Delicatessen distributors & importers
Premium wholesalers for specialist shops, hotels and restaurants.
Fine Foods & Delicatessen importers and distributors in Germany
For owners & export directors at Central-European food producers
We book sales meetings with fine foods & delicatessen importers, distributors and retail buyers in Germany. You present your products and handle the sale.
Find your buyersSee if there are buyers for your product30 minutes, free. If we can't help, we'll say so.The Germany buyers who source fine foods & delicatessen
We do not send you a list to chase. We book meetings with German buyers selected for your product and market.
Speciality retail buyers
Delicatessen shops (Feinkost), department-store food halls and premium grocers.
HoReCa wholesalers
Wholesalers who supply fine-dining restaurants and hotels.
Typical products: speciality & gourmet · delicatessen (Feinkost) · regional & premium lines
Before each meeting, you get a brief on the buyer and what they want to discuss. See an example meeting brief.
Feinkost buyers we have already booked for producers
A Polish frozen-vegetable producer was strong at home but had no line into German premium retail. We booked meetings with German convenience, Feinkost and HoReCa buyers, without a trade fair. We split them the way German trade really works. A Central-European bakery producer was opened across German, Austrian and Swiss retail and wholesale, in German. We open the fine-food trade the same way.
A real ProspectX client — specifics covered on your first call.
What German fine foods & delicatessen buyers expect before a first meeting
We check that each buyer fits what you can supply. So your first meetings are with companies you can really deliver to.
- IFS Food (or BRCGS) — premium is no excuse to skip it
- A true origin story, plus g.U. or g.g.A. status where it applies
- German labelling, specs and presentation materials
- The same quality every batch — premium buyers punish changes hardest
- A price that leaves margin for wholesaler, counter and shelf
You approve each message before we contact buyers. We handle the replies and arrange the meetings. You present your products, negotiate terms and manage the sale.
Find your buyersSee if there are buyers for your product30 minutes, free. If we can't help, we'll say so.
Download the Germany buyer map (PDF)Free — no email required.
How to find fine foods & delicatessen distributors in Germany
Delicatessen (Feinkost) is a German institution. It runs from the KaDeWe food halls to the counters at premium Edeka and Rewe. The wholesalers behind them supply the whole trade. These buyers want special imported products with a story. We approach them in German.
In short
Fine Foods & Delicatessen importers and distributors in Germany are the companies that resell fine foods & delicatessen. They include delicatessen distributors & importers, speciality retail buyers and HoReCa wholesalers. The main buyers are Edeka, Rewe and Schwarz Group. Before a first meeting, buyers want: IFS Food (or BRCGS) — premium is no excuse to skip it.
To find fine-food distributors in Germany, work the four buyer types in the Feinkost trade. First, the delicatessen and specialty wholesalers who supply Feinkost shops, counters and restaurants. Second, the staffed delicatessen counters (Bedientheke) in premium Edeka and Rewe stores. They also run premium own-brand programmes and buy from abroad. Third, the department-store food halls: KaDeWe in Berlin, Alsterhaus in Hamburg, Oberpollinger in Munich, plus specialty shops. Fourth, suppliers to hotels, restaurants and catering (HoReCa). When a chef takes your product, retail often follows. German premium buyers want the food-safety certificate supermarkets ask for (IFS or BRCGS). They also want German presentation, a true story of origin and method, and protected-origin status where it applies. Quality must stay the same at small volumes. These buyers are few, and we can name them. We open talks in German all year, not only at a fair.
Your situation
Your product is too good for the discount shelf. The buyers you need sit in Germany's Feinkost trade. That means specialty wholesalers, the premium counters at Edeka and Rewe, and the department-store food halls. It also means restaurant suppliers. They do buy from abroad. But they answer only when the first message comes in German, with the story and specs ready. Nobody on your team has time for that. We do it for you.
How fine foods & delicatessen distribution works in Germany
Germany is the largest food import market in the EU. It is also the biggest export target for Polish and Central-European producers. A few groups run most of grocery: Edeka, Rewe, the Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) and Aldi. Hard discount is a channel of its own. So the people who decide are a small, findable group. They are the category buyers and the distributors who serve them. You can reach them directly, without waiting for a fair. German buyers expect exact specifications, steady supply and clean paperwork before a first meeting.
