market research as a key player in the same dried apple pomace ingredient segment as Herbafood, with directly overlapping apple and citrus ingredient offerings.
- Döhler: German-based B2B manufacturer of natural ingredients, flavors, and fruit-based systems for the food and beverage industry. Identified in the same market research as a key player in the dried apple pomace ingredient segment alongside Herbafood, with overlapping fruit-derived ingredient portfolios.
- J. Rettenmaier & Söhne: German manufacturer of natural fibers (including apple, citrus, oat, and cellulose fibers) for food, nutrition, and industrial applications. Directly comparable to Herbafood's Herbacel fiber range as a fiber specialist serving the same food industry customers.
- CP Kelco: Global leader in pectin production and specialty hydrocolloids, with a citrus fiber portfolio (Kelco-Cel) directly comparable to Herbafood's Herbacel AQ Plus. Both serve food manufacturers with multifunctional texturizing and stabilizing ingredients for clean label and reformulation applications.
- Fiberstar: U.S.-based specialist in upcycled citrus and apple fiber ingredients (Citri-Fi) for food, pet food, and personal care applications. Highly comparable to Herbafood as a focused fiber specialist using pomace-derived raw materials for multifunctional clean label ingredients.
Broad incumbents
- Cargill: Global agricultural commodity and food ingredient major with extensive pectin, fiber, and texturant offerings. Provides similar functional food ingredients to the same multinational food manufacturer customers as Herbafood, but at much greater scale and with broader portfolio depth.
- DSM-Firmenich: Global ingredient company combining nutrition, health, and taste/ingredients businesses. Offers food solutions overlapping with Herbafood's applications, particularly in plant-based proteins, dairy alternatives, and natural color systems, at significantly larger R&D and commercial scale.
- Ingredion: Major specialty ingredient producer with texturizing solutions, fibers, and clean label systems for food manufacturers. Competes with Herbafood in multifunctional fiber and stabilization applications through its portfolio of starch- and fiber-based ingredients.
- Tate & Lyle: Global food ingredient major offering a broad portfolio of texturants, fibers, and clean label solutions. Operates in the same clean label and sugar/fat reduction reformulation space as Herbafood, but at significantly larger scale and with a much broader ingredient portfolio.
- Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company supplying food and beverage manufacturers with ingredients and functional systems. Competes with Herbafood in clean label, texturizing, and natural ingredient applications, though with a substantially broader portfolio of flavors, proteins, and functional ingredients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Herbafood social profiles
Digital presenceHerbafood compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Herbafood financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Herbafood leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Herbafood funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Herbafood 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 Herbafood
What does Herbafood do?
Herbafood Ingredients GmbH manufactures and supplies multifunctional food ingredients of plant origin, including citrus fibers, apple fibers, oat fibers, coloring apple extracts, and pectins. The company produces these ingredients through upcycling of fruit pomace from the juice industry and by-products of pectin manufacturing, selling them as B2B raw materials to food industry manufacturers for clean label and reformulation applications.
Is Herbafood a public or private company?
Herbafood is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Herbafood founded?
Herbafood was founded in 1980. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Herbafood based?
Herbafood is headquartered in Werder, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Herbafood make money?
One revenue line is on record: B2B Ingredient Sales.
Who are Herbafood's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Agrana, Döhler, J. Rettenmaier & Söhne, CP Kelco and Fiberstar. Broad incumbents are Cargill, DSM-Firmenich, Ingredion, Tate & Lyle and Kerry Group.
Does Herbafood have an API?
No public API is recorded for Herbafood.
What industry is Herbafood in?
Herbafood's product category is Food Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAFAK, Byproduct & Co-Product Processing (Pomace Valorization, Fiber, Extracts, Animal Feed), with a secondary code of AFAKAFAI, Fruit & Vegetable Ingredients for Food Manufacturing (Diced, Slices, Fillings, Toppings). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2000.