True Refrigeration
True Refrigeration is a privately held European manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment for foodservice, hospitality, and retail operators. Founded in 1945 with operations across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia, the company sells seven product categories under a 7-year warranty via direct sales and local inventory dispatch.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1945
- HeadquartersSchopfheim, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What True Refrigeration does
True Refrigeration is a privately held commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturer serving the foodservice, hospitality, and retail industries. The company operates through two legal entities — True Refrigeration UK Ltd (primary UK entity) and True International GmbH (Germany) — with operational headquarters referenced in Schopfheim, Germany. Per firmographics data, the company was founded in 1945, employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people, and serves customers across the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, and Australia. The company is privately held with no public listing and no disclosed venture or private equity backing.
The product portfolio spans seven core hardware categories: Upright Cabinets, Counters and Undercounters (offering over 550 GN configuration combinations), Prep Tables (maintaining 0.5°C–5°C food-safe temperatures), Under-equipment Stands, Bar Refrigeration, Glass Door Display (including the Contemporary Visual Merchandiser range), and Air Curtain Display. The company's proprietary technology layer includes hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerant-based energy efficiency, True Flex Temp for switch-actuated fridge-to-freezer conversion, and state-of-the-art temperature control systems. Products are sold under a 7-year parts, labour, and compressor warranty, extended from 5 years in 2025.
True Refrigeration operates a direct sales model supported by local finished-goods inventory enabling immediate dispatch across Europe, the UK, and Ireland. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is supplemented by digital content marketing through the corporate website, published case studies (e.g., Hawaiian Poke Bowl, Oats Day Long, TOTEM), an interactive energy cost calculator, and an online GN counter configuration tool. Primary customer verticals are Retail, Bar/Brewery, and Restaurant/Catering; secondary verticals include Healthcare, Café/Bakery, Pizzeria, Burger Bar, Food Halls, Take Out, and At Work (workplace dining).
True Refrigeration firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- True Refrigeration
- Legal name
- True Refrigeration UK Ltd
- Website
- https://truerefrigeration.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1945
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- True Refrigeration is a privately held European manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment for foodservice, hospitality, and retail operators. Founded in 1945 with operations across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia, the company sells seven product categories under a 7-year warranty via direct sales and local inventory dispatch.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
True Refrigeration industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Refrigeration Equipment
- NAICS
- Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Refrigeration Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423740)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial & Industrial Refrigeration Systems (IMAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Refrigeration & Cold-Chain Equipment Service (IMAIABAE), Refrigeration Installation & Replacement (Commercial) (HSAOAJAD)
Keywords
Where True Refrigeration is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Schopfheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
True Refrigeration business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
True Refrigeration product offering
Product offeringCore offering
True Refrigeration designs, manufactures, and sells commercial refrigeration equipment for foodservice, bar, retail, and healthcare operators. Its product portfolio spans upright cabinets, counters and undercounters, prep tables, under-equipment stands, bar refrigeration, glass door displays, and air curtain displays, supported by a 7-year parts, labour, and compressor warranty and immediate availability from local inventory across Europe, the UK, and Ireland.
Product overview
True Refrigeration offers a comprehensive portfolio of commercial refrigeration products for foodservice environments. The product lineup includes seven core product categories: Upright Cabinets for demanding foodservice environments; Counters & Undercounters offering horizontal storage with over 550 GN counter configurations; Prep Tables maintaining food-safe 0.5°C to 5°C temperatures; Under-equipment Stands for storage under cooking equipment; Bar Refrigeration for beverage service; Glass Door Display including the Contemporary Visual Merchandiser (CVM) range for retail; and Air Curtain Display for open-front retail refrigeration. Key technology features include True Flex Temp (fridge-to-freezer conversion capability). Products are backed by a 7-year warranty covering parts, labour, and compressors across Europe, UK, and Ireland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Upright Cabinets Vertical refrigeration storage cabinets built to perform consistently in demanding foodservice environments. Designed for commercial operators requiring reliable upright cold storage.
- Counters & Undercounters Horizontal storage refrigerators and freezers for storage and display, offering over 550 different GN counter configurations with customizable door, drawer, and worktop combinations for commercial kitchens.
