Pfeifle

What Pfeifle does

Pfeifle (legal entity: Bäckerei Wolfgang Pfeifle GmbH & Co KG, headquartered at Carl-Kistner-Straße 20, 79115 Freiburg) is a 110-year-old, fourth-generation, family-owned artisanal bakery (Handwerksbäckerei) operating exclusively in the Freiburg metropolitan area of Germany. The company runs eight company-owned retail branches and a seasonal market stand, employs approximately 120 people across baking, sales, office, and maintenance functions, and sells handcrafted bread, rolls, pastries, seasonal specialties, and prepared sandwiches directly to local consumers and a small set of gastronomy partners. Lead product lines include the Oberlindenbrot (a wheat mixed bread with over 50 years of recipe heritage) and the Friburger Michel, a masterwork wheat sourdough bread introduced in 2013 using the Levain Naturel natural fermentation method mastered by only a handful of bakers worldwide. Other offerings include the Swabian-inspired Haslacher Seele, the Provençal-style Friburgasse, seasonal fruit cakes, the Freiburger Vesperbrote sandwich line, and branded merchandise such as the anniversary Vesperbrettle cutting boards.\n\nThe underlying production technology is traditional and craft-based: stone-oven baking, multi-day natural sourdough fermentation, regional Baden-Württemberg grain sourcing, and minimal-yeast dough maturation. Differentiated processes such as the Levain Naturel method and the long-resting, soft-dough Oberlindenbrot recipe, combined with regional supplier relationships (e.g., Metzgerei Hügele for sandwich sausage), form the operational backbone. Distribution is entirely physical: company branches, a Münstermarkt stand, a seasonal March-Hugstetten stand, and wholesale through Hieber's Frischecenter and local gastro partners. There is no e-commerce or delivery channel. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), a quarterly blog/newsletter (Freiburger Backpfeifle), local SEO, community CSR (SkF Freiburg donations of €3,000–€6,000 annually), and earnable storytelling around the 'Brotverrückte' fan community. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the legal structure is a GmbH & Co KG with Pfeifle Verwaltungs GmbH as the personally liable partner, and there is no external investment or parent company.

Name

Pfeifle

Legal name

Bäckerei Wolfgang Pfeifle GmbH & Co KG

Website

https://baeckerei-pfeifle.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Handwerksbäckerei Pfeifle is a 110-year-old, fourth-generation family-owned artisan bakery in Freiburg, Germany, operating 8 retail branches and a seasonal market stand. It produces handcrafted breads, pastries, and sandwiches using natural sourdough (Levain Naturel) and stone-oven baking, serving local Freiburg consumers and a small set of gastronomy partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Commercial Bakeries (311812)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC), Dessert & Bakery Catering (Cakes, Pastries, Candy) (HSACAGAI)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery
• Sourdough bread
• Stone oven baking
• Handcraft bakery
• Regional baked goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg Im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Bakery Sales: Direct sales of artisanal baked goods through 8 company-owned retail branches and 1 seasonal market stand in Freiburg. Products include bread, pastries, seasonal items, snacks, and fine sweets. Core revenue stream from walk-in customers.
2. Gastronomy & Wholesale Supply: Supply of baked products to local Freiburger restaurants and gastronomy partners. Products also available through partner retailers like Hieber's Frischecenter.
3. Event Pre-orders: Pre-ordering service for events where customers can order Freiburger Vesperbrote for pickup the next day.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Handwerksbäckerei Pfeifle operates a single Haslacher production bakery that handcrafts artisanal bread, rolls, pastries, and seasonal specialties for sale across 8 Freiburg retail branches and 2 market stands. The portfolio is anchored by the Oberlindenbrot (signature Weizenmischbrot, 50+ year recipe) and Friburger Michel (Levain Naturel wheat sourdough masterwork launched 2013), supported by Haslacher Seele, Friburgasse flatbread, fine pastries, snacks, and pre-ordered Freiburger Vesperbrote sandwiches.

Product overview

Bäckerei Pfeifle is a traditional artisan bakery (Handwerksbäckerei) operating as a single unified bakery business, not a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company produces handcrafted baked goods in its Haslacher bakery for sale across multiple retail branches and market stands in Freiburg. The core product portfolio centers on the Oberlindenbrot (flagship bread) and Friburger Michel (masterwork sourdough bread), alongside classic bread varieties (Weckle, Seelen), pastries (Feines & Süßes), seasonal specialties (Saisonales), snacks, and specialty items like the Friburgasse flatbread. The company also offers prepared foods (Freiburger Vesperbrote sandwiches) and branded merchandise (Freiburger Vesperbrettle cutting boards). Products are available through eight city branches, a market stand, and restaurant partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friburger Michel: Artisan sourdough bread made with Levain Naturel natural wheat sourdough, the bakery's masterwork created in 2013.
• Oberlindenbrot
• Friburgasse

