Okle

What Okle does

Okle GmbH is a third-generation, family-owned food wholesaler headquartered in Singen am Hohentwiel, Germany, founded in 1934 by Josef Okle. The company operates as a full-line wholesaler (Vollsortimenter) distributing approximately 10,000 food and non-food articles — including regional dairy, Demeter/Bioland/Naturland organic and Reformhaus products, dry and frozen goods, beverages, drugstore items, and wines/spirits — to independent food retailers across Baden-Württemberg, the Allgäu, Germany, the EU, and Switzerland.

Operationally, Okle runs over 20,000 m² of warehouse and logistics capacity at Singen with frozen, chilled, and dry storage, HACCP-compliant cold chain, cross-docking, electronic tour planning, and 18–36 hour order-to-delivery cycles. Complementary services include customs clearance for Swiss and EU exports, commissioning, labeling, packaging, display assembly, and the LANDMARKT franchise-style retail concept for rural markets of 250–800 m², which bundles assortment, store design, POS systems, marketing, and consulting. The company also operates a B2B online ordering portal (portal.okle.de). Following the 2024 closure of its in-house meat and sausage manufactory (previously producing Frischland and Älpler brands since 1966), the business is now focused on wholesale distribution, logistics services, and export. The company holds Demeter, LACON, EU Bio (DE-ÖKO-003), and ISO 9001 certifications, and operates a 1,137 kWh photovoltaic installation covering roughly 40% of its electricity needs. Revenue is generated primarily through B2B product sales to retail partners and fee-based logistics/export services, with quote-based, non-publicly-disclosed pricing.

Name

Okle

Legal name

Okle GmbH

Website

https://okle.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Okle GmbH is a third-generation, family-owned German food wholesaler headquartered in Singen, distributing approximately 10,000 SKUs to independent retailers across Baden-Württemberg, the Allgäu, Germany, the EU, and Switzerland, with integrated cold-chain logistics, export services, and the LANDMARKT retail concept.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (42442)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic & Natural Packaged Grocery Wholesale (AFAIAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Wholesale (AFAIAJAF), Health, Organic & Natural Grocery Wholesale (AFAIABAI)

Keywords

• Food wholesale distribution
• Grocery wholesaler services
• Warehouse transport logistics
• Retail consulting services
• Cold chain logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Singen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Wholesale Distribution: Okle operates as a full-range food wholesaler serving independent food retailers. They offer approximately 10,000 articles including regional dairy products, Demeter and Reformhaus products, dry goods, frozen products, beverages, drugstore items, and wines/spirits. Revenue is generated through product sales to retail partners with 18-36 hour delivery times.
2. Logistics Services: Warehouse storage, commissioning, labeling, packaging, display building, and transport logistics services for partners. Includes customs clearance for exports to Switzerland and other countries.
3. Export Services: International trade services including customs clearance, transport organization, confectioning of individual products, and distribution to international locations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Okle GmbH is a third-generation family-owned full-range food wholesaler (Lebensmittelgroßhandel) headquartered in Singen am Hohentwiel, Germany, supplying approximately 10,000 food and non-food articles to independent food retailers. Its core offering combines a regional, organic-emphasized assortment (including Demeter, Bioland, Naturland and Reformhaus products) with the LANDMARKT retail concept for rural markets, integrated warehouse and transport logistics with HACCP-compliant cold chain, and export/customs services for Switzerland and other European destinations.

Product overview

Okle GmbH is a third-generation family-owned food wholesaler (Lebensmittelgroßhandel) headquartered in Singen am Hohentwiel, Germany, operating as a full-range supplier (Vollsortimenter) for independent food retailers. The company's core offering centers on its Assortment (Sortiment) of approximately 10,000 food and non-food articles, supported by the LANDMARKT retail concept for local markets (250-800 m² stores). Complementary services include comprehensive logistics (Lager- und Transportlogistik) with over 20,000 m² of warehouse space, international export services (Exportdienstleistungen), and marketing support (Marketing-Services) for retail partners. The company serves customers across Baden-Württemberg, the Allgäu region, Germany, EU countries, and third countries. A customer-facing online portal (Landmarkt Portal) enables order placement across all product categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Landmarkt: A retail sales concept for regional food supply combining quality, variety, and regional identity, suitable for store sizes between 250 and 800 square meters.

