BÜFA
BÜFA is a family-owned German chemical group (founded 1883, Oldenburg) operating across three segments — Chemicals, Cleaning, and Composites — supplying specialty chemicals, industrial cleaning products, and fiber-reinforced composite materials to enterprise customers in rail, wind energy, marine, food processing, and industrial cleaning across 11 European locations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1883
- HeadquartersOldenburg, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What BÜFA does
BÜFA GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German chemical industry group founded in 1883 and headquartered in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. The company operates three business segments — Chemicals, Cleaning, and Composites — across 11 European locations in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia, and the United Kingdom, supported by approximately 650 employees. End markets include railway, wind energy, commercial vehicles, marine and shipbuilding, food processing, textiles, and industrial/vehicle cleaning. In FY2025 the group reported consolidated revenue of EUR 337 million with an equity ratio of approximately 60%.
The group's product portfolio is built on proprietary chemical formulations and systems. In Composites, BÜFA®-Firestop and BÜFA®-FireFox constitute what the company describes as Europe's most comprehensive fire-protection portfolio for fiber-reinforced composites — including DCPD firestop resin, RTM foam resin, Class A gelcoat (BÜFA® Firestop Gelcoat S 320) and fire-protection fabric — all REACH-compliant and free of halogens and antimony trioxide. The Chemicals segment trades specialty raw materials and distributes FerSol®, a patented Ferrate(VI)-based wastewater-treatment chemistry produced by portfolio company Ferr-Tech. Sustainability differentiation is delivered through rPET-based polyester resins that recycle up to 4,200 PET bottles per ton and cut CO₂ by up to 15%, BÜFA®-Resin VE 6699 low-emission tooling infusion resin, and a VACUDEST vacuum-distillation closed-loop water system used at the Cleaning site in Oldenburg.
BÜFA's revenue model is industrial B2B: specialty chemicals, contract manufacturing/private label cleaning products, and composites sold via direct field sales (~50% travel for key accounts) supplemented by the BÜFA Business Hub customer portal and local technical-service subsidiaries (TriStar, MacSerien/Washwater, Vivochem). The group monetizes primarily through transactional volume-based pricing across its three segments; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is anchored in DACH, with international expansion concentrated in Benelux, Scandinavia, the Baltics and the UK/Ireland. Growth since 2020 has been driven by acquisitions (TriStar 2022, JKS Composites 2023, full MacSerien 2024), minority investment in Ferr-Tech (EUR 2M, 2022), and certified sustainability positioning (EcoVadis Gold 2022/2023, ESG Transparency Award 2024).
BÜFA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BÜFA
- Legal name
- BÜFA GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://buefa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1883
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- BÜFA is a family-owned German chemical group (founded 1883, Oldenburg) operating across three segments — Chemicals, Cleaning, and Composites — supplying specialty chemicals, industrial cleaning products, and fiber-reinforced composite materials to enterprise customers in rail, wind energy, marine, food processing, and industrial cleaning across 11 European locations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BÜFA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Chemicals
- NAICS
- Chemical Manufacturing (325), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (3256)
- SIC
- Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commodity Surfactants & Detergent Base Chemicals (IMAEAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Laundry Detergents & Boosters (Liquid/Powder/PODS, Enzymes, Bleach Alternatives) (CRADAKAA), Food & Beverage Process & CIP/Sanitation Chemicals (IMAEAJAK), Dry Cleaning & Laundry Additives (Dryer Sheets, Anti-static, Ironing Aids) (CRADAKAE)
Keywords
Where BÜFA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oldenburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices9 records
Markets served
BÜFA 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, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Chemicals Business Segment: Specialty chemicals trading and distribution including raw materials for food processing, textile, industrial applications. Includes proprietary specialty chemicals like FerSol for wastewater treatment.
- Cleaning Products: Industrial cleaning, disinfection and care products. Includes contract manufacturing and private label products. Markets include DACH region, Benelux, Scandinavia, Estonia.
