What Primus Service Gmbh does

Primus Service GmbH is a German B2B institutional catering provider founded in 1998 as a wholly-owned service subsidiary of the Malteser-Verbunds (Malteser Order), a Catholic humanitarian organization. The company operates more than 100 staffed catering locations across Germany with over 1,600 employees, serving senior homes, hospitals, corporate cafeterias, emergency-services operations, and refugee facilities. Service delivery is on-site and managed by Primus-employed kitchen and service staff at each client location. The portfolio is organized into five core offerings — Care (care-sector catering), Betriebsgastronomie (corporate canteens), Einsatzverpflegung (emergency/disaster-response meals), Flüchtlingsversorgung (refugee catering), and Eigenregie Plus (advisory on purchasing, process, and digitalization for in-house catering operators) — underpinned by a three-pillar sustainability framework (Product, Craftsmanship, Responsibility) supported by DIN EN ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications.

The business model is managed-services contracting: revenue is generated primarily through multi-year institutional catering agreements at client premises, with a secondary professional-services stream from Eigenregie Plus consulting. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on traditional food-service execution augmented by a set of third-party integrations — Prescreen for e-recruiting, qnips for digital satisfaction surveys, dailyBox for online ordering, and Too Good To Go for surplus food distribution — and a sustainability tooling layer comprising eaternity (CO2 footprint) and Kitro (food-waste measurement). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, leveraging the Malteser-Verbunds brand and direct relationships with institutional buyers. Named customers include NEW AG, DHL Campus Bonn, Kostal, GEOMAR, Chempark, and Telefonica, indicating a diversified cross-vertical footprint concentrated entirely within Germany. The company is led jointly by Geschäftsführer:innen Alexandra Michels and Daniel Brozowski.

Name

Primus Service Gmbh

Legal name

Primus Service GmbH

Website

https://primus-service.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Primus Service GmbH is a German B2B institutional catering provider operating 100+ on-site kitchens at senior homes, hospitals, corporate cafeterias, emergency services, and refugee facilities. Founded in 1998 as a subsidiary of the Malteser humanitarian organization, it employs 1,600+ staff across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Catering Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Catering & Office Food Programs (HSACAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Institutional Catering (Schools, Hospitals, Government) (THAFAIAE), Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

Keywords

• Institutional catering services
• Corporate canteen management
• Care facility catering
• Emergency meal services
• Communal food services

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Catering Services: Primus generates revenue through B2B catering contracts with institutional clients including senior homes, hospitals, corporate cafeterias, emergency services, and refugee facilities. Services are delivered at client premises through company-managed operations at over 100 locations across Germany.
2. Eigenregie Plus Consulting: The company offers consulting services for clients including purchasing optimization, process optimization, and digitization services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Primus Service GmbH provides managed institutional catering services across more than 100 locations in Germany, delivering daily meals to senior living facilities, hospitals, corporate cafeterias, emergency services, and refugee accommodations. The company operates a five-segment service portfolio covering Care, Betriebsgastronomie, Einsatzverpflegung, Flüchtlingsversorgung, and Eigenregie Plus consulting, supported by a three-pillar sustainability framework (Product, Handwerk, Verantwortung).

