cetravac AG
Cetravac AG is a Swiss industrial technology company that designs and manufactures vacuum conditioning systems and baking ovens for bakeries and food producers. Founded in 2000, it holds foundational patents on vacuum-interrupted baking and has installed over 150 vacuum chambers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersAltstätten, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What cetravac AG does
Cetravac AG is a Swiss industrial technology company founded in 2000 by mechanical engineer Adolf Cermak, headquartered in Altstätten, Switzerland, with a production facility in Wildeshausen, Germany, and a wholly-owned German sales subsidiary (Cetravac GmbH) established in 2019-2020. The company designs, manufactures, and services vacuum conditioning systems for the bakery industry, based on the physical relationship between pressure and the boiling point of water, which enables rapid, gentle cooling and conditioning of baked goods from the inside out. Cetravac holds foundational patents on vacuum-interrupted baking (Swiss patent 1997) and vacuum baking processes and devices (granted 2015-2016), and claims competence and market leadership in bakery vacuum technology with over 150 vacuum chambers installed globally.
The product portfolio centers on the VacuMaster line of vacuum conditioning chambers — ranging from the compact plug-and-play VacuMaster-Basic for smaller production facilities to industrial-scale systems with automatic sliding or lift doors, plus continuous vacuum systems integrated with tunnel ovens (e.g., MIWE). Through sister company bakeXperts AG, Cetravac offers Shop-UDO and Snack-UDO vacuum baking ovens that extend the portfolio into retail and snack production environments. Hardware sales are bundled with TopCare 10-year full-service warranty contracts covering all maintenance, repairs, travel, and spare parts, and TopCoach ongoing consulting from master bakers and food technologists. A mobile trial system program brings equipment to customer sites for week-long in-situ evaluations. Customers span artisan bakeries, industrial bakery operations, and food service providers across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Bosnia.
Revenue is generated primarily through one-time hardware sales of vacuum conditioning systems and baking ovens, supplemented by recurring TopCare service contract revenue and TopCoach professional services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company sells direct through its own sales team and application technicians, complemented by a network of European channel partners. Cetravac remains privately held with no external institutional investment detected, led by founder Adolf Cermak (Chairman) and CEO Veronika Grebner, with a current headcount of approximately 5 employees.
cetravac AG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- cetravac AG
- Legal name
- Cetravac AG
- Website
- https://cetravac.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cetravac AG is a Swiss industrial technology company that designs and manufactures vacuum conditioning systems and baking ovens for bakeries and food producers. Founded in 2000, it holds foundational patents on vacuum-interrupted baking and has installed over 150 vacuum chambers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
cetravac AG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Bakery Equipment
- NAICS
- Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vacuum Pumps & Systems (IMAHANAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Vacuum Systems & Components (Vacuum Pumps, Ejectors, Cups, Grippers) (IMAHAGAN)
Keywords
Where cetravac AG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Altstätten
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
cetravac AG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Vacuum Conditioning Systems: Sale of vacuum conditioning systems (VacuMaster and VacuMaster-Basic) for bakeries and food production. Systems are sold with TopCare warranty and optional TopCoach support packages.
- TopCare Service Contracts: 10-year full-service guarantee including all maintenance costs, repairs, travel costs, and spare parts. Comprehensive warranty and maintenance packages.
- TopCoach Consulting: Ongoing technical support, recipe development, staff training, and process optimization services provided by master bakers and food technologists.
- Vacuum Baking Ovens (Shop-UDO): Vacuum baking ovens sold via sister company bakeXperts AG, expanding product portfolio beyond conditioning systems.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | VacuMaster Standard - Industrial vacuum conditioning system |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | VacuMaster-Basic - Compact entry-level system |
| Subscription | Annual | TopCare - 10-year full-service warranty |
| Subscription | Annual | TopCoach - Ongoing technical support |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
cetravac AG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cetravac AG designs, manufactures, and sells vacuum conditioning systems (VacuMaster and VacuMaster-Basic) for bakeries and industrial food production. The technology uses the physical relationship between pressure and the boiling point of water to enable gentle, rapid cooling of moist baked goods from the inside out, extending freshness, reducing baking time, and enabling par-baked and Ready To Eat (R2E) production. The company also offers vacuum baking ovens (Shop-UDO and Snack-UDO) via its sister company bakeXperts AG, complemented by TopCare service contracts and TopCoach consulting.
