True Refrigeration

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).

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

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

• Commercial refrigeration equipment
• Foodservice cold storage
• Bar beverage refrigeration
• Retail display refrigeration
• Kitchen prep tables

Headquarters

HQ city

Schopfheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

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

Core 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.

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truerefrigerationemea
• Xx.com/TrueRefrigEMEA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TrueRefrigerationEMEA

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 True Refrigeration