Products and services

• Sortiment (Food Assortment) A comprehensive full-range food assortment of approximately 10,000 articles — including regional dairy products, Demeter, Bioland and Naturland certified organic items, Reformhaus products, frozen foods, beverages, cosmetics and cleaning products — supplied to independent food retailers as a wholesale product line.
• LANDMARKT Retail Concept A retail distribution and store concept designed for independent food markets in rural areas (250–800 m²), bundling branding, store design, assortment selection, marketing and supply into a single partner package for self-employed retailers.
• Lager- und Transportlogistik (Warehouse and Transport Logistics) Integrated warehouse and transport logistics services for retail and trading partners, including goods receipt inspection, storage, order picking, labeling, packaging, display assembly, inventory monitoring and temperature-controlled delivery via own and partner fleets with 18–36 hour lead times and HACCP-compliant cold chain.
• Export Services (Exportdienstleistungen) International trade services including cross-docking, customs clearance and documentation, transport organization, and confectioning of individual products for retail chains, with delivery to Switzerland and other European destinations.
• Delivery Areas (Liefergebiete) Wholesale delivery service spanning southwest Baden-Württemberg, the Allgäu region, all of Germany, EU member states and third countries, using optimized short transport routes for maximum freshness and 18–36 hour order-to-delivery lead times.
• Customer Portal (Landmarkt Portal) Online ordering portal for registered retail partners offering customer-specific pricing and electronic ordering across product categories including produce, meat, dairy, frozen goods, beverages, cosmetics and dry goods, with electronic order transmission to Okle's logistics operations.
• Marketing Services Marketing support services for retail partners, including weekly flyers and posters, weekly mailings, promotional events and the annual Okle trade fair, designed to strengthen customer loyalty and product awareness for partner stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18-36 hours from order to delivery
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Logistics PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOkle works with long-established logistics partners for delivery to trading partners. These partners operate predominantly refrigerated vehicles and support the company's distribution network across Germany and Europe.
• Systemhaus Tröndle GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationExternal hosting provider for Okle's website and online systems. Located in Singen, they provide IT infrastructure and services. A data processing agreement (AV) is in place to ensure GDPR compliance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Edeka Zentrale AG & Co. KG: Germany's largest retailer with affiliated independent retailers (Edeka Kaufleute) supplied via regional Edeka wholesale companies. Competes with Okle for the same independent retailer customer base, though at massively larger scale.
• METRO Deutschland GmbH: German cash & carry and food service wholesaler (Metro/Classic Fine Foods) serving hospitality, traders, and independent retailers. Overlaps with Okle in food wholesale to trade customers, though at broader scale and different format emphasis.
• Rewe Group: Major German retail group operating Rewe supermarkets and Penny discounters with affiliated independent retailer (Rewe Kaufmann) channel. Competes with Okle's independent retail customer base as a much larger incumbent.
• Transgourmet Deutschland GmbH & Co. OHG: Subsidiary of Coop Group operating cash & carry and food delivery serving hospitality and independent retail in Germany. Overlaps with Okle in serving independent retailers but at substantially larger scale and with broader foodservice focus.

Direct peers

• Grell Naturkost GmbH & Co. KG: Northern German organic food wholesaler distributing natural foods to independent organic retailers, Reformhäuser, and specialty shops. Directly comparable organic wholesale model with similar customer segments, though operating in different geography.
• Weiling GmbH: One of Germany's largest organic food wholesalers serving independent organic retailers and Reformhäuser with a comparable assortment of certified organic products. Closely matches Okle's organic wholesale model and B2B retail customer focus.
• Naturkost Nord GmbH: Organic and natural food wholesaler serving independent retailers in northern Germany with Demeter, Bioland, and Naturland certified products. Comparable assortment structure and B2B organic wholesale model to Okle.
• Bodan Großhandel für Naturkost GmbH: Southern German organic food wholesaler headquartered near Lake Constance with overlapping regional footprint to Okle. Directly comparable business model distributing organic and natural foods to independent retailers with similar customer profile and service offering.
• Handelshof Management GmbH: German food wholesaler (cash & carry and delivery) serving hospitality and independent retail customers with broad grocery assortment. Comparable full-range food wholesale model though with stronger foodservice tilt.
• Dennree GmbH: Germany's largest organic food wholesaler operating across organic specialty retail (denn's Biomarkt franchise) and B2B distribution. Comparable organic wholesale model at meaningfully larger scale than Okle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/125037894245161

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Okle