frischli and Brüggen establish a powerful joint venture
The two long-standing successful family companies are pooling their expertise in the production and marketing of oat drinks
On July 3, 2024, the two long-established family companies frischli and Brüggen registered the formation of a joint venture with the Cartel Office. The plan is to establish an independent company that specializes in developing and producing first-class oat drinks, oat drink concentrates and functional oat products, and marketing them specifically in the food retail sector.
Powerful synergies for the oat drink market
With this milestone, the two companies frischli and Brüggen are combining their expertise in the areas of milk and oat processing to produce innovative, high-quality oat drinks and meet the growing demand for plant-based milk alternatives in Germany: frischli is one of the most modern and efficient dairies and is Germany’s leading producer of UHT milk. Brüggen is the leading private label specialist for high-quality breakfast cereals and operates the largest oat mill in Germany. Both companies have been working successfully and reliably with well-known retail partners for many years.
Successful together
With this joint venture, the two companies are sealing their strategic partnership. “The establishment of this joint venture marks a significant step in our corporate strategy, which focuses on sustainable growth and innovation,” says Johannes Brüggen, personally liable partner at Brüggen, on the establishment of the joint venture. “By combining our respective strengths and experience, we are ideally positioned to set new standards in the oat drink sector.” Dr Timo Winkelmann, Managing Partner at frischli, adds: “This joint venture will enable us to strengthen our market position and offer our customers even greater added value.”
Innovative technologies and modern production
The collaboration between frischli and Brüggen allows the expertise of both companies to be successfully combined: The joint venture relies on state-of-the-art and innovative milling technology, advanced process technology for oat liquefaction and cutting-edge filling technology. Thanks to the agile product development and innovation teams, the development and production of high-quality and pioneering oat drinks is guaranteed.
The company is expected to commence operations at the beginning of 2025, subject to authorisation by the relevant authorities. However, the two companies frischli and Brüggen will continue to operate independently in their respective fields.
About frischli
frischli Milchwerke GmbH, with its main plant in Rehburg-Loccum (Lower Saxony) and three other dairy plants in Weißenfels (Saxony-Anhalt), Eggenfelden (Bavaria) and Schöppingen (North Rhine-Westphalia), is now in its fourth generation as a supplier of high-quality dairy products. Every day, frischli processes around two million kilograms of milk – over 900 million kilograms per year. This milk is supplied to frischli by over 750 milk producers. In addition to a wide range of long-life dairy products and dessert specialities, fresh dairy products for food service have also been available since October 2023 with Gastro frischli. In autumn 2021, frischli added a modern plant-based range with a variety of desserts and oat-based milk alternatives to its assortment. Since 2023, frischli has been offering product highlights in the ice cream segment with first-class ice cream bases. With around 1,000 employees, the company achieves a sales volume of around 800 million euros per financial year.
About Brüggen
H. & J. Brüggen KG, also run by the fourth generation of the family and founded in 1868, is a leading manufacturer of high-quality cereal-based foods. Traditional and baked muesli, cereals (flakes, extrudates, puffed cereals), oat flakes and other hulled cereal products as well as various bars are produced in two factories at the headquarters in Lübeck. The company has further production facilities in Poland, France and Chile and employs around 2,000 people internationally. With the delivery of 230,000 tons of food to food retailers and the processing industry in over 90 countries worldwide, Brüggen recently generated a turnover of almost 560 million euros.
The raw material oats – the most valuable grain in terms of nutritional value and sustainability – is at the heart of the diverse product recipes that contribute to a healthy diet and a high-quality taste experience.
Continuous company growth with a strong international focus, constant striving for operational excellence, sustainable thinking and action as well as practiced family values have formed the DNA of Brüggen for 155 years.