Product overview
Cetravac AG is a technology company that designs, manufactures, and sells vacuum conditioning systems and vacuum baking ovens for the bakery industry. The product portfolio centers on the VacuMaster brand — a range of vacuum conditioning chambers spanning from the compact VacuMaster-Basic (for smaller facilities) to full-size VacuMaster systems with automatic sliding or lifting doors (for high-throughput operations) — supplemented by continuous vacuum system configurations for integration with tunnel ovens. The proprietary Vacuum-Interrupted Baking Method (patented 1997) and Ready To Eat (R2E) process are key technology differentiators that work in conjunction with the hardware. Cetravac also offers the Shop-UDO and Snack-UDO vacuum baking ovens via its sister company bakeXperts AG. The company bundles its hardware with service contracts (TopCare — 10-year full-service warranty) and coaching programs (TopCoach — ongoing application support), plus a mobile trial system program for in-situ customer testing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- VacuMaster: Primary line of vacuum conditioning systems for bakeries, including models with automatic sliding or lift doors for larger production facilities.
- VacuMaster-Basic
- Shop UDO
- TopCoach
- TopCare
- Ready To Eat (R2E)
Products and services
- VacuMaster Flagship industrial vacuum conditioning system for bakeries, featuring Swiss and German engineering with modern vacuum pump technology designed for continuous operation. Available with automatic sliding doors or lifting doors, handling 10-15 batches per hour and 1-4 rack trolleys per chamber.
- VacuMaster-Basic Compact, plug-and-play vacuum conditioning system designed for smaller production facilities. Features a 16-amp power connection and water drain requiring no structural modifications, intuitive operation, and space-saving design.
- Continuous Vacuum Conditioning Systems Continuous vacuum conditioning systems for high-volume bakery operations integrated with multi-stage tunnel ovens (e.g., MIWE), enabling ambient-temperature storage of par-baked goods for up to 4 days.
- Shop-UDO Vacuum Baking Oven Vacuum baking oven designed for shop/retail environments, awarded the DBZ Südbback Trophy. Distributed via sister company bakeXperts AG.
- Snack-UDO Vacuum Baking Oven Vacuum baking oven designed for snack production, awarded the DBZ IBA Trophy. Distributed via sister company bakeXperts AG.
- Mobile Trial Systems Mobile vacuum laboratory units deployed to customer facilities for one-week trials (Monday-Friday) with an application technician, allowing customers to test the technology using their own products, equipment, and raw materials before committing to purchase.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 50% reduction in baking time
- +10 more outcomes
Companies that use cetravac AG
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
cetravac AG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
cetravac AG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- bakeXperts AGcoreSister company that handles the development and marketing of vacuum baking ovens (Shop-UDO and Snack-UDO products). Awards (DBZ IBA Trophy 2017, DBZ Südback Trophy 2020) were received for products developed by bakeXperts AG. Deep strategic integration for product portfolio expansion beyond conditioning systems.
- timzipminorAppears on partner/cooperation network page. Nature of partnership involves distribution or integration activities in the bakery equipment market.
- EPPminorAppears on partner/cooperation network page. Bakery industry partner for potential distribution or integration.
- PraegelminorAppears on partner/cooperation network page. Danish bakery equipment partner.
- DynatecminorAppears on partner/cooperation network page. Norwegian bakery equipment partner.
- PeetersminorAppears on partner/cooperation network page. Belgian bakery equipment partner.
- PaninovminorAppears on partner/cooperation network page. French bakery equipment partner.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
cetravac AG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Middleby Corporation: Middleby is a large US-based commercial and industrial baking equipment conglomerate owning multiple bakery brands. It serves the same bakery customers as Cetravac but at much greater scale and with a wider product portfolio spanning ovens, proofing, and cooling.