Products and services

• Oberlindenbrot Signature Weizenmischbrot with wild crumb structure and irregular holes from natural long fermentation and stone-oven baking. Pfeifle's most popular product, available across all 8 branches.
• Friburger Michel 750g flagship sourdough bread made with flour, water, and salt via multi-day Levain Naturel natural fermentation and stone-oven baking. Delicate crispy crust with silky-glossy crumb and natural wild fermentation holes. Available six days per week.
• Haslacher Seele Swabian bread specialty (Seele) tailored to Freiburg taste via reduced caraway. Produced in Pfeifle's Haslacher bakery, scaling to over 1,000 units sold per day within a year of introduction.
• Friburgasse Mediterranean flatbread derived from Provençal Fougasse, made with Biga pre-dough, Italian durum wheat, minimal yeast, salt, and Levain Naturel. Finished with cold-pressed olive oil and Mediterranean herbs.
• Freiburger Vesperbrote Ready-made sandwiches built on Pfeifle breads (Green City Saatenbrot, Green City Einkorn, Green City Urdinkel, Oberlindenkasten) topped with cheese, ham, salami, or turkey Fleischkäse. Available for pre-order via email for next-day pickup.
• Freiburger Vesperbrettle Limited-edition cutting board sets featuring Freiburg motifs; the '110 Jahre Bäckerei Pfeifle' anniversary edition is offered as a four-piece set in limited quantities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Friburger Michel now baked 6 times per week (increased from 2-3 times originally due to high demand)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SkF Freiburg (Sozialdienst katholischer Frauen)coreOthersLong-term social charity partnership since 2015. Pfeifle makes annual donations to SkF Freiburg's family support programs including SkF Kompetenzzentrum Familie in Haslach-Gutleutmatten, SkF Lernstube, and Frühe Hilfen projects. Donation amounts include €5,000 (2025, 2022), €6,000 (2020), and €3,000 (2020). Pfeifle also provides baked goods for events and uses SkF's conference room for staff training.
• Hieber's FrischecenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail distribution partner where Pfeifle products are available for purchase alongside other fresh food products.
• Freiburger Gastro & FeinkostminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal gastronomy partners serving Pfeifle products to their customers.
• Fischerei Schwab (Oberlinden)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership where Fischerei Schwab sells Freiburger Jahrgangssardinen to pair with Pfeifle's Oberlindenbrot. Collaborative gastronomic experience offering.
• Blauer Fuchs (Mehlwaage)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGastro partner restaurant that creates specialty recipes using Pfeifle bread. Chef Torsten Plötze developed Tomaten-Brot-Salat 'Merano' recipe featuring Oberlindenbrot.
• Metzgerei Hügle (Freiburg)minorOthersLocal butcher supplier providing sausage specialties for Pfeifle's Freiburger Vesperbrote sandwiches.
• Schauer (Transport-Dienstleister)minorOthersTransport/logistics service provider handling delivery operations, allowing Pfeifle teams to focus on core production and sales activities.
• Reinhard Zwerger (Zwerger & Raab GmbH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdventure education entrepreneur from Hinterzarten who developed 'Erlebniszeit – Für Kinder aus Risikofamilien' project. Pfeifle donated €1,000 to this youth project in 2020.
• Wilhelm-Oberle-Stiftung (Staufen)minorOthersFoundation managing organization and donation funds for the 'Erlebniszeit' youth project that Pfeifle supports.
• Tsukasa Miyawaki (ille brød, Oslo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese sourdough baker who trained at Pfeifle during a European baker's journey (Bäckerwalz) and now returns as guest baker for knowledge exchange. Represents international artisan baker network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mestemacher GmbH: Westphalian-based industrial-scale German bakery specializing in whole-grain breads (Pumpernickel, fitness bread). Comparable as a German bakery brand with strong heritage positioning and broad distribution, but operates at industrial scale rather than Pfeifle's local craft model.
• Harry-Brot GmbH: One of Germany's largest industrial bakery companies supplying discounters and food retail with packaged bread. Comparable as a German bakery category incumbent, but competes on price/volume rather than Pfeifle's artisan, single-city craft positioning.
• Kamps GmbH: Large German bakery chain with hundreds of retail outlets and food-service supply operations. Comparable in retail bakery footprint and breadth of assortment, but at national scale and lower artisan specialization than Pfeifle.
• Dr. Oetker (Frozen Bakery): Large German food conglomerate with a frozen bakery (backwaren) division serving retail and foodservice. Comparable only as a broader bakery category player; competes via frozen/industrial rather than Pfeifle's fresh artisan model.
• Lieken Brot- und Backwaren GmbH: Industrial German bakery producing packaged bread under brand names (e.g., Golden Toast, Lieken Urkorn). Comparable as a German bakery manufacturer with retail-channel distribution, but positioned in the industrial rather than artisan segment.

Direct peers

• Bäckerei Junge: Hamburg-headquartered traditional German bakery with ~80 branches and 4,000+ employees. Comparable to Pfeifle as a multi-generation family-run bakery chain operating its own retail storefronts, with a similarly broad baked-goods assortment and D2C model.
• Hofpfisterei: Munich-based traditional artisan bakery known for its organic sourdough ('Natursauerteig') and stone-oven methods. Closely comparable to Pfeifle in heritage (founded 1337), craft philosophy, natural sourdough production, and regional retail chain model across Bavaria.

Regional players

• Bäckerei Treiber: Baden-Württemberg-based regional artisan bakery group. Comparable to Pfeifle as a regional Baden-Württemberg craft bakery with multiple branches and traditional baking methods, though operating in a different sub-region (Heilbronn area) rather than directly in Freiburg.
• Bäckerei Müller: Regional German bakery chain operating multiple branches with own production. Comparable as a multi-branch family-style craft bakery serving a specific German region with daily fresh bread and pastries.
• Bäckerei Stollenwerk: Cologne-area regional German bakery chain with multiple branches and on-site production. Comparable as a regional multi-branch craft bakery with a similar D2C retail model, though serving a different geography (Rhineland) than Pfeifle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPvVRKMO8L2_Gyl42QBL0Gw
• Facebookfacebook.com/baeckerei.pfeifle
• Instagraminstagram.com/baeckereipfeifle

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 Pfeifle