Dosk

What Dosk does

Dosk (Deutsches Obstsorten Konsortium GmbH) is a German consortium founded in 2003 that serves as the central licensing body for branded apple and pear varieties in Germany. It acts as a B2B intermediary between variety owners and the German producer, distribution, and retail trade, issuing cultivation, distribution, and packing-house licences for each of its five club varieties — FRÄULEIN, SweeTango, Kissabel, Rockit, and xenia — with FRÄULEIN launched in fall 2020 and xenia added to extend the portfolio into pears. The organization itself operates as a small private limited company (GmbH) with 1-10 employees, headquartered in Hollern-Twielenfleth, and is led by Managing Director Andreas Berg.

Dosk's eight member producer organizations — Norddeutsche Apfel AG, Elbe-Obst, ELO, OGM, WOG, VEOS, Landfrische, and Marktgemeinschaft Bodensee — together deliver more than 500,000 tons of fruit annually, providing the volume channel through which Dosk's licensed varieties are commercialized. The consortium protects its portfolio through plant variety rights and plant patent protection, segmenting rights across the value chain so that propagation, packing, and distribution each require separate licences.

The business model is royalty-based and contractually segmented: Dosk monetizes each variety through separate licences issued per licensee (cultivation, distribution, packing house), generating recurring revenue tied to the licensed volumes flowing through the member cooperatives. Operations are confined to Germany. Technology is limited to a tree management system and information platform maintained in partnership with AMI (Agrarmarkt Informations-GmbH), supporting digital documentation across the network rather than any disclosed AI or analytics capability.

Name

Dosk

Legal name

Deutsches Obst-Sorten Konsortium GmbH

Website

https://dosk.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dosk (Deutsches Obstsorten Konsortium GmbH) is a German B2B licensing consortium that issues cultivation, distribution, and packing-house licences for five club apple and pear varieties through eight member producer organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hollern

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cultivation Licenses: DOSK grants cultivation licenses for new or interesting fruit varieties to growers within the eight member producer organizations.
2. Distribution Licenses: DOSK issues distribution licenses for each apple brand to food retail trade, wholesale markets, weekly markets, and farm stores. Revenue derived from sales- or volume-based royalties.
3. Packing House Licenses: Licenses issued for packing house operations related to the various apple brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DOSK is a German consortium of eight producer organizations that manages fruit variety licensing and brand rights for the German market. It grants cultivation licenses, packing house licenses, and distribution licenses for branded apple and pear varieties — including its proprietary FRÄULEIN apple and exclusive German rights to SweeTango™, Kissabel®, Rockit®, and xenia® — and coordinates joint marketing, quality control, and an information platform for crop estimates and royalty settlements.

Product overview

DOSK (Deutsches Obstsorten Konsortium GmbH) is a consortium of eight German producer organizations managing fruit variety licensing and distribution. The company serves as both variety and brand owner for proprietary apple varieties (such as GS66/FRÄULEIN) and as a licensing partner for international varieties. The product portfolio comprises five branded fruit products—FRÄULEIN (German apple discovery), SweeTango™ (premium early-season apple), Rockit® (mini snack apple), Kissabel® (red-fleshed apple), and xenia® (sweet pear)—distributed through licensed sales organizations to German retail, wholesale, and farm stores. DOSK coordinates cultivation contracts, manages tree administration, issues cultivation and distribution licenses, and operates a joint information platform with AMI for crop estimates and royalty settlements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fräulein: German apple discovery - a natural apple variety found in the Hildesheimer Börde region, launched in Berlin in fall 2020. Represents regionality, naturalness, and sustainability with a modern, sustainable Zeitgeist.
• SweeTango™
• xenia®
• Kissabel®
• Rockit®

Products and services

• FRÄULEIN Apple Proprietary German apple variety (GS66) discovered as a natural random breeding in the Hildesheimer Börde region. Features a crispy-crunchy texture with balanced sweetness and fresh acidity. Grown across Saxony, Central Baden, Rhineland, Alte Land, and Lake Constance. Licensed to DOSK member producer organizations for cultivation and distribution.
• SweeTango™ Apple

Quantifiable outcome

• 81% consumer approval for juiciness and 86% for crispy-crunchy bite in consumer tests for FRÄULEIN

