As the Seeberger Group, we look back positively on 2022 overall. As a manufacturer of luxury products such as nuts, dried fruit and coffee, we are keeping our turnover stable at around EUR 300 million in a challenging industry environment. After two years of the pandemic, the Seeberger Professional division, with its focus on out-of-home catering in the food service industry and for corporate customers, and the international retail business were the main contributors to our family-owned company from Ulm continuing to look positively to the future.
“In view of the global economic situation, we can be satisfied with the result,” says Clemens Keller, Managing Partner of Seeberger. However, the impact of the pandemic, the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the continued rise in energy and commodity prices are also affecting our Group. “Despite the challenging times – or precisely because of them – we see ourselves as a family business with a responsibility for sustainable and future-oriented business practices,” adds Managing Director Ralph Beranek.
Overall, the Seeberger Group was able to keep sales stable compared to the previous year at around 293 million euros despite the difficult global conditions. The Professional division in particular contributed to this with strong double-digit growth. On the other hand, the retail consumer segment with its delicious and natural snacks was unable to reach the sales level of the past two years due to the reluctance of consumers to spend, which the food industry as a whole is facing. Seeberger Genusswelt in Ulm continues to develop very positively and is now increasingly able to utilize its full capacity and potential as the pandemic situation eases.
Successful focus in the three business divisions
In order to be able to address the various target groups in line with their needs, we combine three business areas under one roof within the Seeberger Group: With a diverse range of natural snacks, Seeberger Handel is known as a strong brand in the international and national food trade.
Seeberger Professional, the coffee specialties division of our company, mainly serves corporate customers and the food service industry. From manufacturer-independent advice to various coffee machine and vending solutions with its own service and operating team, Seeberger Professional offers a complete service through its seven branches. This service portfolio is complemented by networked cashless payment systems and checkout solutions.
Finally, the Seeberger Genusswelt in Ulm brings the tasty world of Seeberger to life in all its diversity as a unique indulgence concept.
The Seeberger Professional division, headed by Raphael Steinberg, was the main contributor to the stable sales result. After two challenging years due to the pandemic, the division was able to benefit from the revival of the catering industry and the return of employees to the workplace and is now responsible for around a fifth of the Group’s sales. “This is the reward for our consistent work over the past few years,” explains Steinberg. We will continue to expand the Seeberger Professional division in the future.
The Seeberger brand in food retail: strong nationally, continuing dynamic international growth
The German food industry as a whole has to deal with the changes in consumer purchasing and consumption behavior caused by the uncertainty resulting from the war in Ukraine and the dramatic rise in energy and food prices. This is reflected in the decline in turnover and sales for the entire dried fruit, nuts and seeds category in German food retail (source: IRI, YTD December 2022). Sales in Seeberger’s retail consumer segment thus remained slightly below the previous year’s level nationally in 2022, after the segment had grown strongly in the two pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 – consumers enjoyed consuming Seeberger snacking products at home and in the home office. Nevertheless, the sales level in this area remains above the pre-coronavirus level of 2019. “Very positive for us: internationally, we were able to further improve in the Consumer Retail segment in 2022, especially in our most important foreign markets of France and Switzerland,” says Ralph Beranek. International trade now accounts for around a quarter of the Group’s turnover.
As the youngest member of the group, Seeberger Genusswelt in Ulm was finally able to make the most of its potential in the course of 2022. After the café, gourmet market and staff restaurant opened in 2021, more events were held in 2022. Since fall 2022, the restaurant, which is open to the public, has been spoiling more and more guests with delicious lunch dishes in a pleasant atmosphere, as well as conference and event rooms.
Well positioned for the future
We believe we are well equipped for 2023 and are focusing in particular on continuing to position ourselves for the future. In addition to a new roasting plant, which will go into operation in late fall 2023, this primarily includes investments in the expansion of the company’s own photovoltaic capacity with 3,600 square meters of generator space. We are equally consistent in our approach to our responsibility along our own value chain: as a pioneer for fair partnerships and responsible raw material sourcing, we are already working – on a voluntary basis, as Seeberger is not yet affected due to its size – to implement the human rights and environmental requirements of the Supply Chain Duty of Care Act.
“Thanks to the stability of a healthy family business, we can and will continue to consistently pursue the Seeberger Group’s growth strategy,” say the two managing directors Keller and Beranek optimistically. “On the one hand, we are seeing the first signs that consumer sentiment is improving again. On the other hand, we can rely on the innovative power and strength of our company as well as on the commitment and drive of our employees – and on our positive attitude, which is at the heart of the Seeberger culture.”
