What Keltenhof does

Keltenhof Frischprodukte GmbH is a privately held German agricultural company headquartered in Filderstadt-Bernhausen, near Stuttgart, that produces and distributes premium fresh, kitchen-ready salads, wild vegetables, herbs, micro greens, edible flowers, and specialty mushrooms. The company was founded as a vegetable farming business by the Daumüller family in 1958 and formally incorporated as Keltenhof Frischprodukte GmbH in 1998; it remains family-owned and managed by Gerhard Daumüller as Managing Director. Keltenhof pioneered several product categories in the German market, being the first German producer to cultivate Baby Leaf (2000), Micro Leaf (2005), and a wild vegetable line (2016) including the exclusive Bimi® wild broccoli. The company is the exclusive German contractual partner for Bimi seed procurement and holds the registered Bimi trademark.

The company's core technology stack is physical rather than digital: outdoor field cultivation combined with greenhouse production, a proprietary multi-stage washing process, three washing and cutting lines, cold storage with heat recovery, packaging lines, and a specialty Maitake (Tanzpilz) mushroom cultivation operation in a former brewery cellar at 12 meters depth. A 3,000+ m2 solar array supplies energy and irrigation water is filtered into a dedicated pond for field use. Harvest-to-delivery within 24 hours is maintained through own fleet and external Speditionen. The company is IFS 8 certified and HACCP compliant.

Keltenhof operates exclusively B2B, selling only to commercial customers (Verbraucher are explicitly excluded per AGB). It serves three primary customer segments — star gastronomy and fine dining restaurants, catering and large-scale foodservice operators, and food retailers — and distributes through a network of over 80 channel partners across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, supplemented by own-fleet and external shipping. Revenue is generated via per-transaction fresh produce sales; pricing varies by product, volume, and customer relationship and is not publicly disclosed, with standard payment terms of 10 days net. The company hosts annual 'Keltenhof & Friends' events, participates in the Intergastra trade show, and is an active partner in the JRE / freakstotable chef-producer network.

Name

Keltenhof

Legal name

Keltenhof Frischprodukte GmbH

Website

https://keltenhof.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Keltenhof Frischprodukte GmbH is a German family-owned B2B producer of premium, kitchen-ready fresh salads, wild vegetables, micro greens, edible flowers, and specialty mushrooms serving star gastronomy, catering, and food retail across the DACH region and Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Filderstadt

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales: Keltenhof generates revenue through the sale of fresh, kitchen-ready salads, wild vegetables, herbs, micro greens, edible flowers, and specialty mushrooms to B2B customers in gastronomy, catering, and food retail sectors. Products are sold as complete, ready-to-use items requiring no additional preparation by customers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Keltenhof Frischprodukte GmbH cultivates and supplies premium kitchen-ready salads, wild vegetables, herbs, micro greens, edible flowers, specialty mushrooms, and salad dressings to professional foodservice customers in star gastronomy, catering, and food retail. All products are hand-harvested and delivered within 24 hours via own fleet and a network of more than 80 distribution partners across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The company does not supply consumers; sales are exclusively B2B with 10-day net payment terms.

Product overview

Keltenhof Frischprodukte GmbH is a German agricultural company specializing in premium fresh produce with a focus on kitchen-ready salads, wild vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. The product portfolio centers on innovative product categories they pioneered in Germany: Baby Leaf (introduced 2000), Micro Leaf (2005), and Wildgemüse/Wild Vegetables (2016). Additional offerings include Mushrooms (Zahmer Tanzpilz/Maitake), Mono- and Leaf Salads (Feldsalat, Rucola, Frisée, Lollo), Salad Mixtures (Neapel, Rapunzel, Saison, Venetia), Dressings, Wild & Meadow Herbs (Bronzefenchel, Pimpinelle), Edible Flowers (Veilchen, Kornblumen, Borretsch), and Specialty items (Oxalis, Pea Shoots, Tagetes). All products emphasize maximum freshness, intense aromas, and sustainable cultivation methods. The company operates its own farming, harvesting primarily by hand, and maintains a closed cold chain from harvest to customer delivery within 24 hours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zahmer Tanzpilz (Maitake) Premium specialty mushroom cultivated in a former brewery cellar at 12-meter depth, offering intense umami flavor reminiscent of tender beef fillet when fried. Sold to fine dining and catering customers.
• Baby Leaf Young leaf vegetables including Mizuna, Tatsoi, Senf, Mangold, Kale, Pak Choi, Rucola and Baby Spinat in varying proportions, characterized by intense aromas and crunchy tenderness. Sold to star gastronomy and catering.
• Micro Leaf Tiny 4–5 cm leaf vegetables with strong character, including Micro Shiso, Micro Kale, Micro Feldsalat, Micro Pak Choi, Micro Roter Senf, Micro Roter Amaranth, Micro Pea Shoots, Micro Kapuzinerkresse, Micro Blutampfer, and various mixes. Sold to fine dining chefs.
• Wild- und Wiesenkräuter Wild and meadow herbs including Bronzefenchel, Pimpinelle, Schafgarbe, Vogelmiere, Wasser-/Landkresse, Wiesenkräutermix, and Wildkräutersalat mit Blüten. Sold to gastronomy and catering for fine-dining flavoring.
• Blüten (Edible Flowers) Edible flowers including Veilchen, Kornblumen, Borretsch Blüten, Gänseblümchen, Ringelblumen, Löwenmäulchen, Stiefmütterchen, Gewürztagetes, Micro Gewürztagetes, and Blütenmix. Sold as decorative accents for fine dining and pastry.
• Spezialitäten Specialty items including Oxalis Blätter grün, Oxalis Blätter rot, Pea Shoots, Tagetes Blätter, and Zitronenverbene. Sold to fine dining chefs and caterers.
• Mono- und Blattsalate Individual leaf salads including Feldsalat, Frisée fein gelb, Lollo Biondo ganze Blätter, Lollo Rosso ganze Blätter, and Rucola. Sold to gastronomy, catering, and food retail.
• Salatmischungen Pre-mixed salad combinations including Mischsalat 'Neapel', Mischsalat 'Rapunzel', Mischsalat 'Saison', Mischsalat 'Venetia', and Junge Blattsalate. Sold to catering and food retail.
• Dressings Prepared dressings co-developed with Münchner Suppenküche, including Wildkräuterdressing and Joghurtdressing, available in 100ml and 500ml packaging. Sold to gastronomy and food retail.
• Wildgemüse (Wild Vegetables) Wild vegetables including Bimi Wilder Brokkoli, Wilder Pinker Blumenkohl, Wilder Baby Fenchel, Wilder Pak Choi, Wilder Blumenkohl Mix, Bimi Lila Wilder Brokkoli, Wildes Kohlrädchen, Wilder Romanesco, and Mini Radieschen. Sold to fine dining and specialty food retail.
• Spinat Spinach products including Baby Spinat and Junger Spinat, characterized by dark green color and tender bite that hold up in wok cooking. Sold to gastronomy and catering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products delivered within 24 hours of harvest

