Heins

What Heins does

Heins, legally Peter Heins Ifri-Gemüse GmbH and operating since 2025 under the "ifri" brand ("Immer frisch" — Always fresh), is a Hamburg-Stellingen-based fresh-cut produce processor founded in 1897. The company sources fruits, vegetables, herbs, and salads from fields, beds, and orchards, then cuts, prepares, and delivers up to 20,000 kg of finished product per day from a single Hamburg-Stellingen facility staffed by approximately 100 employees. Its product portfolio is organized into three core lines — Gemüse (vegetables), Obst (fruit), and Salate (salads) — available in both conventional and organic (Bio) quality, with customizable cut sizes, single-portion fruits, colorful fruit salads, mixed salads, skewers, and specialty items.

The business is a pure B22B fresh-cut food processor selling to four end markets: gastronomy (restaurants and hotels), wholesale and retail, food processing industry, and communal catering (clinics and schools). Revenue is generated through transactional daily delivery of fresh-cut produce, with go-to-market executed through direct sales and the company's website (ifri.de), supported by phone and email contact channels. The technology base is an integrated cutting, preparation, and cold-chain logistics operation rather than a software or platform product.

In 2025 Heins entered a strategic partnership with CITTI | CHEFS CULINAR, combining its production know-how with CITTI's 100+ years of large-scale consumer supply experience, and concurrently rebranded to "ifri" to formalize this alliance. The company is a privately held German GmbH with no disclosed funding, investors, revenue figures, or acquisitions.

Name

Heins

Legal name

Peter Heins Ifri-Gemüse GmbH

Website

https://peterheins.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heins (ifri) is a Hamburg-Stellingen-based fresh-cut produce processor producing up to 20,000 kg daily of fruits, vegetables, and salads for German B2B customers in gastronomy, retail, food processing, and communal catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh-Cut Produce

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Preserved Specialty Foods Manufacturing (Olives, Antipasto, Relishes) (AFAKACAN)

Keywords

• Fresh-cut produce
• Fruit preparation
• Vegetable processing
• Salad manufacturing
• Food service supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce B2B Sales: Production and delivery of fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads to commercial customers including gastronomy, retail, food processing industry, and communal catering. Products include individual vegetables, herbs, single fruits, colorful fruit salads, exciting salad mixes, skewers, and specialties — available in different cutting sizes and including organic quality options.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Heins (operating as ifri / Peter Heins Ifri-Gemüse GmbH) is a German fresh-cut produce manufacturer that daily produces and delivers up to 20,000 kg of fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads to commercial customers. The company cuts, prepares, and packages individual vegetables, herbs, single fruits, fruit salads, salad mixes, skewers, and specialty items in customizable cut sizes, available in both conventional and organic (Bio) quality. It supplies gastronomy, wholesale/retail, food processing industry, and communal catering (clinics, schools) across Germany from its Hamburg-Stellingen production facility.

Product overview

ifri is a fresh-cut food production company operating as a single unified product line focused on fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads. The company produces up to 20,000 kg of fresh products daily, offering customization in cut sizes and preparations. All three core products (Gemüse, Obst, and Salate) are available in both conventional and organic (Bio) quality. The company supplies diverse customers including gastronomy, wholesale/retail, food processing industry, and communal catering (clinics and schools). Since 2025, the company operates under the ifri brand following a partnership with CITTI | CHEFS CULINAR.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frisches Gemüse (Fresh Vegetables) Fresh-cut vegetables supplied daily to commercial customers, available in various cut sizes and formats to meet customer specifications, including both conventional and organic (Bio) quality options.
• Obst (Fresh Fruit) Fresh-cut fruits and individual fruits supplied daily, including colorful fruit salads, available in both conventional and organic (Bio) quality.
• Salate (Salads) Fresh salads including mixed salad assortments, skewers, and specialty offerings, supplied daily in various cut sizes and preparations, available in conventional and organic (Bio) quality.

Quantifiable outcome

• Daily production capacity of up to 20,000 kg of fresh products

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CITTI | CHEFS CULINARcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Strategic partnership established in 2025 as part of the company's rebranding from Peter Heins Ifri-Gemüse GmbH to ifri. CITTI | CHEFS CULINAR contributes over 100 years of experience in reliable supply to large-scale consumers (Großverbrauchende). The partnership combines ifri's production expertise in fresh fruit and vegetable products with CITTI | CHEFS CULINAR's distribution and supply chain capabilities, representing a bundled competence for fresh enjoyment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Ardo: Belgium-based European producer of frozen vegetables, herbs, and fruit, serving foodservice, retail, and industrial customers. Comparable to ifri in vegetable processing and B2B foodservice distribution, though Ardo focuses on frozen rather than fresh-cut.
• Bonduelle: France-based global producer of canned, frozen, and fresh processed vegetables, including fresh-cut salads and prepared produce. Directly comparable to ifri across product format (fresh-cut and processed), customer base (foodservice and retail), and EU production footprint.
• Florette: European leader in fresh-cut salads and ready-to-eat vegetables, headquartered in France and operating across multiple EU markets. Directly comparable to ifri's fresh-cut salad, vegetable, and fruit mix product line and B2B foodservice/wholesale distribution model.
• Gartenfrisch Jung: German family-owned fresh-cut produce specialist supplying washed, cut, and packaged vegetables and salads to retail and foodservice. Directly comparable to ifri on fresh-cut produce, German geography, B2B customer mix, and customization capabilities.
• Eisberg: Germany-based fresh-cut salad and vegetable producer (subsidiary of Taylor Farms). Directly comparable to ifri on fresh-cut salads, German-language market focus, and B2B foodservice/retail distribution. Closest direct competitor in the German market.

Broad incumbents

• Iglo Group: European frozen food brand (owned by Nomad Foods) covering fish, vegetables, and ready meals across grocery. Adjacent incumbent in the prepared-produce category, comparable to ifri in B2B foodservice reach and EU retail presence, but differentiated by frozen rather than fresh-cut format.
• McCain Foods: Global producer of frozen prepared foods (potatoes, vegetables, meals) serving foodservice and retail worldwide. Comparable to ifri in B2B foodservice customization and supply, but operates at much larger scale and in a frozen (not fresh-cut) format.
• Nomad Foods: European frozen food platform (owns Iglo, Birds Eye, Findus) serving grocery and foodservice across Europe. Comparable to ifri as a category peer in prepared vegetables, but with a frozen-only model and a public-company scale.

Others

• CHEFS CULINAR: German foodservice distributor within the CITTI family, delivering food and non-food products to restaurants, hotels, and communal catering. Listed because it is ifri's strategic distribution partner and a direct channel for its fresh-cut produce into large-scale consumers.
• SV Group: Swiss/European hospitality and communal catering operator (clinics, schools, corporate catering). Comparable to ifri as a downstream customer segment (communal catering) and a useful proxy for institutional demand dynamics in the German-speaking foodservice market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heins

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Heins