In fine foods, the staffed counter (Feinkost-Bedientheke) is the shop window. It sits in premium Edeka and Rewe stores, and the wholesalers behind it stock it. Win that counter and you win volume, plus a reference the whole premium trade trusts.
- Germany is the largest food import market in the EU (industry estimates).
- The four biggest grocery groups — Edeka, Rewe, the Schwarz Group and Aldi — hold roughly three-quarters of grocery sales (industry estimates).
- Private label is around a third of German grocery — a direct route in for producers who supply own-brand.
| Edeka | Largest grocery group — full-range supermarkets + Netto discount |
|---|---|
| Rewe | Full-range supermarkets + Penny discount |
| Schwarz Group | Lidl (hard discount) + Kaufland (hypermarkets) |
| Aldi (Nord / Süd) | Hard discount — a channel of its own in Germany |
| Metro | Cash-and-carry wholesale — the way into restaurants, hotels and independent shops |
Channels that matterDiscount · Convenience · Feinkost (delicatessen) · HoReCa
Germany’s fine foods & delicatessen buyers go to Anuga — for a few days, with years in between
We open the same buyer conversations all year. You approve each message before we approach anyone. See exactly how it works.
The hard questions, answered
How are you different from a trade agent or an export consultant?
A trade agent sells through their own contacts and takes a commission. A consultant writes you a plan and leaves you to carry it out. We put you in the room with buyers selected for your product and market, take no commission, and you keep the relationship.
We already have a distributor in Germany.
Most producers we meet have one partner who covers part of the country. We open the delicatessen wholesalers, food halls, own-brand programmes and restaurants that partner does not reach. Tell us which existing partners or accounts to exclude. We leave them out.
We don't speak German.
We make the first approach in German. People who sell in German write it. You can hold the meeting itself in English.
Our volumes are boutique — are we even worth a distributor's time?
In fine foods, small volume is normal. Specialty wholesalers and delicatessen counters build their ranges from small producers. They punish changes in quality, not small size.
We've tried reaching premium buyers ourselves and got nowhere.
Reaching the right premium buyer, in German, at the right moment takes full-time work. We do not send more messages. We contact the few buyers who fit, with your story and specs ready.
What if buyers don't reply?
You never chase silence. Only buyers who already agreed to talk reach your calendar. You spend no time on the rest.
Common questions
How do I find fine food distributors in Germany?
Work the Feinkost trade: specialty wholesalers, the counters in premium Edeka and Rewe stores, and their own-brands. Add department-store food halls such as KaDeWe, plus suppliers to hotels and restaurants. These buyers are few, and you reach them directly in German.
How does a specialty food producer enter the German market?
Get the premium basics right. You need IFS or BRCGS, a true origin story, German presentation, and margin for the whole chain. Then write to the named wholesaler or premium buyer yourself.
Are our volumes too small for German premium retail?
For the discount shelf, maybe. For the Feinkost trade, no. Specialty wholesalers, counters and food halls build their ranges from small producers, and value steady quality above size.
Is a trade fair the best way to meet German fine-food buyers?
Fairs help in this category. But Germany's premium buyers are few enough to reach directly. A prepared approach in German gets meetings all year, and we use the agreed buyer criteria.
Other categories in Germany
- Frozen Food buyers in Germany
- Bakery & Pastry buyers in Germany
- Organic & Health Food buyers in Germany
- Confectionery & Snacks buyers in Germany
- Meat & Charcuterie buyers in Germany
- Dairy & Cheese buyers in Germany
- Preserves & Canned Foods buyers in Germany
- Beverages buyers in Germany
- Sauces, Condiments & Spices buyers in Germany
Ready to meet Germany’s fine foods & delicatessen buyers?
Book a 30-minute First call. We look at your products and your buyers in Germany. If we can’t help, we’ll say so.
Find your buyersSee if there are buyers for your productFixed fee — no commission · First meetings 2–3 weeks after we start writing · Min. 10 buyer meetings in your first project, guaranteed
Reviewed by the ProspectX export team, led by founder Casper Morawski (LinkedIn) · Last reviewed July 2026.