OPAL Catering GmbH

What OPAL Catering GmbH does

OPAL Catering GmbH is a German communal catering company headquartered in Offenbach am Main that produces approximately 14,000 meals per day across 78-plus institutional facilities in the Hessen region. Founded in 2003 as OPAL GmbH and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of the ASB Hessen (Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund) non-profit since 2019, the company serves five customer verticals: schools and Kitas (its primary segment, 67 schools and 7 kindergartens), senior care facilities, hospitals and rehabilitation centers, corporate/business canteens, and conferences/events.

The operating model centers on a Cook & Chill production facility in Offenbach that prepares meals centrally and chills them rapidly, delivering an up to 36-hour shelf life to decentralized kitchens across Frankfurt, Offenbach, Wiesbaden, Taunusstein, and Darmstadt. A proprietary healthcare concept called GENIUS MEAL — developed jointly with Italian packaging partner BIOPAP — wraps the Cook & Chill output in 100% compostable cellulose trays, reducing packaging waste to roughly one-tenth and feeding a closed compost loop. The firm is the first school caterer in Europe to hold the GreenCanteen@school EU sustainability seal (initial certification January 2023 at 65% of 108 criteria, re-certified March 2026 at 82-83%) and has been DGE-certified (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung) since 2017. A web-based ordering and billing platform (menuebestellung.de) with chip-card student identification supports parent-facing meal pre-ordering for school clients.

Revenue is generated through multi-year B2B institutional contracts priced on a per-meal basis, supplemented by conference and event catering and venue rental. Distribution is direct sales-led, with new business sourced from public procurement tenders (notably the December 2024 Darmstadt Lot 3 win), the ASB referral network, regional trade show participation, and the company's own website. The firm employs approximately 250 people across its operating regions and offers internal training via the OPAL Akademie. In September 2024, OPAL absorbed the catering operations of its parent ASB Hessen Service GmbH, materially scaling meal volumes and headcount.

Name

OPAL Catering GmbH

Legal name

OPAL Catering GmbH

Website

https://opal-catering.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OPAL Catering GmbH is a German communal caterer producing roughly 14,000 meals daily for schools, Kitas, senior homes, hospitals, and corporate clients across the Hessen region using a central Cook & Chill kitchen and proprietary GENIUS MEAL sustainable packaging.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Catering Services

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (72231), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Catering (Schools, Hospitals, Government) (THAFAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catering & Events Food Service (EDALADAC), Corporate Catering & Office Food Programs (HSACAGAC), Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

Keywords

• Institutional catering services
• School meal catering
• Hospital food services
• Cook and chill production
• Communal catering Germany

Headquarters

HQ city

Offenbach am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Catering Contracts: Long-term catering contracts with schools, Kitas, senior facilities, and healthcare institutions providing daily meal services. Revenue generated through per-meal pricing under fixed contracts with annual or multi-year terms.
2. Event and Conference Catering: Catering services for conferences, seminars, workshops, corporate events, and special occasions. Includes venue rental and catering packages.
3. Healthcare Food Service Management: Complete outsourcing of catering operations for hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, including production, delivery, and service management under fixed budget contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OPAL Catering GmbH is an institutional catering company operating a central kitchen in Offenbach am Main that produces approximately 14,000 meals per day for schools, kindergartens, senior facilities, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, business canteens, and conferences across the Hessen region in Germany. The company uses a Cook & Chill central production model combined with decentralized delivery and operates under DGE nutrition standards, BIO certification, and HACCP hygiene protocols. Its proprietary GENIUS MEAL concept delivers healthcare meals with compostable cellulose packaging developed in partnership with BIOPAP.

Product overview

OPAL Catering GmbH is a communal catering company serving schools, kindergartens, senior facilities, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and corporate canteens across Hessen. The company operates a central kitchen production model using Cook & Chill and Cook & Hold methods, producing approximately 14,000 meals per day with around 250 employees. The core offering consists of five catering product lines (Schule & Kita, Senioren, Krankenhaus, Reha, Business/Conferences) built around DGE-compliant meal standards, with an internal OPAL Akademie for staff training and a web-based ordering/payment system for school meals. The proprietary GENIUS MEAL product (developed with BIOPAP) represents a distinct healthcare-focused brand for hospitals, using compostable cellulose trays. The company also offers conference room rental as an ancillary service. All operations are structured under an integrated quality, environmental, and occupational safety management system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School and Kita Catering Daily fresh meal preparation for schools and kindergartens following DGE quality standards with 4 daily menu options, no GMOs, no MSG, and a web-based ordering and payment system using chip cards. OPAL has been DGE-certified since 2017 with annual audits.
• Senior Care Catering Needs-based nutrition for seniors following DGE guidelines with special diets for dementia, chewing and swallowing difficulties, allergies, and disease-specific meal plans. Supports activation and sensory stimulation through joint cooking and baking activities.
• Hospital Catering Patient catering for hospitals using Cook & Chill production with meals lasting up to 36 hours, prepared centrally and delivered. Aims to contribute to patient recovery and reduce length of stay, producing in-house stocks, sauces, dressings, and using Fairtrade organic spices.
• Rehabilitation Catering Rehabilitation catering offering two service models: Cook & Serve (outsourcing of existing kitchen structures under §613a) and Cook & Chill (sustainable fresh concept with maximum vitamin retention and flexible meal distribution).
• Business Catering Employee catering for business canteens with healthy, affordable, and sustainable lunch solutions. Includes innovative payment systems and balanced meal offerings to improve employee well-being and satisfaction.
• Conference and Event Catering Conference and seminar catering with conference room rental in stylish surroundings, barrier-free facilities, modern presentation technology, free writing materials, flipcharts, and fresh apples from a regional fruit farmer.
• GENIUS MEAL Sustainable Healthcare Catering First sustainable catering concept for the healthcare and hospital market combining Cook & Chill production with 100% cellulose trays and compostable BIOPAP containers. Delivers breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a circular system where packaging reduces to one-tenth of waste and is converted to high-quality compost.
• Conference Room Rental Conference room rental in stylish, barrier-free surroundings in the Rhine-Main area near Offenbach, with modern presentation technology, free stationery, flipcharts, pinn boards, fresh regional apples, and ample parking.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% sustainability criteria met in GreenCanteen@school re-certification (March 2026), up from 65% at initial certification
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and strategic.

