Schulze Heimtierbedarf

What Schulze Heimtierbedarf does

Schulze Heimtierbedarf GmbH is a German specialty pet supplies retailer founded in the mid-1980s by dog breeders Reinhard and Marlies Schulze, operating from headquarters and a logistics facility at Osterkamp 11, 32457 Porta Westfalica (registered in Bad Oeynhausen). The company sells dog and cat products under a multi-channel model: a direct-to-consumer online shop (portapet.de), a B2B wholesale portal for specialist pet retailers (shopschulze.de), a physical warehouse sale at the headquarters offering a 15% discount, and international parcel shipping via DHL (with country-specific free-shipping thresholds for Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands). Revenue is transaction-based across product sales, with volume-tiered pricing on select items and a 10% newsletter sign-up incentive driving email acquisition through Mailchimp.

The product portfolio centers on proprietary sub-brands, with PORTA21 as the super-premium pet food line (Feline, Feline Finest, Superfood, Canine Sensitive), SoftCat as the plant-based clumping cat litter brand, and PORTA Cat Care, PORTA Wear, and Kitty Beat rounding out owned brands. These are complemented by distributed third-party brands including Starmark (described as exclusive for the German market), Jolly Pets, Pioneer Pet, Ducky World, and Worldwise, alongside cat toys (Kitty Boinks, Cat Dancer, PURRfect Leather Bouncer), water fountains (Cheerble Elfin E1+, Mini Vortex, Big Max Style), and dog accessories under PORTA Wear. The e-commerce platform runs on Shopware, with integrated payments (PayPal, Klarna/SOFORT, credit card, direct debit, invoice, prepayment), a Creditreform-based credit check for invoice purchases, and standard marketing tooling (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, Google Ads, uptain exit-intent, Brevo tracking). Free-shipping thresholds are €30 within Germany, €40 to Austria, and €35 to the Netherlands.

Customer segments span individual dog and cat owners (primary), specialist pet retailers and breeders (B2B), and dog/cat breeders supported via a referral program distributing free Kitten Starter Packages. Reported headcount is 1-10, no external funding rounds have been disclosed, and revenue figures are not publicly reported. Management is led by Managing Directors Marlies Schulze, Dirk Schulze, and Jesper Bach Soerensen, with the company operating under the umbrella motto of health-conscious nutrition rather than volume feeding.

Name

Schulze Heimtierbedarf

Legal name

Schulze Heimtierbedarf GmbH

Website

https://portapet.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schulze Heimtierbedarf GmbH is a German specialty pet supplies retailer operating the D2C shop portapet.de, B2B wholesale portal shopschulze.de, and a physical warehouse sale in Porta Westfalica, serving dog and cat owners and specialist retailers with proprietary brands including PORTA21 and SoftCat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Supplies Retail

NAICS

Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910), Animal Food Manufacturing (3111)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Supplies Inventory-led Online Retailers (CRAFADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pet Supplies & Consumables Distribution (Litter, Pads, Waste, Grooming) (CRAOAKAB), Natural/Organic & Limited-Ingredient Diets (CRADAFAH), Custom & Private-Label Pet Food Manufacturing (AFADAFAO)

Keywords

• Pet supplies retail
• Premium pet food
• Pet ecommerce
• B2B pet wholesale
• Cat litter products

Headquarters

HQ city

Porta Westfalica

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Retail (B2C): Direct-to-consumer online sales through portapet.de, offering premium pet food, toys, accessories, and care products for dogs and cats. Sales are transaction-based with various payment options including PayPal, credit card, direct debit, invoice, and prepayment.
2. B2B Wholesale (B2B): Wholesale sales to specialist retailers through dedicated B2B shop (shopschulze.de) with tiered volume-based pricing, exclusive offers, and point-of-sale materials for resellers.
3. Warehouse Sales: Physical warehouse sales at company headquarters with 15% discount on entire assortment, offering customers the ability to purchase in-person and save on shipping costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Schulze Heimtierbedarf GmbH is a German pet supply retailer that sells premium dog and cat products — including own-brand super-premium pet food (PORTA21), plant-based cat litter (SoftCat), toys, water fountains, accessories and care items — through the consumer e-commerce shop portapet.de, the dedicated B2B dealer portal shopschulze.de, and a physical warehouse sale at its Porta Westfalica headquarters. The company emphasizes natural ingredients, sustainability and curated premium positioning, and serves both end-consumer pet owners and specialist pet retailers/breeders across Germany (with shipping into Austria and the Netherlands).