- Composites Materials: Fiber-reinforced composite materials including fire protection systems, gelcoats, resins for wind energy, rail, commercial vehicles, boat and shipbuilding.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
BÜFA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BÜFA GmbH & Co. KG manufactures and distributes specialty chemicals, industrial cleaning products, and fiber-reinforced composite materials across three business segments (Chemicals, Cleaning, Composites). The company supplies raw materials and finished chemical systems to industrial customers in railway, wind energy, food processing, marine, automotive, and textile sectors, with proprietary offerings such as BÜFA®-Firestop/FireFox fire protection systems, rPET-based polyester resins, and distributed products like FerSol® for wastewater treatment.
Product overview
BÜFA is a family-owned chemical company (founded 1883) operating in three main business segments: Chemicals, Cleaning, and Composites. The company offers a diversified portfolio including specialty chemicals, industrial cleaning products, and composite material systems. Key products include BÜFA® Firestop/FireFox fire protection systems for composites (BÜFA®-FireFox being Europe's most comprehensive fire protection portfolio), rPET-based polyester resins for circular economy applications, BÜFA®-Resin VE 6699 Tooling Infusion for emission-free mold production, and distributed products like FerSol® for wastewater treatment. The company also operates the BÜFA Business Hub as a central customer portal for orders and product information. Through acquisitions (TriStar, MacSerien, Ferr-Tech), BÜFA has expanded into water treatment and sustainable cleaning solutions. The portfolio serves industries including railway, wind energy, food, automotive, marine, and industrial manufacturing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BÜFA®-Firestop: Europe's most comprehensive fire protection portfolio for the composites market, including BÜFA®-FireFox Best Choice Fire Protection System
- BÜFA Business Hub
- BÜFA2GO
Products and services
- rPET-based Polyester Resins Recycled PET-based polyester resins that recycle up to 4,200 recycled PET bottles per ton of resin and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 15%, strengthening circular economy applications for composites manufacturers.
- BÜFA®-Resin VE 6699 Tooling Infusion Vinyl ester tooling infusion resin enabling virtually emission-free production of molds via closed infusion processes for improved occupational safety and component performance, sold to composites mold makers.
- BÜFA®-FireFox Fire Protection System Comprehensive fire protection system for fiber-reinforced composites comprising DCPD firestop resin, RTM fire protection foam resin, Class A surface firestop infusion resin, and firestop fabric, free of halogens and antimony trioxide, sold to rail, marine and wind energy component manufacturers.
- BÜFA® Firestop Gelcoat S 320 Fire safety gelcoat meeting highest requirements in rail vehicle construction while setting standards for sustainable materials, sold to rail and transport composite part manufacturers.
- FerSol® Ferrate VI (Liquid Form) Environmentally friendly Ferrate (VI) oxidation chemical in stable liquid form for industrial wastewater purification, produced through a patented process by Ferr-Tech and distributed internationally by BÜFA Chemicals to industrial water treatment customers.
- BÜFA Chemicals (Specialty Chemicals & Trading) Specialty chemicals trading and distribution business segment offering raw materials for food processing, textile, industrial applications, and wastewater treatment chemicals, sold to industrial B2B customers.
- BÜFA Cleaning (Industrial Cleaning & Care Products) Industrial cleaning, disinfection and care products including contract manufacturing and private label solutions, serving DACH region, Benelux, Scandinavia, and Estonia customers in industrial and vehicle cleaning, food processing, and facility management.
- BÜFA Composites (Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials) Composite materials and systems business segment including gelcoats, resins, and fire protection systems sold to wind energy, railway, commercial vehicles, marine, and industrial manufacturers.
- Washwater Vehicle Wash Water Treatment Systems Closed-loop vehicle wash water treatment systems including reverse osmosis and vacuum distillation technologies enabling water recycling, sold to vehicle wash operators and industrial cleaning customers.
- VACUDEST Vacuum Distillation System Vacuum distillation water treatment technology enabling wastewater-free production by treating and reusing process water, deployed at BÜFA Cleaning's Oldenburg site.
- TriStar Industrial Cleaning Products (Contract Manufacturing & Private Label) Industrial cleaning products and contract manufacturing/private label services for the chemical, food, paints, printing inks, and adhesives industries, manufactured in the Netherlands and the UK.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 15% CO₂ reduction with rPET-based polyester resins
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use BÜFA
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BÜFA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
BÜFA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators15 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BÜFA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stockmeier Chemie GmbH & Co. KG: Family-owned German chemical manufacturer and distributor offering specialty chemicals, cleaning products and personal care ingredients. Comparable to BÜFA across all three segments — chemicals trading, cleaning and specialty chemicals — and similarly privately held.
