Freeze-Dry Foods

What Freeze-Dry Foods does

Freeze-Dry Foods GmbH is a German B2B supplier of freeze-dried and air-dried food ingredients, headquartered in Greven, Germany, and operating as a core subsidiary of THRIVE FREEZEDRY since 2023. Founded in 1978 by the Groneweg family on a heritage dating back to 1950s freeze-dried coffee innovation, the company produces premium ingredients spanning fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, superfoods, cheese, candy, drops, and cnusper — both conventional and organic — for the modern food industry. Core technology centers on lyophilisation (freeze-drying) preserving 100% natural flavor, aroma, and nutrients, complemented by air-drying and secondary refinement (coating, cutting, grinding, mixing) at one of Europe's most modern facilities in Greven.

The business operates a horizontal B2B model serving 700+ customers — from start-ups and SMEs to large food manufacturers — through a dedicated field sales organization with named account managers across Europe, Global Accounts, and Foodservice verticals. Revenue derives from one-time ingredient sales, co-manufacturing and private label contract drying, refinement services, and a Food Startup Accelerator Program that supports new brands from product idea to retail entry. Distribution spans 14+ production and sales sites across Germany, USA, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, and China, with go-to-market channels including major food industry trade fairs (Food Ingredients Europe), a free Taste Box sampling program, and direct enterprise field sales.

The company maintains a comprehensive quality and compliance posture with FSSC 22000, IFS Food, Organic, Halal, Kosher, and SMETA certifications, and pursues sustainability initiatives including 98% recyclable packaging and circular economy partnerships. Strategic positioning emphasizes clean-label, long-shelf-life ingredients aligned with consumer trends in healthy snacking, outdoor food, plant-based alternatives, and regenerative food.

Name

Freeze-Dry Foods

Legal name

Freeze-Dry Foods GmbH

Website

https://freeze-dry-foods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Freeze-Dry Foods GmbH is a German B2B supplier of premium freeze-dried and air-dried food ingredients — fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, superfoods, and cheese — serving 700+ food manufacturers, brands, and start-ups globally as part of THRIVE FREEZEDRY.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freeze-Dried Food Ingredients

NAICS

Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing (311423), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Dried & Dehydrated Fruit & Vegetables (Freeze-Dried, Air-Dried, Powders) (AFAKAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dried & Dehydrated Foods Manufacturing (AFAKACAK)

Keywords

• Freeze-dried ingredients
• Air-dried ingredients
• Food ingredient supply
• Private label co-manufacturing
• Food processing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Greven

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Freeze-Dried Ingredients: Supply of premium freeze-dried and air-dried ingredients (fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, superfoods, cheese, cnusper, drops, candy) to food manufacturers, brands, and start-ups for use in their product formulations. Ingredients are sold in conventional and organic quality.
2. Co-Manufacturing / Private Label: Contract freeze-drying and processing services for private label brands and bespoke solutions, including organic products. The company provides end-to-end services from drying to packaging.
3. Refinement Services: Additional value-added processing including coating, cutting, grinding into powder, and mixing to create bespoke ingredient formats for food manufacturers.
4. Accelerator Program Services: Support services for food start-ups including ingredient sourcing, innovation support, R&D, co-manufacturing, packaging, and market access (retail entry) as part of the accelerator programme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Freeze-Dry Foods produces and supplies premium freeze-dried and air-dried food ingredients (fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, superfoods, cheese, drops, candy, cnusper) in conventional and organic quality to food industry manufacturers, brands, and start-ups. The company also offers co-manufacturing/contract drying, refinement services (coating, cutting, grinding, mixing), and a Food Start-up Accelerator Program supporting young brands from product idea to retail.

