Die Räucherei
Die Räucherei is a family-owned German specialty food manufacturer founded in 1988 that produces and ships premium smoked fish delicacies to fine-dining restaurants, first-class airlines, cruise liners, premium retailers, and direct-to-consumer customers across Germany and selected European markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersLengenbostel, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Die Räucherei does
Die Räucherei GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German specialty food manufacturer founded in 1988, headquartered in Klosterhörn 2, Klein Meckelsen, Lower Saxony. The company produces premium smoked fish delicacies including salmon, mackerel, tuna, shrimp, matjes, and specialty items such as fish pralines. Its core technical capability is a documented deep-freeze philosophy: products are blast-frozen immediately after smoking to preserve freshness, color, vitamins, and overall quality, and tuna products use super-freezing at -60°C (developed in Japan) that allows raw sushi-grade consumption without pathogens. Production and logistics run from a second site at Feldstraße 2, Lengenbostel.
The company operates a hybrid B2B/B2C go-to-market model. On the B2B side it serves Spitzengastronomie — top-class restaurants, catering companies, first-class airlines, and world-class cruise liners — plus premium retailers. On the DTC side it sells via its own online shop (shop.die-raeucherei.com) and factory-direct sales at the Lengenbostel site, with products priced per unit or per 100g in a range from approximately €6.90 to €71.30 per item. Cold chain fulfillment relies on DPD parcel service using polystyrene containers and dry ice, with next-day domestic delivery and manual contact-form-based international shipping to Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, and Denmark. Marketing channels include Instagram, Facebook, a recipe-ideas blog, and the Amazon EU Partner Program affiliate.
Die Räucherei employs approximately 90 people. It is structured as a German GmbH & Co. KG (limited partnership), owned by the Kunkel family. Hans-Joachim Kunkel serves as owner and managing director; Sebastian Peick serves as co-managing director and Head of Sales; the wider management team covers production, procurement, quality management, finance, HR, marketing, and sales for retail, gastronomy, and wholesale. No external institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries are disclosed.
Die Räucherei firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Die Räucherei
- Legal name
- DIE RÄUCHEREI GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://die-raeucherei.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Die Räucherei is a family-owned German specialty food manufacturer founded in 1988 that produces and ships premium smoked fish delicacies to fine-dining restaurants, first-class airlines, cruise liners, premium retailers, and direct-to-consumer customers across Germany and selected European markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Die Räucherei industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Smoked Fish
- NAICS
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)
- SIC
- Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smoked, Cured & Salted Seafood (Lox, Kippers, Bacalao) (AFANADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Manufacturing (AFAKACAG), Refrigerated Meat & Seafood (Processed/Packaged) (CRADACAK), Meat & Seafood Cold Storage (including tempering) (AFAOAFAJ)
Keywords
Where Die Räucherei is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lengenbostel
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Die Räucherei business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Direct sales of smoked fish products including salmon, mackerel, tuna, shrimp, matjes, and specialty items through online shop and factory direct sales. Products sold by unit weight or per item with pricing from €2.65 to €71.30 per product.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Die Räucherei product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Die Räucherei manufactures and distributes premium smoked fish and seafood delicacies, including smoked salmon, butter mackerel, fish pralines, super-frozen sushi-grade tuna, matjes, and shrimp. Products are blast-frozen immediately after smoking to preserve freshness, then shipped frozen via cold-chain parcel delivery to private consumers through an online shop, and supplied directly to fine-dining restaurants, caterers, airlines, cruise liners, and premium retailers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Smoked Salmon (Räucherlachs) Premium smoked salmon including back-fillets and Alaska Sockeye wild salmon fillets, sold per piece or per 100g via the online shop and to fine-dining customers.
- Butter Mackerel (Buttermakrelen) Snow-white butter mackerel specialties sold through the online shop and business channels.
- Fish Pralines (Fischpralinen) Exclusive fish pralines — premium, hand-crafted specialty items in the assortment.
- Sushi-Grade Tuna (super-frozen) Tuna products super-frozen at -60°C using a technique developed in Japan, enabling raw consumption as sushi without pathogens.
- Matjes (Natur-Matjesfilets) Specialty matjes (brined herring) fillets, available per piece or per 100g.
