Behr's

What Behr's does

Behr's GmbH is a Hamburg-based professional information provider serving the food industry, community catering, healthcare, and cosmetics sectors in German-speaking markets. Founded in 1835 (some sources cite 1843) and operating for over 180 years, the company is organized into three divisions: BEHR'S...VERLAG (books, loose-leaf collections, DVDs), BEHR'S...AKADEMIE (seminars and training), and BEHR'S...ONLINE (digital research platform), supported by an AI-powered assistant branded BEHR'S...KI. The portfolio spans food law, HACCP, hygiene, quality management, and certification preparation (IFS, BRC, FSSC), with flagship products such as 'HACCP leicht gemacht', 'Praxishandbuch Hygiene & HACCP', and the § 43 IFSG training DVD available in 15 languages.

The company monetizes through a mix of recurring subscriptions (loose-leaf publications with 3-4 updates per year, annual online database licenses, monthly newsletters, seminar packages) and one-time sales (books, DVDs, training kits). Pricing is granular: print subscriptions start around EUR 89-200 with EUR ~133 per update fee, online-only access at EUR 30/month, and newsletter packages at EUR 389/year plus EUR 32/month. Distribution combines direct e-commerce via behrs.de, German book trade wholesale, and dedicated enterprise sales for corporate accounts. Behr's is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutscher Apotheker Verlag Dr. Roland Schmiedel GmbH & Co. KG, a Stuttgart-based publishing group.

Technically, the company has integrated multiple third-party AI services — ChatGPT, LLAMA, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Mistral for text; Eleven Labs for audio; Heygen for video avatars; DALL-E and Sano for images; DeepL for translation — into both customer-facing products (BEHR'S...KI with tiered free/PLUS access) and internal production workflows. The current Managing Director is Dr. Arno Langbehn, and the company employs 51-100 people. Headquartered at Averhoffstraße 10, Hamburg, Behr's has won multiple SIPAwards (Best Podcast, Best Marketing Video, Best Newsletter 2020) and has been a Jesse H. Neal Award finalist.

Name

Behr's

Legal name

Behr's GmbH

Website

https://behrs.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1843

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Behr's GmbH is a Hamburg-based professional publisher providing food law, HACCP, hygiene, and quality management information to the German food industry, community catering, healthcare, and cosmetics sectors via books, loose-leaf subscriptions, online databases, seminars, and an AI research assistant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Food Industry Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Software Publishers (5132), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

E-books, Digital Content & Licensing Distribution (CRAOALAE)

Keywords

• Food safety publishing
• HACCP training materials
• Food law subscriptions
• Quality management resources
• Professional food industry training

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Publications (Loseblattwerke): Loose-leaf looseleaf publications with regular update services delivered physically. Subscribers receive periodic updates (3-4 per year) with new regulatory information. Includes access to online portal and AI assistant.
2. Online Database Licenses: Annual licenses for accessing the BEHR'S...ONLINE research platform. Sold as individual seat licenses or IP-based enterprise access. Provides searchable database access with AI-assisted features.
3. Professional Seminars (BEHR'S...AKADEMIE): Online and in-person seminars on food safety, HACCP, packaging law, and quality management topics. Offered as one-time purchases or as seminar packages with multiple sessions.
4. Books and Training Materials: One-time sales of specialized books, DVDs, and training kits for food industry professionals. Includes bestselling titles on HACCP, hygiene, and food safety.
5. Newsletter and Information Services: Monthly newsletters and specialized information services (Fachinformationsdienste) providing updates on food law, hygiene, and quality management topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Behr's is a professional publisher and information provider for the food industry, healthcare, and cosmetics sectors, organized into three divisions: BEHR'S...VERLAG (books, loose-leaf collections, DVDs), BEHR'S...AKADEMIE (seminars and training), and BEHR'S...ONLINE (digital research platform with AI assistant). Core offerings center on food law, HACCP implementation, hygiene, and quality management, sold as loose-leaf subscriptions, annual online database licenses, training DVDs in up to 15 languages, and professional seminars.

Product overview

Behr's is a professional information provider for the food industry, healthcare, and cosmetics sectors, organized into three main divisions: BEHR'S...VERLAG (publishing books, loose-leaf collections, DVDs), BEHR'S...AKADEMIE (seminars and training), and BEHR'S...ONLINE (digital research platforms). The core product portfolio centers on food law, HACCP, hygiene, and quality management topics, with flagship titles including 'HACCP leicht gemacht', 'Praxishandbuch Hygiene & HACCP', and the 'Belehrung nach § 43 IFSG' training DVD. Digital offerings include topic-specific online licenses and packages (Lebensmittelrecht Professionell PLUS, QM4FOOD), all increasingly integrated with BEHR'S...KI—an AI assistant for research and question answering. The company also publishes newsletters (Food & Hygiene with QM! journal) and operates a food industry podcast. Products are available in German, with training materials offered in up to 15 languages for multilingual workplaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BEHR'S...KI: AI-powered research assistant integrated into Behr's products for food law, quality management, and safety inquiries.
• QM4FOOD
• Behr's Digital Health & Nutrition
• Food & Hygiene
• QM! Magazine

Products and services

• BEHR'S...AKADEMIE

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TÜV SÜDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTÜV SÜD provides certification and audit services that complement Behr's training and documentation products. Behr's references TÜV-accredited training and BDigital certification on their website, indicating a collaborative relationship in the professional certification ecosystem.
• Deutscher Apotheker Verlag Dr. Roland Schmiedel GmbH & Co. KGcoreOthersParent company of Behr's GmbH. The Deutscher Apotheker Verlag is based in Stuttgart and owns Behr's as a subsidiary, providing corporate backing and potential synergies in medical and pharmaceutical publishing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• De Gruyter: Berlin-based scholarly publisher with growing professional information offerings. Comparable in print-to-digital transition strategy for niche professional markets.
• Springer Nature (Springer Fachmedien): Major German academic and professional publisher with deep catalog in life sciences, chemistry, and food technology. Overlapping subject matter expertise though distributed via academic/library channels.
• Wolters Kluwer (German operations): Dutch multinational professional information provider with strong German presence in legal, tax, and regulatory publishing. Comparable digital subscription/online database model for compliance professionals.
• C.H. Beck: One of Germany's largest legal publishers, with extensive loose-leaf collections, online databases (beck-online), and AI tools. Much larger but operates the same B2B professional information model with subscription/loose-leaf products.
• Otto Schmidt Verlag: Cologne-based German legal and tax publisher with online research platforms and professional periodicals. Comparable business model though focused on legal/tax rather than food-specific compliance.
• LexisNexis Deutschland: German arm of global legal/regulatory information provider offering online databases and AI-powered legal research. Broad incumbent competing for the same professional compliance subscription dollars.

Direct peers

• Beuth Verlag (DIN): Berlin-based publisher of DIN standards and technical regulations, including food and quality management standards referenced in Behr's training. Direct peer in German regulatory/safety standards publishing.
• Erich Schmidt Verlag: Berlin-based German professional publisher specializing in legal, tax, and compliance content for regulated industries including food. Comparable B2B loose-leaf and online subscription model.
• dfv (Deutscher Fachverlag): Frankfurt-based German trade publisher producing sector-specific publications and events, including food industry titles. Direct peer given overlapping B2B professional information model serving regulated German industries.

Emerging players

• TÜV SÜD Akademie: Certification body's training arm mentioned as Behr's partner. Comparable training/certification services for food industry professionals though focused on certification delivery rather than publishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/behrs.verlag
• Xx.com/behrsverlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/behrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Behr's