- Prep Tables Refrigerated prep tables that maintain a consistent and uniform food-safe 0.5°C to 5°C temperature across all food pans for commercial kitchen food preparation.
- Under-equipment Stands Chilled storage units designed to sit beneath grills and griddles, providing instant access to refrigerated storage directly under cooking equipment in commercial kitchens.
- Bar Refrigeration Specialized refrigeration solutions for the modern bar, designed to serve the perfect bottle or draft every time. Includes glass door displays for bottle storage and service.
- Glass Door Display Retail display refrigeration ideal for packaged food merchandising and colder bottles, including the Contemporary Visual Merchandiser (CVM) range that combines minimalist design with maximum performance.
- Air Curtain Display A new generation of environmentally friendly open-front retail display refrigeration cabinets for merchandising packaged food and beverages.
Companies that use True Refrigeration
Customer profileSegments10 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
True Refrigeration technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
True Refrigeration partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
True Refrigeration competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foster Refrigerator: British commercial refrigeration manufacturer focused on foodservice cabinets and blast chillers — closely comparable product mix, channel, and UK/Ireland go-to-market to True.
- Frilixa: UK/European commercial refrigeration manufacturer specializing in display cabinets and serve-over counters for retail and foodservice — directly comparable in glass-door and air-curtain display refrigeration.
- Manitowoc Ice: Specialist commercial ice and refrigeration equipment manufacturer (part of Ali Group) targeting the same bar, restaurant, and hospitality buyers as True's bar refrigeration and prep-table categories.
- Beverage-Air: US-based commercial refrigeration manufacturer (part of Ali Group) producing reach-ins, prep tables, and bar/display units — overlapping product categories and similar foodservice customer base.
- Hoshizaki: Global manufacturer of commercial refrigeration and ice machines serving foodservice, bar, and retail customers — direct overlap in upright cabinets, counters, and display refrigeration with True's core product lines.
- Williams Refrigeration: UK-based commercial refrigeration specialist producing upright, counter, and prep-table cabinets for foodservice — same customer base (restaurants, bars, hotels) and overlapping product architecture.
Broad incumbents
- Electrolux Professional: Large European commercial kitchen and refrigeration incumbent serving full-service restaurants, hotels, and chains — overlaps with True's full product portfolio as part of a broader kitchen-equipment offering.
- Ali Group: Global commercial foodservice equipment conglomerate owning multiple refrigeration brands and competing at multi-brand scale — sets the consolidation benchmark and competitive ceiling for independent specialists like True.
- True Manufacturing (US): US-headquartered namesake commercial refrigeration manufacturer with globally recognized 'True' brand; the European True Refrigeration entity is widely associated with this group and competes head-on in display refrigeration.
- Liebherr (Commercial): German industrial group with a commercial refrigeration and foodservice appliance line — competes with True in professional kitchens and bakery/café segments across the DACH region where True's German entity is based.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
True Refrigeration social profiles
Digital presenceTrue Refrigeration financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
True Refrigeration leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
True Refrigeration funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
True Refrigeration 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 True Refrigeration
What does True Refrigeration do?
True Refrigeration designs, manufactures, and sells commercial refrigeration equipment for foodservice, bar, retail, and healthcare operators. Its product portfolio spans upright cabinets, counters and undercounters, prep tables, under-equipment stands, bar refrigeration, glass door displays, and air curtain displays, supported by a 7-year parts, labour, and compressor warranty and immediate availability from local inventory across Europe, the UK, and Ireland.
Is True Refrigeration a public or private company?
True Refrigeration is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was True Refrigeration founded?
True Refrigeration was founded in 1945. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is True Refrigeration based?
True Refrigeration is headquartered in Schopfheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are True Refrigeration's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foster Refrigerator, Frilixa, Manitowoc Ice, Beverage-Air, Hoshizaki and Williams Refrigeration. Broad incumbents are Electrolux Professional, Ali Group, True Manufacturing (US) and Liebherr (Commercial).
Does True Refrigeration have an API?
No public API is recorded for True Refrigeration.
What industry is True Refrigeration in?
True Refrigeration's product category is Commercial Refrigeration Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAKAA, Commercial & Industrial Refrigeration Systems, with a secondary code of IMAIABAE, Refrigeration & Cold-Chain Equipment Service. Its NAICS code is 33341 and its SIC code is 3585.