fairfood Freiburg

What fairfood Freiburg does

fairfood Freiburg GmbH is a privately held, fair-trade organic food company headquartered in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, founded in 2014 as Cashew4You and rebranded to fairfood in 2023. The company sells a portfolio of organic, fair-trade nuts, dried fruits, nut butters, vegan chocolate spreads (Fairchoc), oat drink powder, and nut-based ready meals to conscious consumers and corporate B2B customers. Its core production consists of hand-roasting nuts without oil in its own Freiburg manufactory, with upstream cracking and primary processing carried out in its own facilities in Nigeria (cashews, since 2015) and Rwanda (macadamia, since 2021), plus sourcing partnerships with smallholder cooperatives in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Portugal, and China. Differentiating features include in-country African processing (avoiding the industry-standard shipment of raw cashews to Asia for cracking), full Bio and Fairtrade certification across the range, and a reusable Pfandglas/Pfandeimer deposit packaging system that won the 2021 Mehrweg-Innovationspreis.

The business operates three go-to-market motions. B2C runs through the fairfood.bio online shop and a marketing funnel anchored by a 10%-off newsletter incentive and press coverage in outlets including Handelsblatt, ZDF and SWR. B2B sells office snacks, bulk buckets and corporate gifts via b2b.fairfood.bio with tiered volume discounts up to 10% above €5,000 and a €50 employee-referral voucher. Retail distribution covers central or national listings at Alnatura (since 2018), Rewe (national warehouse listing 2024), Edeka Südwest (central listing 2024), Budni, Bio Company, and denn's Biomarkt, plus Unverpackt-Läden and Weltläden. Unit pricing on the B2C shop ranges from approximately €11.98/kg (vegan goulash) to €41.58/kg (nut bolognese), with free domestic shipping above €70. The company employs roughly 30+ people across production, sales, brand, and operations, completed a €700,000 equity crowdfunding round in 2024, and won the 2024 Fairtrade Award in the Newcomer category.

Name

fairfood Freiburg

Legal name

fairfood Freiburg GmbH

Website

https://fairfood.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

fairfood Freiburg is a German fair-trade organic food company that hand-roasts nuts in its Freiburg manufactory using cashews and macadamia cracked in its own facilities in Nigeria and Rwanda, selling via D2C online, B2B office snacks, and central listings at Alnatura, Rewe and Edeka.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic and Fair-Trade Snack Foods

NAICS

Roasted Nuts and Peanut Butter Manufacturing (311911), Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying (31142), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Bulk Foods, Grains & Nuts Wholesale (AFAIAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale (AFAIAJAB), Dried & Dehydrated Foods Manufacturing (AFAKACAK), Natural Specialty Food Stores (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Keto, Allergy-Friendly) (CRAHAEAE)

Keywords

• Organic fair-trade nuts
• Nut butters
• Dried fruits
• Plant-based drinks
• Vegan snacks

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg Im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (B2C): Direct-to-consumer online sales of fair trade organic nuts, nut butters, dried fruits, oat drinks, ready meals, and chocolate spreads. Products sold in various packaging formats including deposit glasses (Pfandglas), deposit buckets (Pfandeimer), and recyclable bags
2. Product Sales (B2B): B2B sales to offices, retailers, cafes, and restaurants with volume-based tiered discounts. Includes white-label and custom packaging options for corporate gifts and events
3. Wholesale/Retail Distribution: Supply to major German retail chains including Alnatura, Edeka, Rewe, and specialized Unverpackt/Bio stores

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

fairfood Freiburg sources, roasts, packages, and sells organic fair-trade nuts, nut butters, dried fruits, vegan chocolate spreads (Fairchoc), oat drink powder, nut-based ready meals, and roasted soybeans. Nuts are hand-roasted without oil in the company's own Freiburg manufactory after in-country cracking in Nigeria and Rwanda. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via fairfood.bio, to offices and resellers via b2b.fairfood.bio, and through major German organic retail chains.

Product overview

fairfood Freiburg is a fair-trade organic food company offering a portfolio of snack products centered around nuts, dried fruits, and plant-based alternatives. The core product line includes roasted nuts (roasted by hand without oil in their Freiburg manufactory), natural raw nuts, nut butters (100% nut purees), Fairchoc chocolate spreads (60% nuts, vegan, no palm oil), dried fruits from fair-trade partnerships, oat drink powder, and nut-based cooking products (ready meals and sauces). The company operates both B2C (www.fairfood.bio) and B2B (b2b.fairfood.bio) e-commerce platforms, with a dedicated Office Snacks service for corporate customers. Products are sourced through fair-trade and organic certifications with production facilities in Freiburg, Germany and partner production sites in Nigeria and Rwanda. Packaging options include deposit glasses (Pfandglas), deposit buckets (Pfandeimer), recyclable snack bags, and paper containers to support sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fairchoc: Chocolate spreads made with 60% nuts, vegan and fair trade certified

