Food News

Jack Link’s invests in production in Guben

Global branded protein snack producer Jack Link’s plans to invest in a six-hectare production facility in Guben, Brandenburg. The investment will initially create 160 new jobs, with more to come as production is expanded in the future. Jack Link’s produces the popular BiFi sausage snack sold in Germany. Production is expected to begin as early as 2023. Jack Link’s chose the Brandenburg town based on suitable settlement sites, a highly qualified workforce and excellent connection to Poland. The company employs 3,500 people worldwide and already has a production site in Ansbach, Bavaria.

Picnic to build e-food warehouse in Oberhausen

Dutch online supermarket company Picnic is expanding its German business with supermarket giant Edeka, building its first fully automated warehouse in Germany in Oberhausen. According to the company, the 50,000 sqm facility will be the biggest e-food warehouse in the European Union with the highest level of automation in the world. The delivery service is investing around EUR 150 million in the project which is being financed by Germany’s publicly owned KfW bank. More than 1,500 robots and 21 km of conveyor belts should allow Picnic to deliver food to around 200,00 families from the end of 2024. The development will create around new 2,000 jobs.

One in three Germans buy groceries online

Around one in three Germans buy at least part of their daily grocery needs online according to a new Appinio and Spryker study. Around one in five consumers can imagine ordering all of their groceries online within the next two years. Time and convenience were cited as the main reasons for online grocery shopping. According to the German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Association (BEVH), the domestic grocery market generates turnover between EUR 200 billion and EUR 300 billion annually. Current forecasts anticipate online grocery sales growing to EUR 5 billion in 2022.

Swedish company saves HelloFresh subsidiary from insolvency

Swedish company Convini has stepped in to buy HelloFresh subsidiary Hellofreshgo, thereby rescuing the offshoot from insolvency. Launched in 2017, Hellofreshgo’s mini-canteen and placed food vending machine service fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic and home-office working restrictions, forcing the company to file for bankruptcy in March of this year. The deal, effective as of this month, is part of the Swedish lunch-refrigerator and coffee vending machine provider’s European expansion plans.

Food hub concept to revitalize Berlin’s Potsdamer Platz

Manifesto Market has announced plans to open a 4,400 sqm food hub in Berlin’s historic Potsdamer Platz. The planned food hub will be the centerpiece of a pedestrian-friendly redesign of the former shopping arcade, and is set to become one of the largest food hub concepts of its kind in mainland Europe. Manifesto’s plans include a curated selection of cuisines and a total of 22 restaurants, two bars, a “speakeasy” and a “chef’s table” under one roof. The space will also be suitable for events including concerts, film screenings, lectures and other events.

Start-up sells birthday cake kits for busy families

A Frankfurt-based start-up is selling online birthday cake kits for busy families. The DIY home-baking kits provide all of the necessary ingredients and decorative elements for birthday and festive cakes. A contract manufacturer mixes the ingredients for the cake batter and packages the baking mixes. A logistics provider then ships the ordered kit along with a baking pan, base, dough scraper and decorations. According to company founder Luwam Tecle-Debesay, consumer demand for the 40-euro boxes is highest amongst young parents who otherwise have little time for elaborate birthday cakes. The company is looking to bring in fresh investment to a business model that home cooking box provider HelloFresh has already shown is attractive to venture capital companies.