What CFF does

CFF GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German manufacturer of functional cellulose fiber products, founded in 1980 and headquartered in Ilmenau (Thuringia), with a second production site in Belgium. The company produces cellulose fibers exclusively from organic and renewable raw materials (wood pulp, recycled cellulose, bamboo, oat, wheat, sugar cane, corn, apple, pea, potato, citrus), manufacturing fibers in lengths from 8 µm to 2,000 µm in powder, granulate, and pellet forms. Operations are organized around six registered brands: DIACEL®, QUALICEL® (general industrial), SANACEL® (food/pharma dietary fibers), SENSOCEL® (cosmetics and personal care), TECHNOCEL® (construction chemicals and industrial applications), and TOPCEL® (asphalt road construction).

The company sells directly to enterprise customers through industry-vertical sales representatives covering Road Construction, Industry/Building Chemicals, Cosmetics/Home Care, and Animal Nutrition, managing defined national and international territories. Revenue is generated via quote-based pricing for one-time product sales, with TOPCEL® offered in silo, big bag, and small PE pack formats for both automated and manual dosing at customer sites. Products are certified under FSSC 22000, DIN EN ISO 9001, HACCP, Halal, Kosher, COSMOS, and ISO 14851 (biodegradability). Key product differentiators include TOPCEL® add FT60 (a 60% cellulose / 40% Sasobit pellet enabling up to 30°C reduction in asphalt installation temperatures ahead of mandatory German emission limits effective January 1, 2027) and SENSOCEL®+ hydrophobic cellulose (winner of the in-cosmetics Global Innovation Zone Functional Ingredients Silver Award in 2022 for microplastics replacement). The company has co-developed technology with Fraunhofer IMWS through the BioEconomy-funded KosLigCel research project and exports globally from its two production sites.

Name

CFF

Legal name

CFF GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://cff.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CFF is a German family-owned manufacturer of functional cellulose fibers produced from renewable raw materials, operating six product brands serving road construction, food, cosmetics, pharma, and industrial customers worldwide from production sites in Germany and Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cellulose Fiber Manufacturing

NAICS

Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (31311), Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522), Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (325220), Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252)

SIC

Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cellulose-Based Biodegradable Materials (cellulose films, fibers, derivatives) (IMAEAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bio-based Materials & Fibers (e.g., cellulose derivatives, lignin-based materials, nanocellulose) (EUAAAIAD), Bio-based Textiles & Fibers (lyocell/viscose, cellulose filament, nonwovens) (IMAMALAK), Fiber & Yarn (Natural, Synthetic, Blends) (CRAAAMAA)

Keywords

• Cellulose fiber manufacturing
• Functional cellulose fibers
• Dietary fiber ingredients
• Asphalt fiber additives
• Cosmetic cellulose powders

Headquarters

HQ city

Ilmenau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cellulose Fiber Product Sales: CFF generates revenue through the direct sale of its six branded cellulose fiber product lines (DIACEL®, QUALICEL®, SANACEL®, SENSOCEL®, TECHNOCEL®, TOPCEL®) to customers across multiple industry verticals worldwide. Products are sold as finished functional ingredients and additives for road construction, food, cosmetics, pharma, and industrial applications. The company operates at two production sites in Thuringia and Belgium and exports globally.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CFF develops, produces, and distributes functional cellulose fibers manufactured exclusively from organic and renewable raw materials (wood pulp, bamboo, oat, wheat, sugar cane, corn, apple, pea) across two production sites in Thuringia, Germany and Belgium. The company sells six specialized product brands (DIACEL®, QUALICEL®, SANACEL®, SENSOCEL®, TECHNOCEL®, TOPCEL®) targeting the road construction, food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, construction chemicals, and animal nutrition industries, with global export operations.

Product overview

CFF (Cellulose Fasern) is a German manufacturer of functional cellulose fiber products sold under six main brands: DIACEL®, QUALICEL®, SANACEL®, SENSOCEL®, TECHNOCEL®, and TOPCEL®. SANACEL® provides dietary fibers for the food industry including powder celluloses, cereal/plant fibers, and fiber blends for bakery, meat, and vegan products. SENSOCEL® offers natural plant-based fibers for cosmetics and personal care including baby care, dental, scrubs, and hydrophobic celluloses. TECHNOCEL® serves industrial applications with technical fibers for dust reduction, surface coatings, and hydroseeding. TOPCEL® provides technical cellulose fibers specifically designed for asphalt road construction, including bitumen carriers and temperature-reducing additives. The company exports products worldwide from production sites in Thuringia, Germany and Belgium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DIACEL®: Product brand for cellulose fibers
• QUALICEL®
• SANACEL®
• SENSOCEL®
• TECHNOCEL®
• TOPCEL®