• ESO (Offenbacher Stadtbetriebe)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Partnership for community project development. Jointly established 'Naschgarten' (snack garden) in Hafengarten Offenbach, promoting food education and community engagement.
• K&P Consulting & PlanungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for sustainability certification. K&P Consulting developed the GreenCanteen@school EU-wide quality seal for communal catering. OPAL was the first partner to adapt criteria for school catering segment. Ongoing collaboration includes annual recertification audits and sustainability strategy development.
• BIOPAP Srl Società BenefitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with Italian company specializing in biodegradable packaging solutions for 20+ years. Jointly developed GENIUS MEAL concept for healthcare sector using 100% cellulose trays and compostable containers. BIOPAP provides packaging that reduces waste to 1/10 and produces quality compost.
• CoolCooking GmbH & Co. KGstrategicTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for Cook & Chill technology equipment and methodology. CoolCooking provides equipment enabling efficient meal production with extended shelf life while maintaining quality. Joint customer events demonstrate the technology benefits to institutional caterers.
• Green Guides GmbHstrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSustainability consulting partnership for food waste measurement and reduction. Conducted baseline assessment and 4-week measurement phase in production facilities. Joint goal: 30% reduction in food waste through targeted measures.
• ASB Hessen Service GmbHcoreOthersParent company umbrella organization. OPAL has been part of ASB Hessen family since July 2019. ASB provides operational infrastructure, referral network, and shared services. In September 2024, OPAL took over the catering division of ASB Hessen Service GmbH.
• CHEFS CULINARstrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAnnual business meetings held to discuss partnership and food supply. CHEFS CULINAR is a key food service distributor supplying ingredients for OPAL's production operations.
• Menü-Catering SchmidtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry peer exchange partnership. Company visit from Menü-Catering Schmidt for sharing best practices and discussing future trends in school and Kita catering. Demonstrates commitment to industry collaboration.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE)coreOthersAnnual certification for DGE quality standards compliance in school and Kita catering. OPAL has been DGE-certified since 2017 with annual audits. Ensures nutritional quality standards in menu planning.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Apetito AG: German institutional meal provider producing frozen and chilled meals for schools, hospitals, senior care and catering. Closely comparable to OPAL's Cook & Chill school and healthcare catering model, with overlapping target customers (schools, Kitas, hospitals).
• Menü-Catering Schmidt: Regional German school and Kita caterer; explicitly identified in OPAL's data as an industry peer exchange partner. Directly comparable in target segment (schools/Kitas), DGE-style menu standards, and Hessen-adjacent regional footprint.

Regional players

• Primus Service GmbH: German contract caterer active in business catering, school meals and senior care. Comparable mid-sized player competing with OPAL in North Rhine-Westphalia and adjacent states, with similar institutional menu standards.
• Sander Catering & Events: Mid-sized German caterer focused on event, conference and corporate catering. Adjacent competitor to OPAL's conference and business catering line, with overlapping Rhine-Main service area.
• GVS Gastro-Vertriebs-Service GmbH: Frankfurt-area contract caterer offering canteen and event catering for businesses and institutions in the Rhine-Main region. Directly overlaps with OPAL's geographic core and competes for Frankfurt corporate and event catering contracts.

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo Germany: Global contract caterer with extensive German operations in healthcare, senior care and corporate dining. Competes with OPAL for healthcare tenders and offers similar Cook & Chill institutional services at national scale.
• Klüh Catering GmbH: Düsseldorf-based multi-segment catering and facility services provider with significant German institutional and corporate catering operations. Overlaps with OPAL in hospital, senior and staff restaurant catering, but operates as a much larger incumbent.
• Dussmann Group (Dussmann Service Deutschland): Large German facility services and contract catering group with substantial school, hospital and corporate catering. A broader incumbent that competes for the same public tenders OPAL targets, with deeper capital and geographic reach.
• Aramark Holding Deutschland GmbH: Germany arm of global contract caterer Aramark, focused on healthcare, senior care, education and corporate dining. Direct institutional-catering competitor in hospitals and senior facilities, with significantly broader geographic coverage than OPAL.

Others

• Menu & More (CHEFS CULINAR): Distribution partner and meal-program operator linked to food-service distributor CHEFS CULINAR (OPAL's existing supplier). Operates adjacent institutional and corporate meal programs and shares ecosystem overlap via the German school catering market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opalcatering-gmbh

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 OPAL Catering GmbH