Product overview

Primus Service GmbH is a catering and communal food services company founded in 1998 as a service company of the Malteser (Malteser Order) umbrella organization. The company operates a multi-service portfolio consisting of five core catering offerings: Care catering for senior living facilities and hospitals, Betriebsgastronomie (corporate canteen services), Einsatzverpflegung (emergency/disaster response catering), Flüchtlingsversorgung (refugee catering), and Eigenregie Plus (in-house advisory services covering purchasing optimization, process improvement, and digitalization). These services are underpinned by a sustainability strategy organized around a three-pillar model of Product, Craftsmanship, and Responsibility. The company operates more than 100 facilities across Germany, serving approximately 1,600 employees. The product portfolio also includes a job/career portal for recruiting, and a dailyBox online ordering platform for employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Care Catering (Senior Living and Hospitals) Catering services for senior living facilities and hospitals, providing meals tailored to the wellbeing and nutritional needs of elderly residents and patients.
• Betriebsgastronomie (Corporate Canteens) Corporate canteen and workplace dining services for enterprise clients, positioning the canteen as a place of energy and wellbeing for employees.
• Einsatzverpflegung (Emergency Response Catering) Lunch packages and warm meals for emergency and disaster response personnel, supplying first responders and crisis services in large-scale and catastrophe situations.
• Flüchtlingsversorgung (Refugee Catering) Catering services for refugee accommodation centers, providing culturally diverse meals to support dignified arrival and integration in Germany.
• Eigenregie Plus (Catering Consulting) Advisory and consulting services for clients operating their own in-house catering, covering purchasing optimization, process optimization, and digitalization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Certified quality management system compliant with DIN EN ISO 9001 standards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Masthuhn-Initiative: FairmastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Primus has been committed since 2019 to the strategy of using less but higher-quality chicken meat. Since 2021, the company sources Fairmast brand products, focusing on reduced quantity with improved quality.
• Bäuerliche Erzeugergemeinschaft Schwäbisch Hall (BESH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHohenloher farmers specialized in Haller Schwein (Hällisch Schweinefleisch) and Hohenloher cattle products. The community operates under guiding principles of regionality, transparency, and animal welfare. Provides Primus with high-quality regional meat products.
• eaternitycoreTechnology or IntegrationOrganization helping Primus capture and optimize the CO2 footprint of their dishes, enabling transparent communication to guests through menu boards in their operations.
• KitrocoreTechnology or IntegrationIntelligent waste management systems enabling participating operations to track food waste in detail and define targeted reduction measures. Creates foundation for resource-conserving and respectful food processing.
• Mana FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStart-up from Leipzig with small greenhouses bringing freshness and color directly to canteens. Systems allow cultivation of herbs on-site, reducing packaging and food waste.
• RecupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDeposit system for drinking cups and food containers widely deployed across operations. Enables significant reduction in single-use packaging nationwide.
• SoulSpiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBavarian organic spice manufacturer whose spice blends are used across all Primus kitchens. SoulSpice purchases directly from fair trade producers with short, transparent supply chains and engagement at product origin.
• Too Good To GominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApp solution for selling excess food as 'surprise bags' at the end of the workday directly in corporate catering to guests. Avoids food waste and conserves resources.
• United Against WastecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation fighting food waste by offering practical solutions for waste reduction for companies in communal catering. Primus is a member.
• Markeruper GänseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional operation in Schleswig-Holstein focused on animal welfare-oriented outdoor raising of geese and other poultry. Provides high-quality poultry products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aramark: Global contract foodservice and uniform services provider with German operations in corporate, healthcare, education, and sports/entertainment. Competes with Primus on enterprise cafeterias and hospital catering, with substantially broader geographic footprint and digital capabilities.
• Compass Group: World's largest contract foodservice company (operating in Germany through subsidiaries including Eurest and Food Angels). Competes with Primus across corporate cafeterias, hospital catering, and senior living segments, with significantly greater scale and proprietary digital tools.
• Dussmann: Major German facility services group with a substantial catering division serving corporate, healthcare, and public-sector clients. Comparable as a competitor in institutional catering, though Dussmann's broader portfolio spans technical and security services beyond Primus's food focus.
• Sodexo: Global contract catering and facilities services major with significant operations in Germany across corporate, healthcare, and education segments. Comparable as a direct competitor to Primus in Betriebsgastronomie and care-sector catering, but at vastly larger scale and with broader international reach.
• Wisag: Major German facility services company operating across aviation, industrial, and commercial real estate, with a foodservice/catering division serving corporate and institutional clients. Comparable as a competitor in Betriebsgastronomie, though catering is one segment of a much broader services portfolio.

Direct peers

• SV Group: Swiss-headquartered contract caterer with established German operations across corporate, healthcare, and senior living segments. Directly comparable business model (managed on-site catering) and similar vertical mix to Primus, with overlapping customer types.
• apetito: German meal services specialist with deep presence in care catering, senior nutrition, and community food services. Highly comparable to Primus's Care and Flüchtlingsversorgung segments, with similar focus on nutritional quality for vulnerable populations.
• Klüh Catering: Düsseldorf-based contract caterer and facility services provider operating across healthcare, corporate, and institutional segments in Germany. Directly comparable to Primus in scale, vertical mix (care + corporate), and B2B on-site managed services model.
• Piepenbrock: German family-owned facility services group with a dedicated catering arm serving corporate, healthcare, and public-sector clients. Closely comparable to Primus in operating model (on-site managed catering) and German market focus, with similar vertical exposure.

Regional players

• Gegenbauer: Austrian-headquartered facility services group with operations in Germany spanning cleaning, security, and catering. Comparable as a regional contract caterer in care and corporate settings, though its strongest home market is Austria rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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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 Primus Service Gmbh