- Azelis Group: Specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor serving life sciences, industrial chemicals and personal care. Comparable in B2B specialty-chemicals trading across Europe and in mid-market scale similar to BÜFA's Chemicals segment.
- Biesterfeld AG: Hamburg-based specialty chemicals distributor with broad industrial and consumer-chemicals portfolio. Closely matches BÜFA's Chemicals-trading footprint in DACH and Benelux, with overlapping customer segments in cleaning, coatings and plastics.
- Caldic B.V. Dutch-headquartered specialty chemicals and food ingredients distributor with strong Benelux and DACH presence. Comparable to BÜFA Chemicals in industrial chemicals trading and to elements of BÜFA Cleaning in food-industry cleaning chemistries.
- Scott Bader Co. Ltd. UK-headquartered manufacturer of specialty resins, gelcoats and composite materials serving marine, wind, land transport and construction. Directly comparable to BÜFA Composite Systems, including fire-resistant and sustainable resin offerings.
- Christeyns NV: Belgian-headquartered manufacturer of industrial and professional cleaning chemicals with pan-European presence. Closely matches BÜFA Cleaning's geographic footprint (Benelux, DACH, Scandinavia) and product portfolio in industrial and food-industry cleaning.
Broad incumbents
- ALTANA AG (BYK division): German specialty chemicals group whose BYK division supplies additives and specialty chemicals for coatings, plastics and composites. Adjacent comparable to BÜFA's specialty-chemicals and composites-chemistry portfolio, with overlapping industrial customer base in DACH.
- Ecolab Inc. Global leader in water, hygiene and infection-prevention solutions serving industrial and institutional cleaning. Comparable to BÜFA Cleaning in industrial cleaning chemistries and water-treatment adjacencies, but at vastly larger scale and global footprint.
- Brenntag SE: Global market leader in chemical distribution with deep European presence across specialty and commodity chemicals. Directly comparable to BÜFA's Chemicals segment in customer base (industrial B2B) and trading model, though far larger in scale.
- Polynt-Reichhold Group: Major global producer of unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and gelcoats for composites. Overlaps with BÜFA Composite Systems in resin technologies and end-markets (wind, marine, rail), though at significantly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BÜFA social profiles
Digital presenceBÜFA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance10 records
BÜFA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BÜFA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
BÜFA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
BÜFA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BÜFA 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 BÜFA
What does BÜFA do?
BÜFA GmbH & Co. KG manufactures and distributes specialty chemicals, industrial cleaning products, and fiber-reinforced composite materials across three business segments (Chemicals, Cleaning, Composites). The company supplies raw materials and finished chemical systems to industrial customers in railway, wind energy, food processing, marine, automotive, and textile sectors, with proprietary offerings such as BÜFA®-Firestop/FireFox fire protection systems, rPET-based polyester resins, and distributed products like FerSol® for wastewater treatment.
Is BÜFA a public or private company?
BÜFA is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was BÜFA founded?
BÜFA was founded in 1883. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is BÜFA based?
BÜFA is headquartered in Oldenburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does BÜFA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Chemicals Business Segment is the primary driver. The others are cleaning Products and composites Materials.
Who are BÜFA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stockmeier Chemie GmbH & Co. KG, Azelis Group, Biesterfeld AG, Caldic B.V., Scott Bader Co. Ltd. and Christeyns NV. Broad incumbents are ALTANA AG (BYK division), Ecolab Inc., Brenntag SE and Polynt-Reichhold Group.
Does BÜFA have an API?
No public API is recorded for BÜFA.
What industry is BÜFA in?
BÜFA's product category is Specialty Chemicals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAAAI, Commodity Surfactants & Detergent Base Chemicals, with a secondary code of CRADAKAA, Laundry Detergents & Boosters (Liquid/Powder/PODS, Enzymes, Bleach Alternatives). Its NAICS code is 325 and its SIC code is 2800.