Products and services

• Roasted Nuts (Geröstete Nüsse) Organic fair-trade nuts roasted by hand without oil in fairfood's Freiburg manufactory, available in multiple savory flavors such as Chili & Paprika, Curry, and Rosemary & Thyme.
• Natural Nuts (Naturbelassene Nüsse) Raw, organic fair-trade nuts including cashews, macadamia, almonds, and peanuts sourced directly from fair-trade cooperatives in Nigeria, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, and Portugal.
• Roasted Soybeans (Geröstete Sojabohnen) Organic, regional, vegan roasted soybeans sourced from German farms, roasted without oil in the Freiburg manufactory, available in Tamari and Sweet Chili flavors.
• Nut Butters (Nussmus) 100% nut purees (Nussmus) made in-house from roasted organic fair-trade nuts, available in almond, cashew, and peanut varieties without added oils or sugar.
• Fairchoc Chocolate Creams Vegan chocolate spreads made with 60% nuts, no palm oil, under the Fairchoc sub-brand, available in Chocolate-Peanut, Hazelnut-Nougat, and Cashew-Vanilla varieties.
• Dried Fruits (Trockenfrüchte) Organic fair-trade dried fruits including mango from Burkina Faso, dates, and pineapple from Tanzania, dried at maximum 41°C to preserve nutrients using solar and water energy.
• Oat Drink Powder (Haferdrinkpulver) Plant-based milk alternative made from 100% whole grain oats, fermented for a naturally sweet taste, sold as a powder for easy mixing with water.
• Nut Kitchen / Cooking Products (Nuss-Küche) Ready meals and cooking sauces made with nuts including vegan Goulash, Nut Bolognese, and Nut Carbonara in recyclable paper packaging (Papierdose).
• Office Snacks B2B Bulk supply of fair-trade organic nuts and snacks for corporate offices, including deposit buckets, glass dispensers, and custom corporate gifting, with approximately 30% commercial discount versus B2C retail pricing.
• B2B Online Shop Business-to-business e-commerce platform at b2b.fairfood.bio for resellers, Unverpackt stores, and corporate customers offering exclusive pricing, volume-based tiered discounts up to 10%, and white-label / custom packaging options.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 tons CO2 saved per 100kg of African cashews by processing locally instead of shipping to Asia
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gorilla Nuts (Rwanda)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in Rwanda for macadamia production. fairfood helped build the cracking facility and trained smallholder farmers in organic agriculture. Approximately 50 people employed earning fair wages. Project empowers women with independent income.
• Cashew4u (Nigeria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Local partner in Nigeria for cashew processing. fairfood built its own cashew production facility with this partner in 2015. Over 2100 smallholder farmers trained in organic agriculture, 5000+ cashew seedlings distributed. Production uses traditional stone oven baking method.
• Smallholder Farmers (Burkina Faso)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner150+ smallholder families in Burkina Faso growing cashews and mangoes in mixed cultivation under Bio and Fairtrade standards. Products dried and processed locally to reduce CO2 and create local jobs.
• Smallholder Farmers (Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner300 smallholder families in Tanzania growing pineapples. Processing uses solar and water energy. 1000+ women trained in organic farming. Products dried at max 41 degrees to preserve nutrients.
• Peanut Farmers (China)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner59 farming families in Shandong province growing peanuts under Bio and Fairtrade standards. Receive fixed purchase prices plus premium of $110 per ton. peanuts sun-dried and shelled in project-owned factory.
• Almond Farmers (Portugal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlmonds sourced from small family farms in northern Portugal. Traditional mixed cultivation with olives and wine. Short transport routes reduce CO2 by approximately 75% compared to non-EU sourcing.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves19 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rapunzel Naturkost: German family-owned organic and fair-trade food manufacturer specializing in nut butters, muesli, dried fruits, and cooking ingredients with a comparable premium positioning, Bio/Fairtrade certification stack, and German retail distribution. Closest direct comparable in terms of category, certifications, and channel mix.
• Naturata: German organic brand (Demeter-certified) producing nut butters, oils, dried fruits, and sweet spreads with comparable premium organic positioning and fair-trade credentials, distributed through German natural food retail.
• Davert: German organic food brand focused on nuts, grains, rice, and legumes with strong organic/vegan positioning and distribution across German organic retail. Highly comparable in product mix and organic specialty retail channel exposure.

Emerging players

• KoRo: Berlin-based D2C organic food brand selling nuts, dried fruits, nut butters, and pantry staples in bulk packaging. Comparable in D2C e-commerce focus, organic positioning, and bulk/deposit-style packaging, though broader in assortment and larger in scale.
• Erdsnack: Smaller German organic nut and dried fruit brand with similar D2C e-commerce focus and organic/sustainability positioning. Comparable as a niche emerging player in the same organic nut/snack category.
• nu3: German D2C brand focused on nutrition, functional food, and organic snacks including nuts and nut butters. Comparable in D2C e-commerce focus, organic/health positioning, and German market presence.

Broad incumbents

• Seeberger: Established German nut, dried fruit, and snack company with broad retail distribution across German grocery. Overlaps in core category (nuts, dried fruit) but operates at larger scale and broader (less exclusively organic) positioning.
• Alnatura Produkte & Handel: Germany's largest organic food brand and retailer with extensive private-label range including nuts, nut butters, and snacks. Comparable in Bio positioning and channel presence — fairfood already sells into Alnatura stores — but Alnatura is much larger and more diversified.
• Zentis: Long-established German confectionery and fruit spread manufacturer including nut-based chocolate spreads. Comparable in the chocolate spread / nut spread sub-category and German mass-market retail presence.

Others

• foodspring: Berlin-based D2C nutrition brand with adjacent positioning in healthy snacking and organic ingredients. Comparable as a German D2C food brand with similar consumer demographics, though primarily sports-nutrition focused rather than fair-trade nuts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fairfoodbio
• Facebookfacebook.com/fairfoodbio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairfood-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairfood.bio

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 fairfood Freiburg