AlpenPionier

What AlpenPionier does

AlpenPionier AG is a Swiss family-owned producer of food-grade hemp products, founded in 2017 and operated by Marc and Marlene Nyffenegger from its owned Tiefenmühle site in Weiningen, Thurgau. The company cultivates hemp on its own farmland and aggregates raw material from approximately ten Bio-Suisse-certified partner farmers across eastern Switzerland. It operates Switzerland's only dedicated hemp shelling facility, where it produces cleaned, shelled, roasted, and cold-pressed hemp SKUs — including HanfNüsse (hemp seeds), KinoHanf (roasted hemp), hemp oil, hemp protein powder, and hemp tea — under Bio-Suisse Knospe certification. The catalog has been extended into adjacent Bio-Suisse staples (polenta, bramata corn) and a hemp-bird-feed byproduct line.

The business model is a hybrid D2C / wholesale / retail-resale model. Primary distribution is a Shopify-powered online shop at alpenpionier.ch (with international shipping and a 10% newsletter-acquisition discount), supported by ~19 named independent bio/organic retail resale points across Switzerland and an inbound B2B/wholesale channel managed via direct email. Pricing is in Swiss Francs and ranges from CHF 4.90 (bird feed 1kg) to CHF 99.00 (hemp oil 2L), with free domestic shipping over CHF 50. Marketing is content-led: an educational blog citing peer-reviewed nutritional literature, an Instagram presence, an email newsletter, and a printed recipe booklet co-developed with chef Rebecca Clopath. The company is bootstrapped, has not raised external capital, and concentrates equity with the founding family.

Underlying technology is conventional SMB e-commerce and content infrastructure (Shopify, Google Analytics, MailChimp, WordPress) overlaid on physical agriculture and a single specialty shelling facility; there is no disclosed proprietary technology, software platform, or AI/ML capability beyond standard third-party tooling. Annual production volume is modest — roughly 2 hectares of own cultivation, ~2.5 tonnes of cleaned hemp nuts, and ~22 certified hectares in total — consistent with a sub-scale, founder-paced operation.

Name

AlpenPionier

Legal name

Marc & Marlene Nyffenegger

Website

https://alpenpionier.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AlpenPionier AG is a Swiss family-owned food-hemp producer founded in 2017, operating Switzerland's only dedicated hemp shelling facility at its Tiefenmühle site in Thurgau. It sells Bio-Suisse-certified hemp seeds, oil, protein, tea, and adjacent organic staples direct-to-consumer, via ~19 retail resale points, and through inbound B2B/wholesale channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hemp Food Products

NAICS

Food (Health) Supplement Retailers (456191), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

CBD/Hemp Specialty Stores (Tinctures, Oils, Edibles) (CRANAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

CBD/Hemp Wellness & Supplements Retail (CRANAHAC), Hemp & CBD Product Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAG)

Keywords

• Swiss hemp foods
• Organic hemp seeds
• Cold-pressed hemp oil
• Hemp protein powder
• Bio-suisse hemp products

Headquarters

HQ city

Weiningen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Direct Sales: The company sells its hemp food products directly to consumers through its Shopify-based Swiss online shop (alpenpionier.ch). Customers can purchase individual products or bulk/pack sizes. Payment methods include PayPal, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), TWINT, Klarna, and invoice by email. Products ship within Switzerland and internationally.
2. Wholesale / Resale to Retail Stores: AlpenPionier products are sold through 19 named retail locations across Switzerland as well as selected Bio/organic stores. The company offers B2B pricing for business customers who contact via [email protected].

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AlpenPionier produces and sells Swiss Bio-Suisse certified food-grade hemp products — including hemp nuts, shelled hemp seeds, roasted & salted hemp (KinoHanf), cold-pressed hemp oil, hemp protein powder and hemp tea — along with ancillary items such as a recipe booklet, polenta, bramata and bird feed. Products are processed at the Tiefenmühle in Weiningen, Thurgau, which houses Switzerland's only hemp shelling facility, and sold direct-to-consumer through the alpenpionier.ch online shop and through 19 named retail locations across Switzerland.

Product overview

AlpenPionier is a Swiss food-grade hemp company founded in 2017, operating as a family business (Marc and Marlene Nyffenegger) at Tiefenmühle in Thurgau. The product portfolio centers on hemp-based foods including hemp seeds (HanfNüsse), roasted and salted hemp (KinoHanf), shelled hemp seeds, cold-pressed hemp oil, and hemp protein powder. The company also offers complementary products including polenta, bramata, hemp tea, recipe booklets, and bird feed. All hemp products are Bio-Suisse certified and sourced from Eastern Switzerland, with processing occurring at Switzerland's first and only hemp shelling facility. Products are sold through an e-commerce Shopify store and through 19 retail locations across Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HanfNüsse (Hemp Seeds, 150 g)

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5 tonnes of cleaned hemp nuts harvested annually from 2 hectares
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Regional Bio Farmers (approx. 10 farmers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Approximately 10 regional farmers in the Cantons of Thurgau, St. Gallen, Zurich, and Schaffhausen cultivate hemp under Bio-Suisse certification, which AlpenPionier purchases and processes at its Tiefenmühle facility. This partnership extends the company's supply chain beyond its own 13 hectares of land.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nutiva: US-based plant-based food brand selling hemp seeds, hemp protein, and hemp oil alongside other organic superfoods. Comparable product mix and premium organic positioning; larger scale and broader retail footprint.
• Hemp Foods Australia: Australian hemp food manufacturer producing hemp seeds, protein powder, and hemp oil under its own brand and as a B2B supplier. Directly comparable in product mix, premium organic positioning, and dual DTC/wholesale go-to-market.
• Good Hemp: UK-based hemp food and drink brand selling hemp seeds, hemp milk, and hemp protein products. Comparable to AlpenPionier as a consumer-facing food-grade hemp brand operating at small-to-mid scale with a premium positioning.
• Hempoint: Czech hemp food and ingredient producer offering hemp seeds, protein, oil, and tea to European B2B and DTC channels. Comparable European hemp food company with farm-to-shelf supply chain and similar mid-sized European market focus.
• Manitoba Harvest: Canadian hemp food brand and the world's largest hemp food manufacturer, offering hemp seeds, protein, oil, and snacks. Closest scaled comparable in hemp food category; competing for the same premium consumer and B2B customers as AlpenPionier.
• Hemple: Italian food-grade hemp company producing hemp seeds, oil, protein, and pasta. Comparable to AlpenPionier as a European hemp food brand with strong local provenance narrative and DTC + retail distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Endoca: European hemp wellness company with a broader portfolio spanning CBD oils, capsules, cosmetics, and hemp food/wellness products. Comparable in hemp-derived consumer products but operates at a wider category and geographic scope than AlpenPionier.
• Elixinol: Globally operating hemp-derived wellness brand with a portfolio that includes hemp foods alongside CBD products. Comparable in hemp-based consumer goods but with a much broader product range, larger scale, and global distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/alpenpionier
• Facebookfacebook.com/alpenpionier
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alpenpionier-ag

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 AlpenPionier