Product overview

Schulze Heimtierbedarf operates portapet.de as a German-language e-commerce platform for pet supplies, primarily for dogs and cats. The product portfolio is organized around three proprietary sub-brands (PORTA21, SoftCat, and PORTA Wear) complemented by third-party branded products. PORTA21 represents the company's own super-premium pet food line including Feline (wet food), Feline Finest (premium toppings), Superfood, Canine Sensitive, and Kitty Beat (freeze-dried treats). SoftCat is the company's plant-based clumping cat litter brand with Grass and Corn variants. The company also sells its own water fountains (branded under Cheerble and Pioneer Pet), dog toys under Starmark and Jolly Pets brands, and cat toys including Kitty Boinks, Cat Dancer, and PURRfect. The business operates both a B2C consumer shop (portapet.de) and a separate B2B dealer portal (shopschulze.de), with a physical warehouse outlet offering 15% discount on all products. The company has over 30 years of history and emphasizes sustainability, natural ingredients, and products without animal testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PORTA21: Super Premium pet food brand for dogs and cats, featuring balanced natural ingredients without artificial additives.
• SoftCat
• PORTA Cat Care
• PORTA Wear
• Kitty Beat
• Feline
• Feline Finest
• Canine
• Porta21

Products and services

• portapet.de Online Shop (B2C) Direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront operated under the "portapet" trade name, selling dog and cat food, toys, accessories and care products to individual pet owners in Germany (plus Austria and the Netherlands) with free-shipping thresholds, 24/7 ordering and multiple payment options including PayPal, Klarna SOFORT, credit card, direct debit, prepayment and invoice.
• shopschulze.de B2B Wholesale Portal Separate B2B online shop for specialist pet retailers offering exclusive online advantages such as special offers, tiered volume-based pricing, 24/7 ordering, order overview, automatic shipping cost and margin calculation, faster processing, and point-of-sale materials ordering.
• Warehouse Sale (Lagerverkauf) at Porta Westfalica HQ Physical warehouse outlet at the Schulze Heimtierbedarf headquarters in Porta Westfalica (Osterkamp 11) where customers can purchase the entire assortment in person at a 15% discount, paying by cash, EC card or PayPal.
• PORTA21 Super Premium Pet Food Line Proprietary super-premium pet food brand for dogs and cats sold exclusively through portapet.de, including the Feline wet food range, Feline Finest premium line, Superfood recipes with ingredients such as mackerel with pineapple, chicken with chia seeds and chicken with quinoa, Canine Sensitive wet food for sensitive dogs, and Kitty Beat freeze-dried single-protein snack cubes.
• SoftCat Plant-Based Cat Litter Own-brand, ultra-lightweight plant-based clumping cat litter made from renewable grasses, marketed as biodegradable, with strong clumping performance, high absorbency (400% of total weight), odor control and eco-friendly paper packaging.
• Professional Classic Bentonite Cat Litter Bentonite clumping cat litter with active carbon for highly effective odor binding, strong clumping and 14kg pack size, sold through the portapet.de Bentonite-Klumpstreu category.
• Kitten Starterpaket Starter bundle combining PORTA21 wet food, dry food and snacks together with SoftCat litter and a PORTA21 bag, designed to help new kitten owners discover the brand's product preferences and also given to breeders for distribution to buyers of their kittens.
• Mini Vortex Water Fountain Vortex-based drinking fountain for cats and small dogs, designed for self-cleaning and equipped with a USB-powered pump, distributed by Pioneer Pet through portapet.de.
• Cheerble Elfin E1+ Cable-Free Water Fountain Innovative cable-free, pump-free drinking fountain for cats and small dogs, with automatic water dispensing, a built-in filter system and maximum-hygiene design.
• Big Max Style Stainless Steel Water Fountain 3.8-litre stainless steel drinking fountain for dogs and cats, sold under the Big Max Style name on portapet.de.
• Starmark Premium Dog Toys Curated Starmark assortment of premium US-market-leader dog toys — including interactive toys, chew toys and training equipment — distributed through portapet.de.
