Frozen distributors & importers
Wholesalers with freezer transport. They sell your range to their own shops and restaurants.
Frozen Food importers and distributors in Germany
For frozen-food manufacturers looking for buyers abroad
We book sales meetings with frozen food 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 frozen food
We do not send you a list to chase. We book meetings with German buyers selected for your product and market.
Convenience & ready-meal producers
Factories that buy your frozen vegetables or semi-finished goods to make their own products.
HoReCa & foodservice wholesalers
Cash-and-carry and delivery wholesalers who supply restaurants, canteens and hotels.
Retail category buyers
The people who choose what goes into the freezer aisle at supermarkets and discounters.
Typical products: frozen vegetables & fruit · frozen ready meals & convenience · frozen bakery & dough · frozen fish & seafood
Before each meeting, you get a brief on the buyer and what they want to discuss. See an example meeting brief.
MBF: juices and fruit ingredients
NFC juices and fruit ingredients · Góra Kalwaria, Poland
MBF makes fruit ingredients, including frozen fruit. Its case includes Germany.
“ProspectX connects us with the right purchasing people in each country and keeps the conversation moving, while we handle products, prices and samples.”
What German frozen food 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.
- Unbroken cold chain at −18 °C and steady volumes all year
- IFS Food (or BRCGS) certification for retail and most distributors
- An EAN barcode on retail packs, or bulk catering and industrial formats
- German-language labelling and full EU food-information compliance
- Specs and documents ready before the first meeting
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.
Before you approach a German frozen-food buyer
Start with the format you can supply. It shapes the buyer conversation.
Choose the buyer route
Is the product a retail pack, a foodservice case, or an ingredient? Pick the first use you want to discuss.
Bring the product details
Prepare the specification, carton size, storage conditions, and your supply plan for that format.
Ask what a trial would involve
Ask about preferred pack sizes, possible volumes, and samples. Discuss price only against a clear product and delivery plan.
How to find frozen food distributors in Germany
Germany is the natural first stop for frozen producers. The volume is huge and the frozen distributors and discounters are few. Ready-meal makers buy frozen vegetables and semi-finished goods by the pallet, all year.
In short
Frozen Food importers and distributors in Germany are the companies that resell frozen food. They include frozen distributors & importers, convenience & ready-meal producers and HoReCa & foodservice wholesalers. The main buyers are Edeka, Rewe and Schwarz Group. Before a first meeting, buyers want: unbroken cold chain at −18 °C and steady volumes all year. They also expect IFS Food (or BRCGS) certification for retail and most distributors.
To find frozen food distributors in Germany, start with the four channels that buy. German frozen demand sits with a small number of buyers, and you can reach them directly. First, frozen distributors and cold-chain wholesalers place your range with their own customers. Second, convenience and ready-meal producers buy frozen vegetables and semi-finished goods as an input. Third, hotels, restaurants and catering (HoReCa) and cash-and-carry wholesalers such as Metro buy for kitchens. Fourth, frozen-aisle category buyers sit at Edeka, Rewe, the Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) and Aldi. German buyers want precise specs and clean documents before a first meeting. They also want an unbroken cold chain: the food never rises above −18 °C. You do not have to wait for Anuga or Fruit Logistica. You can open these distributor and buyer talks all year. Write in German, in the channel that fits your range.
Your situation
You know Germany is a big market. The hard part is reaching the right buyer. You have the product, the capacity and probably the food-safety certificate supermarkets ask for (IFS or BRCGS). What you lack are names at the discounters and the ready-meal plants. The buyers you emailed never replied. We close that gap and write to named buyers in German, in the channels that fit your range.
How frozen food 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.
For frozen, the cold chain is an extra filter. Buyers commit only if you can prove −18 °C logistics and steady volumes. That leaves a small field of serious, well-documented suppliers.
- 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 frozen food buyers go to Anuga and Fruit Logistica — 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 frozen 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 channels and regions 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 frozen range needs a cold chain and certificates. Is that a problem?
German buyers expect IFS or BRCGS, German and EU labelling, and steady −18 °C supply. We check that each buyer fits what you can really ship and document. So your first meetings are with buyers you can actually supply.
We've tried reaching German buyers ourselves and got nowhere.
Reaching the right buyer, in German, at the right moment takes full-time work. We do not send more messages. We contact the few buyers who fit, and book only the ones who answer.
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 frozen food distributors in Germany?
German frozen demand sits with a small, findable set of buyers. Start with frozen and cold-chain distributors, plus convenience and ready-meal producers who buy frozen goods. Then add HoReCa wholesalers such as Metro, and frozen-aisle buyers at Edeka, Rewe, the Schwarz Group and Aldi. Reach them directly, in German, instead of waiting for a fair.
How does a frozen food manufacturer enter the German market?
Germany is the EU's largest food import market, and demand is concentrated. The buyers are a small group you can find and contact directly. Bring precise specs, an unbroken cold chain and clean papers. Work channel by channel, because retail, discount, convenience and HoReCa are not one buyer.
We supply private label or semi-finished goods, not finished retail packs. Does this fit?
Yes. A large share of frozen export is ingredient and own-brand (private label) supply. We contact the ready-meal and convenience producers, and the own-brand retail programmes that buy it. We do not stop at retail category buyers.
Isn't Anuga or Fruit Logistica enough to meet German buyers?
A fair runs for a few days, once every year or two. We open the same distributor and buyer talks all year. We select buyers using the agreed criteria.
Other categories 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
- Fine Foods & Delicatessen buyers in Germany
Ready to meet Germany’s frozen food 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.