- Smoked Shrimp Specialties Smoked shrimp items part of the broader smoked fish assortment sold to consumers and food service.
Companies that use Die Räucherei
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Die Räucherei technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Die Räucherei partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DPDcorePrimary parcel delivery service provider for shipping frozen fish products directly to customers. DPD handles next-day delivery within Germany with special polystyrene containers and dry ice to maintain cold chain.
- Amazon EU Partner ProgramminorAffiliate marketing partnership where Die Räucherei earns referral fees through Amazon partner links.
- PayPalcorePayment service provider enabling customers to pay via PayPal in addition to credit card and advance payment options.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Die Räucherei competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Deutsche See: Germany's largest fish specialist with sourcing, processing, retail, and foodservice operations. Comparable seafood processing capabilities but at significantly larger scale and broader product breadth.
- Labeyrie: France's leading smoked salmon and foie gras brand with broad retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable core product (smoked salmon) and category leadership at a much larger scale.
- Frischeparadies: German premium foodservice distributor specializing in high-end fish, meat, and gourmet products for top gastronomy. Shares the same premium HoReCa customer base (top restaurants, hotels, caterers).
Direct peers
- Peterman Räucherei: German artisanal smoked-fish manufacturer with direct-to-consumer and foodservice distribution. Closest like-for-like competitor in the German premium smoked-fish niche, sharing the same core production process and target customer segments.
- Ducktrap River of Maine: Maine-based artisan smoked-seafood company serving retail and gourmet foodservice. Closely comparable premium niche positioning and DTC/wholesale mix.
- Stührk Delikatessen: Germany-based delicatessen and fish specialties producer serving gastronomy and premium retail. Highly comparable premium positioning, manufacturing model, and customer mix.
- Acme Smoked Fish: US specialty smoked-fish manufacturer producing smoked salmon, whitefish, and sable for retail and foodservice. Comparable product technology (cold/hot smoking, freezing) and channel structure.
Others
- Norðvest Fiskur: Icelandic premium seafood processor supplying European gastronomy. Comparable in the high-quality fish sourcing and B2B premium gastronomy customer base, but upstream rather than directly competing in retail smoked fish.
Emerging players
- King Oscar: Branded seafood company specializing in smoked, canned, and ready-to-eat fish products. Comparable value-added seafood processing, though with greater emphasis on shelf-stable formats versus Die Räucherei's frozen premium model.
Regional players
- Tsuruichi Suisan: Japanese seafood processor specializing in smoked and prepared fish products including raw-consumption tuna. Highly comparable super-freezing/sushi-grade technology concept, but operating in a different geography (Japan).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Die Räucherei social profiles
Digital presenceDie Räucherei financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Die Räucherei leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Die Räucherei funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Die Räucherei 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 Die Räucherei
What does Die Räucherei do?
Die Räucherei manufactures and distributes premium smoked fish and seafood delicacies, including smoked salmon, butter mackerel, fish pralines, super-frozen sushi-grade tuna, matjes, and shrimp. Products are blast-frozen immediately after smoking to preserve freshness, then shipped frozen via cold-chain parcel delivery to private consumers through an online shop, and supplied directly to fine-dining restaurants, caterers, airlines, cruise liners, and premium retailers.
Is Die Räucherei a public or private company?
Die Räucherei is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Die Räucherei founded?
Die Räucherei was founded in 1988. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Die Räucherei based?
Die Räucherei is headquartered in Lengenbostel, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Die Räucherei make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Die Räucherei's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Deutsche See, Labeyrie and Frischeparadies. Direct peers are Peterman Räucherei, Ducktrap River of Maine, Stührk Delikatessen and Acme Smoked Fish. Norðvest Fiskur is listed as an others. King Oscar is listed as an emerging player. Tsuruichi Suisan is listed as a regional player.
Does Die Räucherei have an API?
No public API is recorded for Die Räucherei.
What industry is Die Räucherei in?
Die Räucherei's product category is Premium Smoked Fish. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANADAF, Smoked, Cured & Salted Seafood (Lox, Kippers, Bacalao), with a secondary code of AFAKACAG, Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 31171 and its SIC code is 2092.