BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG

What BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG does

BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG is a regional purchasing cooperative headquartered in Kropp, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, that supplies bakery and confectionery businesses with over 12,000 articles spanning raw materials (flour, sugar, yeast, seeds, coffee, bio-products), fresh and frozen goods, packaging, hygiene supplies, machinery, and equipment. Founded in 1906 and operating under its current name since a 2003 merger of regional cooperatives, the company serves approximately 450 member bakeries, confectioners, ice cafés, and gastronomy businesses across Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Denmark, and Sweden. As a registered Genossenschaft, members are simultaneously customers and co-owners, and the cooperative is part of the nationwide BÄKO network anchored by BÄKO-Zentrale eG.

The cooperative operates three wholly-owned subsidiaries: EIS.ZWEI.DREI GmbH (2003) for ice cream production supplies, BÄKO ApS in Denmark (2011), and BÄKO AB in Sweden (2021). Core technology platforms include the BIBS online ordering system and SmartBIBS mobile tablet variant, available in German, Danish, and Swedish, supported by proprietary digital products such as BackBüro bakery management software, BÄKO-PAY cashless payment terminals, BÄKO HIN/T whistleblower portal, and BÄKO-AutoPOS, an AI-based autonomous checkout system using cameras and shelf scales. Distribution runs on the cooperative's own fleet, including a newly acquired Volvo FME 490 electric truck, with free delivery above €1,000 minimum order value.

Revenue is generated primarily through wholesale goods sales on a transaction-based pricing model, supplemented by subscription/license fees for digital tools at cooperative member rates and the EIS.ZWEI.DREI specialty wholesale channel. Go-to-market combines a direct field sales team (Außendienst), inside sales (Verkaufsinnendienst), self-serve online ordering through BIBS/SmartBIBS, and the annual Hausmesse exhibition in Husum. Marketing channels include the company website, social media (Facebook and Instagram), email newsletters, virtual facility tours, and cultural content initiatives such as BackKultur and SnackKultur.

Name

BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG

Legal name

BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG

Website

https://baeko-sh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG is a German cooperative purchasing organization serving approximately 450 bakeries, confectioners, ice cafés, and gastronomy businesses across Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Denmark, and Sweden with over 12,000 wholesale articles, digital tools, and dedicated logistics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bakery & Confectionery Wholesale Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply) (THAFAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Premium/Artisanal Bakery Wholesale (AFAIAFAG)

Keywords

• Wholesale bakery supply
• Bakery raw materials
• Confectionery wholesale
• Bakery cooperative
• Foodservice distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Kropp

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale goods sales: BÄKO generates revenue by selling a broad assortment of over 12,000 raw materials, fresh products, frozen goods, packaging, machinery, and equipment to member bakeries and confectioners. As a cooperative, members are also owners, and profits may be distributed as dividends. Delivery is free of charge once the minimum order threshold is reached.
2. EIS.ZWEI.DREI – Ice ingredients and equipment: The subsidiary EIS.ZWEI.DREI GmbH supplies raw materials for ice cream production, ice machines, waffles, and accessories to ice cafés. Orders over €500 are delivered free of charge.
3. Digital tools and software licensing: BÄKO generates revenue through the sale and licensing of digital solutions to members, including BackBüro® software, BÄKO-PAY terminal services, and BÄKO HIN/T portal services, at discounted cooperative member rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG is a member-owned purchasing cooperative that supplies member bakeries and confectioners with more than 12,000 wholesale articles — including raw materials, operating supplies, equipment and packaging — across Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Denmark and Sweden. Beyond physical goods, it offers proprietary digital ordering and management tools, payment solutions, advisory services, and logistics for the craft bakery trade.

Product overview

BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG is a regional purchasing cooperative for bakers and confectioners operating a multi-product, multi-channel portfolio centered on a core wholesale supply business supplemented by digital tools and a specialty ice cream subsidiary. The primary offering is a wholesale range of over 12,000 articles — raw materials (flour, sugar, yeast, seeds, bio-products, coffee), fresh products, frozen items, packaging, hygiene supplies, and machines — supported by own-brand ordering platforms BIBS and SmartBIBS. Adjacent digital products include BackBüro® (bakery management software), BÄKO-PAY (cashless payment), BÄKO HIN/T (whistleblower portal), BÄKO-AutoPOS (AI-powered autonomous checkout), and BackOfficeDigital (centralized digital platform). Quality assurance, logistics, and catalogue services underpin the offering. The subsidiary EIS.ZWEI.DREI extends the portfolio into ice cream production supplies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EIS.ZWEI.DREI: Subsidiary company specializing in ice cream production, providing raw materials, ice machines, and supplies for ice cafes
• BIBS
• SmartBIBS
• BackBüro
• BÄKO-PAY
• BÄKO HIN/T
• BÄKO-AutoPOS
• BackOfficeDigital