Products and services

• DIACEL®

Quantifiable outcome

• TOPCEL® add FT60 enables up to 30°C reduction in asphalt installation temperature
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Baumpaten DeutschlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026CFF partnered with Baumpaten Deutschland for a tree planting campaign in the Thuringian Forest near Ruhla on April 8, 2026. CFF sponsored 150 trees out of approximately 400 total trees planted, including red oaks, larches, and Douglas firs. This reflects CFF's commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
• V Asphaltforum (Organized by Kongres Drogowy)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 March 2026CFF participated as a Gold Partner at the V Asphaltforum from March 23–25, 2026 in Ostróda, Poland – the leading industry meeting for asphalt technologies and road construction. As a Gold Partner, CFF supported professional exchange on current challenges and innovations in the asphalt and road construction sector alongside experts, manufacturers, contractors, and scientists.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFF collaborated with Fraunhofer IMWS on the KosLigCel research project within the BioEconomy leading-edge cluster, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The project successfully developed biodegradable microplastics alternatives from beech wood, oat, wheat, and corn cob for oral care and skincare products. Fraunhofer IMWS conducted microstructure analysis to optimize cellulose particle properties (size, shape, hardness, surface structure) for cleaning and abrasion performance. This partnership produced SENSOCEL® dental and SENSOCEL® scrubs microplastics-free products.
• Skinomics GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkinomics GmbH, founded in 2008 and specializing in development, optimization, and testing of dermal preparations for cosmetics, medical devices, and pharmaceutical industries, participated in the KosLigCel microplastics replacement research project alongside CFF and Fraunhofer IMWS. Skinomics contributed pharmaceutical and dermatological expertise to the formulation of microplastics-free cosmetic alternatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stora Enso: Global renewable materials company producing cellulose-based biomaterials, packaging, and biochemicals including microfibrillated cellulose (CelluForce-adjacent). Large incumbent adjacent to CFF's industrial cellulose fiber markets.
• Ingredion: Global ingredient solutions provider with a specialty ingredients portfolio including clean-label starches and fibers for food and personal care. Competes in food-grade fiber enrichment adjacent to CFF's SANACEL range with greater scale and global reach.
• Sappi: Global pulp, paper, and biomaterials producer expanding into biobased specialty cellulose, lignin, and nanofibrillated cellulose for industrial and consumer applications. Broader incumbent with adjacent cellulose chemistry capabilities relevant to CFF's biobased positioning.
• DuPont (Nutrition & Biosciences / Cellulosics): Global ingredients major with microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and other cellulosic excipients serving food, pharma, and personal care. Competes with CFF's SANACEL pharma/cellulose and SENSOCEL product lines but as part of a much broader specialty ingredients portfolio.

Direct peers

• Borregaard: Norwegian biorefinery producing specialty cellulose-based ingredients (Exilva microfibrillated cellulose, lignosulfonates) for industrial, food, and personal care applications. Direct peer in cellulose-based functional materials with overlapping sustainability positioning and comparable vertical diversification.
• CreaFill Fibers: US-based manufacturer of cellulose fibers from pulp and recycled paper for industrial applications, including filtration, construction, and composites. Comparable cellulose fiber producer targeting similar industrial end uses as CFF's TECHNOCEL range.
• International Fiber Corporation: North American supplier of functional fibers including cellulose, lignocellulose, and engineered fibers for food, industrial, and agricultural applications. Comparable multi-vertical cellulose fiber distributor competing for similar end markets.
• J. Rettenmaier & Söhne (JRS Group): German family-owned manufacturer of cellulose-based functional fibers and excipients serving food, pharma, cosmetics, and industrial applications. Closest direct competitor — overlapping product portfolio, similar customer verticals, comparable heritage and size, and competing cellulose brands (e.g., VIVAPUR, ARBOCEL) to CFF's SANACEL and TECHNOCEL.
• Interfiber: Polish cellulose fiber manufacturer producing functional cellulose fibers for construction chemicals, filtration, and industrial applications. Closely comparable to CFF's TECHNOCEL and DIACEL product lines, with overlapping industrial customer base in Europe.

Others

• Fibria (Suzano): Global eucalyptus pulp producer and emerging player in dissolving wood pulp (cellulose feedstock for fibers, textiles, and specialty applications). Upstream cellulose supplier relevant to CFF's raw material sourcing landscape rather than a direct product competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CFFfibres
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfffibres
• Instagraminstagram.com/cff_germany

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 CFF