Rügenwalder Mühle

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Company News

Rügenwalder Mühle Retains Dominance in Germany’s Plant-Based Market

Rügenwalder Mühle has reinforced its position as the leading player in the German market for plant-based meat and sausage alternatives, continuing to outperform others in the industry. Dominant market share Despite a decline in overall market performance, the family-owned company has achieved notable growth, solidifying its significant market share of 43.3% as of the first quarter of 2025. This figure surpasses the combined market share of all its competitors, further cementing the company’s leadership in this space. Jörg Pfirrmann, managing director of Rügenwalder Mühle, attributed the company’s success to its innovation-driven approach and strong brand leadership. “We are growing profitably and have gained new market shares through innovations and clear brand leadership – against the industry trend,” he stated. Outperforming a downward market While the …

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German sausage

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Sustainability / Environment

How Traditional German Food Producers Are Driving the Plant-Based Transition

Where do traditional German food producers stand in terms of the food transition? More and more established companies are recognizing the potential and the need to include alternative protein sources in their product ranges. Although the plant-based market in Germany and Europe is being driven primarily by milk and meat producers, who have been investing more and more in plant-based alternatives in recent years, only a few of these companies have developed concrete strategies for simultaneously reducing animal proteins. Instead, the attitude is often taken that the consumer must decide or that a separation must be made between animal and plant-based products without establishing competition. The question arises as to how serious manufacturers really are about the transformation and why many companies are not making …

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Vegan-Salami-Peperoni

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Products & Launches

Rügenwalder Mühle Launches Vegan Salami Peperoni, Removes Methylcellulose from All Vegan Salami Lines

German market leader Rügenwalder Mühle announces the launch of a new vegan variety of its Mühlen Salami. At the same time, the existing varieties have been revised so that all vegan salami varieties are now methylcellulose-free. Both Vegan Salami Classic and Colourful Pepper are now free from methylcellulose. This means that all vegan salami varieties are now free from the additive. “Even though methylcellulose is not a questionable ingredient, many of our consumers wanted a salami without it,” says Steffen Zeller, CMO at Rügenwalder Mühle. “We have managed to fulfill this consumer wish and have also improved the taste of our Vegan Salami Classic to such an extent that it scored best in all the tests we carried out. This is an absolute win-win situation for …

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Rügenwalder Mühle new vegan ham

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Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Rügenwalder Mühle Further Expands Vegan Range After Discontinuing Animal Ham

Following the announcement that Rügenwalder Mühle was to discontinue its meat-based Schinken Spicker sausage to increase capacity for the vegan segment, the company now releases the next product in its vegan Schinken Spicker range. The family business, recently acquired by Pfeifer & Langen, is further expanding its vegetarian and vegan segment and is launching the new Vegan Ham Spicker type meat sausage with pea protein. With its strong and spicy flavour and a slight smoky note, it is modelled on a meat sausage in one piece. According to the company, the new product clearly stands out from the sliced Vegan Ham Spicker in terms of both flavour and range of uses. The Vegan Ham Spicker Meat Sausage can be prepared both hot and cold, is …

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Rügenwalder Mühle discontinues animal ham

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Company News

Famous Sausage Maker Discontinues its Classic Ham to Allow More Production Capacity for Plant Alternatives

Germany’s Rügenwalder Mühle will no longer produce its classic “Schinken Spicker” ham in the animal meat variant. The company now announces that the discontinuation of the animal ham will create more capacity in production facilities in order to be replaced with offerings such as the “Vegan Hauchschnitt”. This potential is to be further expanded, says the media release. The range of plant-based offerings within the Rügenwalder Mühle portfolio is progressively expanding. Alongside its 23 traditional meat and sausage selections, the company currently boasts close to 50 vegan and vegetarian products. This evolution is mirrored in the enhancement of its production capacities. Consequently, Rügenwalder Mühle has made a strategic decision to discontinue the production of its classic Spicker ham in order to allocate greater capacity to …

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Rügenwalder Mühle

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Company News

Pfeifer & Langen Acquires Majority Stake in Rügenwalder Mühle Ahead of Future Plant-Based Growth

Rügenwalder Mühle, the German family company which famously began as an animal-based sausage producer and went on to become the German market leader for plant-based meat products, has sold a majority stake to the holding company Pfeifer & Langen IHKG, which also owns stakes in vegan companies Vbites and endori. Based in Cologne, Pfeifer & Langen IHKG is an in-family-owned food company whose historical core is the sugar manufacturer Pfeifer & Langen. Its subsidiaries include Intersnack, a manufacturer of snacks that owns the British household name KP Snacks. Pfeifer & Langen acquired a 25.1% minority stake in Heather Mills’ Vbites in 2021, allowing the company to significantly expand capacity at its factory in Peterlee, England. The multi-million pound investment was said to have created hundreds …

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Rügenwalder Mühle Paulled Pork

