Chefs Culinar

What Chefs Culinar does

Chefs Culinar is a German B2B food and non-food wholesaler headquartered in Wülfrath, founded in 1923, serving professional gastronomy, hotels, and communal catering (Gemeinschaftsverpflegung / GV) customers nationwide through 12 regional branches and an 8-facility in-house meat processing network (EU-Fleischereien). The company's assortment spans produce, fresh and frozen foods, dairy, fish, beverages, and non-food items under proprietary sub-brands (BEEF CULINAR, MEISTERFRISCH, STAR CULINAR, BASE CULINAR, BASE CLEAN, BASE ELEMENTS) plus the high-convenience HI TASTE line, which it produces at scale (up to 150,000 meals per day via production partner Frankenberg) for hospitals, clinics, and care homes.

Revenue is generated through wholesale product margins on a quote-based, per-customer-negotiated basis distributed via a B2B webshop (shop.chefsculinar.de), a customer portal (Mein CHEFS CULINAR), and a regional field sales force of product consultants (Fachberater), supplemented by hardware project revenue from the CHEFS CULINAR GROSSKÜCHENTECHNIK division (12 locations, 250+ employees) and professional services revenue from the CHEFS VALUE consulting, training, and digital tools stack (V TOOLs, V SCOREs, JOMOsoft, LINA, Kollex). The underlying technology stack combines a proprietary B2B e-commerce platform, customer portal, recipe management integrations, and — as of 2026 — AI-powered website search (KI-Suchfunktionen) for natural-language product queries. The firm operates as a private company with no public listing, no disclosed parent, and 501–1,000 employees across Germany.

Name

Chefs Culinar

Legal name

Chefs Culinar

Website

https://chefsculinar.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Chefs Culinar is a German B2B food and non-food wholesaler serving professional gastronomy, hotels, and communal catering nationwide through 12 regional branches, in-house meat processing, and the HI TASTE convenience line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing (311991), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Foodservice Supply Cash-and-Carry (Chef Stores) (CRAHAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB), Foodservice/Institutional Prepared Meat & Seafood Meals (Bulk/Portioned) (AFANAFAK)

Keywords

• Food wholesale distribution
• Professional foodservice supply
• Commercial kitchen equipment
• Institutional catering supply
• B2B food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Weeze

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food & Non-Food Wholesale: CHEFS CULINAR generates revenue primarily through the wholesale distribution of food and non-food products to professional foodservice businesses. This includes fresh meat, fish, produce, dairy, frozen goods, beverages, cleaning supplies, and kitchen equipment. Customers order through a B2B online shop and receive regular deliveries. Revenue is driven by product margins across a broad assortment of national and international brands as well as proprietary brands.
2. CHEFS VALUE Services: Revenue from consulting, concept development, training (Campus), and digital software solutions (JOMOsoft, LINA, Kollex) bundled under CHEFS VALUE. These services support operational optimization for customers and represent an additional revenue stream alongside product sales.
3. Großküchentechnik (Commercial Kitchen Equipment): CHEFS CULINAR GROSSKÜCHENTECHNIK plans, supplies, installs, and services commercial kitchen equipment and food distribution systems. Revenue is generated through project-based equipment sales, planning fees, and after-sales maintenance contracts across 12 branch locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

CHEFS CULINAR is a German B2B wholesale distributor of food and non-food products serving professional foodservice businesses (gastronomy, hotels, communal catering, healthcare, education). The company offers a full assortment of fresh, frozen, and dry goods through 12 nationwide branch locations, supported by eight EU-authorized in-house butcheries, proprietary convenience-meal production (HI TASTE), and an integrated commercial kitchen equipment division (GROSSKÜCHENTECHNIK) for planning, installation, and after-sales service.

Product overview

CHEFS CULINAR is a German food wholesale company serving gastronomy, hotels, and institutional catering (Gemeinschaftsverpflegung/GV) across Germany. The offering consists of a broad product portfolio organized under proprietary sub-brands (BEEF CULINAR, MEISTERFRISCH, STAR CULINAR, BASE CULINAR, BASE CLEAN, BASE ELEMENTS) alongside a comprehensive range covering produce, frozen foods, dairy, meat, fish, beverages, and non-food items. The company supplements its product business with three service pillars: CHEFS VALUE (consulting, digital tools including JOMOsoft/LINA/Kollex, campus/training), CHEFS Inspiration (recipes, events, media), and CHEFS Stories (industry content). An online B2B webshop with AI-powered search enables ordering, while the Großküchentechnik (GKT) division provides professional kitchen equipment planning and execution services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BEEF CULINAR: Premium Argentine beef brand featuring Hereford and Angus cattle from South American pastures.
• MEISTERFRISCH
• STAR CULINAR
• BASE CULINAR
• BASE CLEAN
• BASE ELEMENTS
• HI TASTE