• Jolly Pets Dog Toys Durable and interactive dog toys from Jolly Pets, carried inside the portapet.de catalog as part of the curated toy assortment.
• Pioneer Pet Water Fountains & Accessories Pet products from Pioneer Pet including drinking fountains and accessories, distributed through portapet.de and complementing the in-house Mini Vortex fountain.
• Ducky World & Worldwise Pet Toys Pet toys and pet products from brands Ducky World and Worldwise, carried in the portapet.de assortment as part of the curated dog and cat toy offering.
• PORTA Wear Pet Apparel & Boots Own-brand dog apparel and outdoor wear line PORTA Wear, including the Porta Wear Boots in high-cut softshell with rubber sole, long Velcro straps and reflectors on the closures and toe cap, sold through portapet.de.
• PORTA Cat Care Cat Care Line Own-brand cat care product line PORTA Cat Care, encompassing cat litter and cat-grooming/accessory items, sold through portapet.de.
• Kitty Beat Freeze-Dried Pet Treats Freeze-dried, grain-free snack cubes made from 100% single-protein sources (chicken, salmon, duck) for cats and dogs, manufactured in Germany and sold under the Kitty Beat brand on portapet.de.
• Cat Toys Portfolio (Cat Dancer, PURRfect Leather Bouncer, Kitty Boinks, Porta Maus) Assorted cat toys sold on portapet.de — including Cat Dancer (steel wire + cardboard interactive toy), PURRfect Leather Bouncer (fur-and-leather play wand), Kitty Boinks (braided nylon tubes in 3-pack or 100-piece bucket) and the Porta Maus motorized hunting mouse — covering play wands, interactive toys and motorized electronic toys.
• Starmark Dog Training & Chew Range (Fantastic Durafoam Ball, GripCord Chew Ball Cord, Everlasting Fire Plug, Catch Me, Pro-Training Clicker Deluxe) Range of Starmark throwing, chew and training dog products sold through portapet.de — Fantastic Durafoam Ball (soft foam ball in various sizes), GripCord Chew Ball Cord (fillable ball with attached rope), Everlasting Fire Plug (fillable barbell chew toy), Catch Me interactive training wand, and Pro-Training Clicker Deluxe (stainless-steel clicker with elastic band and step-by-step training instructions).

Quantifiable outcome

• Average product rating of 4.6-5 stars across major product categories

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration22 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PORTA21coreOthersProprietary super premium pet food brand for dogs and cats, featuring balanced ingredients and specialized formulations for different life stages and dietary requirements.
• StarmarkcoreOthersPremium dog toy brand from the USA, market leader in innovative dog toys distributed through Schulze Heimtierbedarf.
• PORTA Cat CarecoreOthersProprietary cat care brand offering cat care products including litter and accessories.
• Jolly PetsminorOthersDog toy brand specializing in durable, interactive dog toys.
• Pioneer PetminorOthersPet product brand known for innovative water fountains and feeding solutions for cats and dogs.
• Shopware AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform provider powering the portapet.de online shop. Provides shopping functionality, order management, and customer analytics.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partner enabling secure checkout transactions for online purchases.
• Klarna Bank ABcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment provider for SOFORT bank transfer payments, enabling direct payment from consumer bank accounts.
• Mailchimp (The Rocket Science Group, LLC)coreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing platform provider for newsletter distribution and campaign management.
• Tisko Consulting GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvider of 'Geprüfter Webshop' (Certified Webshop) seal and rating system, providing consumer trust certification for the portapet.de online shop.
• DHLcoreOthersPrimary shipping partner for domestic and international parcel delivery, with standard 1-3 business day delivery within Germany.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@portapetonlineshopfurheimt1743
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchulzeHeimtierbedarfGmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/portapet.de

Compliance3 records

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 Schulze Heimtierbedarf