- SPX Flow: SPX Flow is a US-based industrial equipment maker with food and beverage processing exposure. It supplies commercial refrigeration, heat exchange, and processing equipment used in food production environments comparable to Cetravac's vacuum cooling applications.
- Marel hf: Marel is an Iceland-based global food processing equipment supplier serving meat, fish, and bakery industries. Its bakery equipment portfolio competes for the same industrial bakery capex dollars as Cetravac, with broader scale and global reach.
- GEA Group: GEA is a global large-cap food processing equipment manufacturer. While not bakery-specialized, it supplies refrigeration, separation, and processing equipment to food producers including bakeries, competing for industrial food capex in adjacent categories.
- Bühler Group: Bühler is a Swiss-based global leader in food processing equipment, including grain handling and bakery ingredient systems. It overlaps with Cetravac indirectly through serving industrial bakeries and food manufacturers with capital equipment solutions.
- JBT Corporation: JBT is a US-based food processing and air transport equipment provider with significant bakery and food cooling/processing exposure. It competes for industrial food equipment budgets across multiple categories overlapping with Cetravac's cooling technology.
Direct peers
- MIWE: MIWE is a German manufacturer of tunnel ovens and bakery systems. It is referenced as Cetravac's technology integration partner (first continuous Cetravac system at Bäckerei Junge integrated with a MIWE multi-stage tunnel oven), serving the same bakery equipment buyers with complementary hardware.
- Kaak Group: Kaak Group is a Netherlands-based supplier of integrated industrial bakery systems, including ovens, proofing, cooling, and automation. It competes for the same enterprise bakery capex budget as Cetravac and offers broader integrated lines spanning the same customer journey.
- Revent AB: Revent is a Swedish manufacturer of vacuum coolers and bakery equipment. It is explicitly mentioned in Cetravac's customer testimonial (Le Fournil de Jean) as the prior vacuum cooler that was retrofitted with 100% Cetravac technology, making it the most direct head-to-head competitor in vacuum cooling for bakeries.
- WP Kuchentechnik GmbH: WP Kuchentechnik is a German bakery equipment manufacturer supplying ovens, proofers, and cooling systems to artisan and industrial bakeries. It targets the same European bakery customer base as Cetravac with overlapping in-shop and production equipment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
cetravac AG social profiles
Digital presencecetravac AG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
cetravac AG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
cetravac AG subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
cetravac AG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
cetravac AG 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 cetravac AG
What does cetravac AG do?
Cetravac AG designs, manufactures, and sells vacuum conditioning systems (VacuMaster and VacuMaster-Basic) for bakeries and industrial food production. The technology uses the physical relationship between pressure and the boiling point of water to enable gentle, rapid cooling of moist baked goods from the inside out, extending freshness, reducing baking time, and enabling par-baked and Ready To Eat (R2E) production. The company also offers vacuum baking ovens (Shop-UDO and Snack-UDO) via its sister company bakeXperts AG, complemented by TopCare service contracts and TopCoach consulting.
Is cetravac AG a public or private company?
cetravac AG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was cetravac AG founded?
cetravac AG was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is cetravac AG based?
cetravac AG is headquartered in Altstätten, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does cetravac AG make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Vacuum Conditioning Systems are the primary driver. The others are topCare Service Contracts, topCoach Consulting and vacuum Baking Ovens (Shop-UDO).
Who are cetravac AG's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Middleby Corporation, SPX Flow, Marel hf, GEA Group, Bühler Group and JBT Corporation. Direct peers are MIWE, Kaak Group, Revent AB and WP Kuchentechnik GmbH.
Does cetravac AG have an API?
No public API is recorded for cetravac AG.
What industry is cetravac AG in?
cetravac AG's product category is Industrial Bakery Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHANAD, Vacuum Pumps & Systems, with a secondary code of IMAHAGAN, Vacuum Systems & Components (Vacuum Pumps, Ejectors, Cups, Grippers). Its NAICS code is 3334 and its SIC code is 3585.