Products and services

• HI TASTE
• BEEF CULINAR
• MEISTERFRISCH
• STAR CULINAR
• BASE CULINAR
• BASE CLEAN
• BASE ELEMENTS
• CHEFS CULINAR Großküchentechnik (GKT)
• CHEFS VALUE
• CHEFS CULINAR B2B Online Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• Frozen food production facility produces up to 150,000 meals/day
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HuuskescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuuskes is the production partner for CHEFS CULINAR's HI TASTE convenience line. The Dutch company specializes in fresh, fast, and high-tech food manufacturing and supplies the frozen meal production with ready-to-heat convenience dishes.
• Frankenberg (Frankenberg Küche)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrankenberg Küche is a production partner for the HI TASTE convenience line, producing up to 150,000 meals per day. The facility operates with a fresh-cooking philosophy using high-tech equipment, ensuring taste quality comparable to scratch cooking.
• Jakob de Vries / Handflakad ManufakturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJakob de Vries operates the Handflakad Manufaktur, a premium fish processing operation that hand-fillets and vacuum-packs fish products. Handflakad is featured as a specialty product in the CHEFS CULINAR fish catalogue.
• Rational (Kitchen Equipment)coreTechnology or IntegrationRational is a leading manufacturer of commercial ovens and cooking systems. CHEFS CULINAR uses Rational equipment in its HI TASTE masterclasses and promotes compatible regeneration solutions for HI TASTE products using Rational equipment.
• Koppert CressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKoppert Cress is a specialist producer of cress, micro greens, and specialty herbs. Their products are featured in the CHEFS CULINAR specialty herbs catalogue and as culinary garnishes for professional kitchens.
• Käserei BackensholzminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArtisan cheese dairy from Neumünster presenting its specialty cheeses at the annual CHEFS CULINAR trade fair in Neumünster.
• ArdominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArdo is a supplier of frozen fruits, vegetables, herbs, and prepared frozen foods. Featured as a partner in the Tiefkühlprodukte (frozen products) section with the MIMOSA+ product line.
• Gia PizzaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGia Pizza is an Italian family business producing premium fresh pizza dough. Their products are featured in the Tiefkühl-Sortiment (frozen product range) and the Eigenmarken catalogue under pizza.
• Landgut NemtminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional German farm supplying fresh vegetables, yogurt, and bread. Featured as a regional producer partner with a focus on short supply chains and local sourcing.
• Tork (Essity)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTork is a leading brand for professional hygiene products (tissues, dispensers, hand cleaners). Featured in the Nonfood section and sustainability in hygiene sub-section.
• DuniminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDuni is a brand for table decoration products, sustainable disposable tableware, and napkins. Featured in the Nonfood catalogue section and seasonal promotional brochures.
• VytalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVytal provides reusable container systems for take-away and delivery. CHEFS CULINAR offers Vytal multi-way containers as a sustainable alternative to single-use packaging, complying with German reusable packaging regulations.
• RecupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecup is a reusable packaging service for food delivery. Offered alongside Vytal as a Mehrweglösung (reusable solution) in the Nonfood section to comply with German reusable packaging laws.
• TASKI (Diversey)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTASKI (part of Diversey) provides professional cleaning machines and robots (Ecobot50, Phantas) for hygiene-critical environments in healthcare, hospitality, and communal catering. Featured in masterclasses and the Nonfood category.
• BanchettominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanchetto is a supplier of Italian sausage and ham specialties. Their products are sold under the Banchetto own-brand catalogue as part of CHEFS CULINAR's specialty charcuterie range.
• Hof DenissenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHof Denissen is a regional fruit and vegetable supplier featured in the Obst & Gemüse (Produce) section under specialty sourcing.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EDEKA Foodservice: Wholesale arm of Germany's largest retailer group, supplying HoReCa and communal catering customers. Direct competitor in the German foodservice market with retailer-backed assortment breadth.
• Handelshof Management GmbH: German B2B food wholesaler with cash-and-carry and delivery operations serving gastronomy and communal catering. Closely comparable in scale, branch network, and customer segments to Chefs Culinar.
• Bidfood (Bidcorp subsidiary): International B2B foodservice distributor with German operations. Comparable delivery-based wholesale model targeting HoReCa and communal catering customers in Germany and Europe.
• Bartels-Langness (BELA): German B2B foodservice wholesaler serving HoReCa and communal catering with nationwide delivery. Comparable full-assortment model targeting similar professional kitchen customers.
• Transgourmet Deutschland: COOP Group-owned B2B foodservice wholesaler (including the Selgros cash-and-carry brand). Direct competitor serving the same gastronomy, hotel, and communal catering segments across Germany with comparable full-range assortment.
• METRO AG: Germany's largest B2B foodservice wholesaler and cash-and-carry operator. Direct competitor to Chefs Culinar across gastronomy and HoReCa customers, with national branch coverage, broader assortment, and stronger logistics scale.

Regional players

• Boels Foodservice: Netherlands-based foodservice wholesaler serving HoReCa customers with delivery and cash-and-carry. Adjacent geographic peer with similar product range and customer profile; Chefs Culinar's HI TASTE partner Huuskes operates in the same Dutch market.
• Lekkerland (REWE Group): German foodservice and convenience wholesaler serving vending, hospitality, and out-of-home consumption. Adjacent peer with overlapping HoReCa customer base and shared German market dynamics.

Emerging players

• FrischeParadies: Premium fresh food specialist wholesaler (now part of METRO group). Comparable to Chefs Culinar's specialty produce/fresh offering but focused narrowly on premium fresh segments rather than full-range.

Broad incumbents

• Sysco Corporation: Global largest B2B foodservice distributor (US-headquartered). Useful strategic comparable for scale economics, private-label strategy, and proprietary digital ordering platforms, though geographically non-overlapping.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 Chefs Culinar