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Celebrities

Rügenwalder Mühle Launches “Paulled Pork” in Collab with Brand Abmassador Paul Ripke

Germany’s Rügenwalder Mühle, a meat manufacturer which became the German market leader in meat alternatives, is continuing its partnership with brand ambassador Paul Ripke, a German fashion and sports photographer and music video director, with a new product launch of the vegan snack “Paulled Pork”. The vegan pulled pork product, described as a “fluffy yeast dough roll filled with vegan pulled pork in a sweet and smoky barbecue sauce”, with no added flavour enhancers or thickeners, will feature as part of Rügenwalder Mühle’s Veganuary campaign and integrated into the company’s social media activities in addition to shopper activation at the POS. Paul Ripke, known for his photographs and videos of athletes, celebrities and models, has been a brand ambassador for Rügenwalder Mühle since August 2023. …

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Rügenwalder Mühle

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Company News

How Famed Meat Manufacturer Rügenwalder Mühle Became the German Market Leader for Meat Alternatives

Germany’s Rügenwalder Mühle, a well-known meat manufacturer which began with the production of animal meat in 1834 and initially dipped its toes into the plant-based category in 2014, is now the German market leader in meat alternatives, and even entered the cultivated space late last year (telling vegconomist way back in 2018 that Clean Meat, as it was termed at the time, was the future). In 2019, the previously meat-focused company reported that its entrance into plant-based had led to a notable uptick in revenues, and by 2020 it had seen a 50% increase in sales of meat-free products and invested a total of € 5.5 million to expand production capacities for same. Actively shaping the market Just a year later, Rügenwalder shared that its …

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Rügenwalder Mühle chili mett

Vegan Chili Mett © Rügenwalder Mühle
Products & Launches

Rügenwalder Mühle Launches Plant-Based Chili Mett Made From Pea Protein

Rügenwalder Mühle, a German producer of both meat and plant-based foods, is set to launch a new product — Chili Mühlen Mett — in May. The meat alternative is a new spicy version of the brand’s plant-based mett (minced raw pork seasoned with salt and black pepper). Made from pea protein and featuring mild chili notes, it is said to be ideal as a sandwich filling, resembling traditional mett in both appearance and taste. “With our vegan Mühlen Chili Mett, exactly one year after the great success of our first Mett, we are bringing more variety to our consumers’ bread,” says Steffen Zeller, CMO at Rügenwalder Mühle. “Our Chili Mett is the perfect addition for all those who like a savoury spread, but who would …

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Hybrid alt meat

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Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Mirai Foods Partners With Rügenwalder Mühle for Hybrid Alt Meat With Cultivated Fat

Swiss cultivated meat startup Mirai Foods has announced a collaboration with Rügenwalder Mühle to develop hybrid alt meat products containing plant proteins and cultivated beef fat. Rügenwalder Mühle is the German market leader in plant-based meats, and is looking to expand into cultivated products. The company will bring its expertise in plant-based foods to the collaboration, while Mirai will contribute its knowledge of developing cultivated products. The cultivated fat used in the final product will be made without the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS), a growth medium that is expensive and often considered to be unethical. “It is the fat in a burger which gives beef the distinctive taste of grilled meat. Until today, it has not been possible to recreate this taste with …

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Company News

Rügenwalder Mühle Restructures Corporate Management

Rügenwalder Mühle is continuing to restructure its corporate management. Godo Röben, Managing Director of Marketing and Research & Development, is leaving the company with immediate effect. As a new member of the Executive Board, Mark Bülow will move from Saturn Petcare to Rügenwalder Mühle on 1st March and will be responsible for Corporate Strategy. The 51-year-old engineer is an expert in project management, strategy and operations management. 

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Interviews

Rügenwalder Mühle: “It is Very Important to Us For Consumers to See Exactly Where the Raw Materials Come From and What Kind of C02 Footprint a Product Has.”

Rügenwalder Mühle is a family business that started in 1834, in the town of Rügenwalde, Germany, known for its sausage specialties. The company is expanding its portfolio to cater to the growing number of flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans by offering a new array of products, such as vegan sausage and vegetarian salami.

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Company News

Rügenwalder Mühle: Revenue Increases to EUR 212 Million Due to Plantbased Products

ruegenwalder_muehle windmill

German food manufacturer Rügenwalder Mühle, which has operated in the plantbased market for around five years, now announces its revenue has increased to EUR 212 million, thanks to trend for plantbased products in Europe. The company plans to increase capacity for vegan and vegetarian production with a focus on climate protection and responsible consumption.

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Porträt: Godo Röben

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Interviews

Rügenwalder Mühle Continues on Vegan Course

Are future alternatives limited? Not when it comes to vegetarian/vegan sausage and meat substitutes.Whilst young start-ups, with support from top-class investors, are entering this market with innovative products, established producers of conventional meat products are also getting ready for the turnaround. This includes Rügenwalder Mühle, which is deeply concerned with social development. It has long since expanded its product range with vegetarian/vegan products.

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