The owner-managed Dr. Otto Suwelack Nachf. GmbH & Co. KG, based in Münsterland, is a true ‘hidden champion’ of the food industry. As the largest local employer and part of the Arend Oetker Group, the B2B company is known to only a few consumers, but its products can be found in countless items on supermarket shelves. One of its most important products is freeze-dried coffee. In the spring, the company found a new partner in France through the Enterprise Europe Network.

'We have been around for over 130 years and we are the brand behind your brand. We supply industrial food manufacturers with tailor-made ingredients that enhance the taste, functionality and technology of their end products. Our business model is therefore clearly focused on the B2B sector, with an emphasis on long-term partnerships and international market penetration,‘ says Birgit Wilmer, Manager Product Development Business Unit Coffee. ’And all of this is done exclusively from Billerbeck.'

The small town, with a population of around 12,000, is home to modern facilities for freeze drying, spray drying, vacuum drying and fermentation. These technologies ensure that sensitive raw materials such as milk (e.g. yoghurt), coffee or sourdough are preserved in such a way that they can be used in powder or granule form in a stable, transportable and reproducible manner at any time. 

Coffee is a particularly important pillar of the business. Suwelack produces soluble instant coffees that are used in instant products and flavoured drinks. The Bakery & More segment also plays a key role: with dried sourdoughs and functional baking ingredients, the company helps baking ingredient manufacturers, large bakeries and brand manufacturers to give their products a distinctive flavour. The same applies to milk and yoghurt powder, which are sold under the ‘Milk & More’ label. Here, the range extends from classic dairy products to lactose-free or plant-based alternatives that follow the trend towards vegan and health-conscious nutrition concepts. Suwelack has also made a name for itself in the processing of sweeteners. The common principle: the raw material is transformed in such a way that it retains its aroma or functionality on the one hand, but on the other hand becomes easy to handle for industrial processes.

However, the business model is not limited to the manufacture of standard products. Suwelack focuses on close cooperation with its customers. In its own development laboratories and test bakeries, tailor-made recipes are created that are precisely tailored to the needs of the customers. 

The figures also show that Suwelack operates an attractive business model. With around 450 employees, the company generates sales in the triple-digit million range, with a significant proportion coming from international business. Around 70 percent of sales are generated internationally, which underlines the importance of global markets and the competitiveness of the products. ‘The market in Germany is almost saturated, but in countries such as Japan, where consumers value high-quality coffee, for example, we are very well represented,’ says Birgit Wilmer. Around 30 to 40 per cent of foreign sales are therefore generated in countries outside the EU.
 

But demand from other European countries is also high

For example, a French company was looking for a European manufacturer of freeze-dried coffee as part of its business expansion in the development and production of food supplements. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region was responsible for the enquiry on the French side and forwarded it to its Enterprise Europe Network partners. The NRW.Europa team at ZENIT, which is responsible for North Rhine-Westphalia, conducted research and found the right cooperation partner in Dr. Otto Suwelack Nachf. GmbH & Co. KG. After a period of negotiations, the two companies agreed to work together. In July 2025, the French company received its first delivery from its new German supplier. Franziska Averkamp was responsible for the success of the project on the Suwelack side.

'Through the NRW.Europa team, we got in touch with a French company that was looking for a partner for freeze-dried coffee. The team's mediation went smoothly and without complications, making it much easier to get started with the new customer.’
Franziska Averkamp, Sales Manager Business Unit Coffee & Sweetener at Dr. Otto Suwelack Nachf. GmbH & Co. KG

Contact to the NRW.Europa-Team:

ZENIT GmbH / Enterprise Europe Network
für Nordrhein-Westfalen NRW.Europa
Adina Golombeck-Tauyatswala
Phone: ++49 208 30004-55
E-Mail: adina.golombek@zenit.eu

Contact to the german Company:
Dr. Otto Suwelack Nachf. GmbH & Co. KG 

Photo Source for the Collage and Copyright:
Dr. Otto Suwelack Nachf. GmbH & Co. KG, Billerbeck