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• freakstotable e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2024JRE-Origins merged with freakstotable in January 2024. The combined organization under freakstotable e.V. promotes conscious and respectful food culture, focusing on sustainable value chains, fair cooperation, and ethical food consumption. Keltenhof is part of this network connecting gastronomes, producers, and consumers.
• JRE - Jeunes Restaurateurs d'EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeltenhof participates in the JRE Genussnetz (enjoyment network), cooperating with over two dozen selected manufacturers of regional and sustainable products from Germany and the Netherlands. The partnership emphasizes sustainability, regionality, seasonality, and conscious handling of high-quality foodstuffs. The collaboration aims to generate new impulses for German fine dining through intensive exchange between chefs and producers.
• Meet & Work NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA network of approximately 30 companies from food suppliers, kitchen technology, interior design, equipment, sound systems, leasing, floor/wall technology, and consulting services. Member companies provide expertise for planning, renovation, and optimization of hospitality businesses.
• Münchner SuppenkücheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Munich-based soup kitchen for co-development of specialty dressings including yogurt dressing and wild herb dressing, produced with artisanal craftsmanship using carefully selected ingredients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eisberg: Swiss prepared-salad company owned by Bell Food Group, supplying foodservice and retail across DACH. Directly comparable in kitchen-ready salad processing, B2B foodservice orientation, and DACH-centric geographic footprint.
• Koppert Cress: Dutch grower of specialty microgreens, edible flowers, and cresses for fine-dining chefs globally. Highly comparable to Keltenhof's specialty positioning, premium B2B foodservice focus, and category-creation track record (e.g., Koppert's introduction of specific cress varieties mirrors Keltenhof's Baby/Micro Leaf pioneer status).
• Florette: European prepared-salad and fresh-produce brand serving foodservice and retail across multiple countries. Comparable in its prepared fresh produce offering, B2B foodservice focus, and multi-country European distribution, though at a larger scale and broader retail footprint than Keltenhof.

Broad incumbents

• Dole plc: Global fresh produce company with significant European presence in salads, vegetables, and value-added fresh. Comparable in fresh produce processing and foodservice distribution; vastly larger and broader in geography and product line than Keltenhof.
• Bonduelle: One of Europe's largest vegetable producers spanning canned, frozen, and fresh prepared formats across retail and foodservice. Comparable in fresh vegetable processing and European B2B reach, but much broader in product portfolio and scale than Keltenhof's specialty niche.
• Carl Kühne: German heritage producer of preserved vegetables, condiments, and dressings. Comparable in DACH B2B foodservice reach and presence in the dressing/condiment category where Keltenhof also has a small line, but operates at much larger scale and in shelf-stable formats.
• Greenyard: Belgian fresh, frozen, and prepared produce group supplying retailers and foodservice across Europe. Comparable in fresh produce sourcing and B2B foodservice distribution; broader in scale and product range, with vertically integrated logistics that Keltenhof does not have.

Others

• SVZ International: European supplier of fruit and vegetable-based ingredients and purees for the foodservice and B2B ingredient market. Adjacent to Keltenhof as a foodservice-input supplier, but focused on processed/pureed ingredients rather than fresh specialty produce.

Regional players

• Taylor Farms: US-based leading fresh-cut salad and prepared produce supplier to foodservice and retail. Highly comparable in kitchen-ready salad processing and B2B foodservice model, but operates in North America rather than DACH, so not a direct competitor.
• Johma: Dutch prepared-salad producer focused on the Benelux foodservice and retail market. Comparable in fresh-cut salad processing and B2B foodservice orientation; geographically adjacent rather than directly competing in DACH.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Keltenhof