Product overview

Freeze-Dry Foods operates as a B2B ingredients supplier for the modern food industry, offering freeze-dried and air-dried premium ingredients across multiple product categories including vegetables, herbs & spices, superfoods, fruits, drops, candy, cnusper, and cheese. The company provides a vertically integrated service offering that extends from ingredient sourcing and drying (via freeze-drying and air-drying technologies) through refinement services (coating, cutting, grinding, mixing) to co-manufacturing and private label solutions. Additional services include a Taste Box sample program for product developers and a dedicated Food Startup Accelerator Program to support emerging food brands. The product portfolio is marketed under the Freeze-Dry Foods brand and the Paradiesfrucht (Paradise Fruits Freeze Dried) sub-brand, both operating under the THRIVE FREEZEDRY parent company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freeze-Dried Vegetables Freeze-dried vegetable ingredients for the food industry, processed in various cuts and shapes to meet specific recipe requirements. Available in conventional and organic quality for use in soups, sauces, ready meals, and snack applications.
• Freeze-Dried Herbs & Spices Premium freeze-dried herbs and spices with full aroma retention, available in conventional and organic quality, serving as the company's leading product category (self-described World's No. 1).
• Freeze-Dried Superfoods Freeze-dried superfood ingredients marketed as power packs for healthy lifestyle products, available in conventional and organic quality.
• Freeze-Dried Fruits Freeze-dried fruit ingredients in various cuts, suitable for muesli, bars, snacks, and other food applications. Available in conventional and organic quality.
• Freeze-Dried Drops Freeze-dried fruit drops designed for smoothie applications and beverage innovations, with bespoke flavours developed by the in-house R&D team.
• Freeze-Dried Candy Freeze-dried confectionery and candy products offering crunchy textures and intense flavours for the sweets market.
• Cnusper Freeze-Dried Freeze-dried cnusper (crunchies) ingredients for snack and other food applications.
• Freeze-Dried Cheese Freeze-dried cheese ingredients for the food industry, processed with the same gentle freeze-drying technology as other products.
• Air-Dried Ingredients Air-dried food ingredients produced using sun-drying and industrial belt/tray drying methods, providing a cost-effective alternative to freeze-drying with long shelf life and natural aroma retention.
• Co-Manufacturing & Contract Drying Private label contract drying services, including freeze-drying and air-drying capabilities, plus professional packaging services for bespoke food processing solutions, including organic products.
• Refinement Services Post-drying processing including coating with natural agents (oils, maltodextrins, cocoa butter), cutting to custom shapes, grinding into powder, and custom mixing of ingredients.
• Taste Box Sample Service Free sample box service for product developers, buyers, and marketers in the food industry, with three variants: Sweet (10 fruits), Veggie Style (10 vegetables + herbs), and Mixed Combi.
• Food Start-up Accelerator Program Structured 5-phase accelerator program supporting young food industry founders with ingredients expertise, innovation development, freeze-drying capabilities, packaging solutions, and access to food retail markets, from application to market launch.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of packaging material is completely recyclable, with all cardboard boxes and trays FSC-certified and containing at least 70% recycled paper.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Paradiesfrucht GmbH (Paradise Fruits Freeze Dried)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Since 2024, Paradiesfrucht GmbH (Paradise Fruits Freeze Dried) has been part of THRIVE FREEZEDRY alongside Freeze-Dry Foods. Both companies operate under the THRIVE FREEZEDRY umbrella, with Freeze-Dry Foods specialising in freeze-dried herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and superfoods, while Paradise Fruits focuses on freeze-dried specialty ingredients. Together they offer the widest portfolio of freeze-dried ingredients serving the European food industry.
• THRIVE FREEZEDRYcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Since 2023, Freeze-Dry Foods has been part of THRIVE FREEZEDRY, the self-described world leader in freeze-drying. THRIVE FREEZEDRY operates 14+ sites across Europe, USA, Latin America, and Asia with more than 2,700 employees. This parent company relationship provides Freeze-Dry Foods with global scale, shared technology, and strategic direction as part of the world's largest freeze-drying group.
• SEDEX / SMETAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreeze-Dry Foods is a member of SEDEX and SMETA certified, which stands for responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is one of the most widely used audit procedures for responsible supply chain management.
• Marketplace for SurplusesminorOthersThe company participates in the 'Marketplace for Surpluses' initiative, making stocks of raw materials that exceed required quantities or can no longer be used in production available to other companies, contributing to food waste reduction and circular economy principles.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Van Drunen Farms: US-based contract manufacturer and supplier of freeze-dried fruit, vegetable, and herb ingredients to food, beverage, and supplement companies. Comparable scale, product mix (organic and conventional), and B2B ingredient focus.
• Mercer Foods: US freeze-dried ingredient manufacturer producing fruit, vegetable, dairy, and protein ingredients for food manufacturers. Direct competitor in the contract-drying/private-label lyophilisation space that Freeze-Dry Foods competes for globally.
• Harmony House Foods: US freeze-dried fruit, vegetable, and herb ingredient supplier to food manufacturers and private-label accounts. Comparable product mix and contract-manufacturing services.
• European Freeze Dry (EFD): UK-headquartered B2B supplier of freeze-dried ingredients to food manufacturers across Europe and beyond. Most direct competitor to Freeze-Dry Foods, offering similar lyophilised fruit, vegetable, and herb ingredients into the same food-industry customer base.
• Chaucer Foods: UK-based freeze-dried fruit, vegetable, and ingredient supplier serving food manufacturers with conventional and organic SKUs. Overlapping product portfolio and customer base with Freeze-Dry Foods in the European B2B channel.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global agricultural and food-ingredients conglomerate with deep food-manufacturer relationships. Serves the same B2B food-industry customer base across many of the same categories (ingredients, flavours, sweeteners) but at vastly broader scale and portfolio breadth.
• Döhler Group: German-headquartered, family-owned supplier of natural ingredients, flavours, and compound systems for food and beverages. A broader incumbent overlapping with Freeze-Dry Foods in ingredient supply, though with a wider portfolio beyond freeze-drying.
• ADM: Global food-ingredients and nutrition major serving food and beverage manufacturers with flavours, colours, and specialty ingredients. Wide-portfolio competitor rather than a freeze-dry specialist, overlapping at the customer level.
• Sensient Technologies: Global supplier of flavours, colours, and food/beverage ingredients to industrial customers. Overlaps with Freeze-Dry Foods in the B2B specialty-ingredient space but with a broader technology base and listed-company scale.

Emerging players

• Saraf Foods: India-based freeze-dried ingredient supplier focused on fruits, vegetables, and spices for food and nutraceutical manufacturers. A emerging, lower-cost alternative competing for global B2B ingredient volume.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freeze-dry-foods-com
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Freeze-Dry Foods