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• AMI (Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2003DOSK operates a joint information platform with AMI for crop estimates, sales volumes, inventories, and settlement of sales- or volume-based royalties for all apple brands.
• Elbe-Obst Erzeugerorganisation r.V.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium and authorized distributor for FRÄULEIN brand in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• M.AL. Marktgemeinschaft Altes Land Erzeugerorganisation für Obst GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium - producer organization from the Alte Land region.
• ELO Erzeugergroßmarkt Langförden-Oldenburg eGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium - producer organization from Langförden-Oldenburg region.
• VEOS Vertriebsgesellschaft für Obst mbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium and authorized distributor for FRÄULEIN brand in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• Landgard Service GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium and authorized distributor for FRÄULEIN brand in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• OGM Obstgroßmarkt Mittelbaden eGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium and authorized distributor for SweeTango and FRÄULEIN brands in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• WOG Württembergische Obstgenossenschaft Raiffeisen eGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium - producer organization from Ravensburg region.
• MABO Marktgemeinschaft Bodenseeobst eGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of DOSK consortium - producer organization from Bodensee region.
• Elbe-Obst Vertriebsgesellschaft mbHmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for FRÄULEIN brand in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• Faby Fruchtgroßhandel GmbH & Co. KGmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for FRÄULEIN brand in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• Obst vom Bodensee Vertriebsgesellschaft mbHmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for FRÄULEIN brand in grocery retail.
• BayWa Obst GmbH & Co. KGmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for FRÄULEIN brand in wholesale markets.
• Landgard Obst & Gemüse GmbH & Co. KGmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for FRÄULEIN brand in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• Widemann & Späth GmbH & Co. KGmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for FRÄULEIN brand in wholesale markets.
• Obstgroßmarkt Eriskirch Josef Spanagel GmbHmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for xenia brand in wholesale markets.
• Red Apple Germany GmbHmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distribution partner for Rockit brand in grocery retail and wholesale markets.
• BUTTERFISCH Werbeagentur GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWeb design agency responsible for DOSK website design and concept.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• International Fruit Genetics (IFG): IFG develops and licenses proprietary table grape and cherry varieties. Its business model of breeding, branding, and licensing to grower-marketers worldwide is closely comparable to DOSK's apple and pear variety licensing activity.
• SNFL Group (Special New Fruit Licensing): SNFL Group licenses proprietary table grape varieties globally under brands such as IFG and various Sweet Celebration lines. It is comparable to DOSK as a fresh-fruit variety IP holder that issues cultivation and marketing licenses to producer organizations and distributors.
• Bloom Fresh International: Bloom Fresh is a global fruit-breeding and licensing company (table grapes, cherries, apples) that develops proprietary varieties and licenses them to growers worldwide. It mirrors DOSK's role as variety owner and licensor, with similar downstream distribution and royalty economics.
• Sun World International: Sun World International licenses proprietary grape, stonefruit, and other fresh produce varieties globally. It is a direct peer to DOSK in business model: variety IP ownership, cultivation license issuance, and brand-driven distribution with downstream partners.
• ZESPRI International: ZESPRI is the global kiwifruit variety manager and marketer, licensing proprietary kiwifruit cultivars (e.g., SunGold) and orchestrating single-country distribution licenses. Comparable to DOSK as a centralized variety rights and brand manager with licensed producer organizations in key markets.
• Proprietary Variety Management (PVM): PVM manages club apple varieties in the US (e.g., Honeybear/Variety Club brands such as Pazazz, EverCrisp, KORU, Smitten). It is directly comparable to DOSK as a US club-variety rights manager coordinating licensed growers and packers under branded programs.

Others

• Landgard Service GmbH: Landgard is a major German producer-marketing cooperative and one of DOSK's eight member organizations. It is comparable to DOSK as an adjacent distributor channel and consortium participant for branded fresh produce in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Enza Zaden: Enza Zaden is a global vegetable and fruit seed breeder that develops proprietary varieties with brand-managed segments. It is comparable to DOSK as a larger plant-breeding/seed-licensing company whose business model and licensing revenue mechanics are similar.

Regional players

• Next Fruit Generation (NFG): Next Fruit Generation is a German-based apple and pear variety manager and brand developer (e.g., NLG, RoHo varieties). It is a regional peer to DOSK in the German fresh-fruit variety rights space, with similar club-variety and licensing operations.

Emerging players

• Fresh Forward / Fresh Produce Group (consortium-style marketing entities): Fresh Forward-style European grower consortium entities centralize variety selection and brand marketing for member producers. They share DOSK's consortium structure and joint-variety management role, though they typically operate in ornamentals or different produce categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dosk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Dosk