Products and services

• Wholesale bakery and confectionery supplies (Rohstoffe / Betriebsbedarf) Wholesale supply of more than 12,000 articles including raw materials (flour, sugar, fats, etc.), operating supplies, packaging, and equipment for craft bakeries and confectioneries. Distributed to member businesses in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Denmark and Sweden.
• BIBS ordering platform Proprietary online ordering platform that lets member bakeries and confectioners browse the full BÄKO assortment and place wholesale orders digitally. Designed for use by back-office staff of craft bakery businesses.
• SmartBIBS mobile ordering Mobile companion to the BIBS platform that allows bakery staff to scan, order and re-order goods on the go from a smartphone or tablet.
• BackBüro bakery management software Management and ERP-style software for craft bakeries covering operations, ordering and back-office workflows, offered to member businesses of the cooperative.
• BÄKO-PAY cashless payment solution Cashless payment terminal/solution for member bakeries to accept digital payments at the point of sale, integrated with the cooperative's offering.
• EIS.ZWEI.DREI ice cream supplies programme Specialised product line and supply programme of ice cream ingredients and materials targeted at member bakeries expanding into artisanal ice cream production.
• Used machines brokerage (Gebrauchtmaschinen) Brokerage and resale channel for second-hand bakery and confectionery equipment offered to members of the cooperative.
• Logistics and delivery service Own fleet and scheduled delivery service that transports wholesale orders from BÄKO warehouses to member bakeries, with minimum-order thresholds for free delivery.
• Quality assurance and laboratory services Quality assurance, sampling and laboratory analysis services for member bakeries to verify incoming raw materials and finished products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 12,000 articles available through a single supplier relationship
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• E.ONminorOthersE.ON is listed as a partner on the BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein website, indicating a commercial or energy supply partnership relationship.
• UnifermminorOthersUniferm is listed among the partner brands on the BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein website, indicating a supplier or brand partnership.
• Zentralverband des Deutschen BäckerhandwerksminorOthersThe central association of the German baking trade is listed as a partner, reflecting BÄKO's role as a cooperative organization working with trade associations and guilds.
• Hoppe Genuss 46minorOthersHoppe Genuss 46 is listed as a partner on the BÄKO website, representing a commercial partnership or supplier relationship.
• BÄKO-Zentrale eGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBÄKO-Zentrale eG is the national central organization of the BÄKO cooperative network, receiving selected sales statistics from BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein as part of the data exchange framework that supports the nationwide BÄKO purchasing network.
• Ireks GmbHminorOthersIreks GmbH receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement, indicating an ongoing commercial supply relationship.
• Dreidoppel GmbHminorOthersDreidoppel GmbH receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement, indicating an ongoing commercial supply relationship.
• Vandemoortele Europe NVminorOthersVandemoortele Europe NV receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement, indicating an ongoing commercial supply relationship.
• Wolf Butterback KGminorOthersWolf Butterback KG receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement.
• Puratos GmbHminorOthersPuratos GmbH receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement.
• CSM Deutschland GmbHminorOthersCSM Deutschland GmbH receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement.
• Barry Callebaut Belgium N.V.minorOthersBarry Callebaut Belgium N.V. receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement.
• Lantmännen Cerealia A/SminorOthersLantmännen Cerealia A/S receives selected sales statistics as part of the supplier data exchange arrangement.
• Akademie Deutsches Bäckerhandwerk WeinheimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Academy of German Baking Trade in Weinheim collaborated with BÄKO BackKultur to create the BÄKO SnackKultur initiative, developing recipes and content for bakery snack offerings.
• BackOfficeDigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationBackOfficeDigital is the digital solutions platform partner powering BÄKO's online presence and digital services. It provides web services, digital consulting, and applications specifically developed for artisan baking businesses, integrated into the BÄKO digital ecosystem.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• IREKS GmbH: Leading German manufacturer and supplier of bakery ingredients (flour mixes, malt, sourdough, finished products). Functions as a supplier to BÄKO SH and as a direct supplier to large bakeries, making it an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct grocery wholesaler competitor.
• Puratos Group NV (Puratos Deutschland GmbH): Global bakery, patisserie, and chocolate ingredients supplier that distributes direct to artisan bakeries and serves as a supplier/data-exchange partner to BÄKO SH. Not a direct competitor (it sits upstream as a manufacturer-supplier), but adjacent in the bakery value chain with relevant distribution and product-development capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Selgros Cash & Carry: Cash & carry operator in the Transgourmet/COOP family, supplying independent bakeries, confectioneries, and gastronomy businesses with groceries and food service supplies. Comparable customer base of small food retailers and bakeries but accessed via cash-and-carry rather than cooperative membership.
• Chefs Culinar GmbH & Co. KG: A leading German foodservice wholesaler with nationwide operations and a deep assortment of food and non-food products. Competes with BÄKO SH for gastronomy and bakery customers across Germany, with broader portfolio reach but no cooperative member-owner alignment.
• Transgourmet Deutschland GmbH & Co. OHG: One of Germany's largest foodservice wholesalers, delivering groceries and supplies to restaurants, hotels, and bakeries. Serves craft bakers as part of a much broader customer base, offering more SKU depth and logistics scale than BÄKO SH — a broad incumbent competing for the same bakery and gastronomy accounts.
• METRO Deutschland GmbH: Germany's largest cash & carry and foodservice distributor, supplying restaurants, caterers and small businesses including bakeries with multi-category assortment and own-brand products. A broad incumbent with far larger scale and pickup-based delivery model competing for the same SMB bakery and gastronomy spend.

Direct peers

• BÄKO West eG: Another regional BÄKO cooperative serving the bakery and confectionery trade with cooperative purchasing, in-house delivery, and BÄKO digital ordering. Operates the same member-owned model across a different geography with overlapping supplier relationships and product range, making it a structural twin of the anchor company.
• BÄKO Niedersachsen eG: A regional BÄKO purchasing cooperative serving bakeries and confectioners in Lower Saxony with a comparable member-owner model, broad SKU assortment, dedicated logistics, and shared digital tooling through the national BÄKO network. Structurally identical to BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein in target market, product mix, and value proposition.
• BÄKO-Zentrale eG: BÄKO-Zentrale is the national umbrella cooperative of the regional BÄKO organizations. It coordinates purchasing, supplier data exchange (Ireks, Dreidoppel, Puratos, etc.) and shared services across all regional BÄKOs, making it the closest direct analogue to BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein's cooperative wholesale model for the bakery trade.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/baeko.sh
• Instagraminstagram.com/baeko_sh/?hl=de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b%C3%A4ko-schleswig-holstein-eg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 BÄKO Schleswig-Holstein eG