Foodmaker expands to Germany through Rewe

Belgian healthy food producer Foodmaker wants to conquer the German market, starting with the shelves at Rewe. The company plans to open its own restaurants throughout the country.

Starting in North Rhine-Westphalia

Foodmaker already sells its salads and snacks through retailers like Albert Heijn, Delhaize, Franprix and Monoprix, and now adds Germany’s second largest supermarket chain Rewe to that list. A logical step, as German Wernsing Food Family is a shareholder in the company.

Rewe has selected a dozen Foodmaker products for the start-up, including a mix of pastas, salads and hot meals. For now, German expansion is limited to the North Rhine-Westphalia region, which can easily be supplied from the central kitchen in Westerlo (Antwerp). In time, however, Foodmaker wants to supply shops throughout the country.

“Huge potential”

“We have been testing in Germany for a while now and consumers are very positive about our meals. Moreover, there is huge potential. North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany’s largest state by population and with numerous big cities and a lot of businesses, we see a lot of opportunities”, CEO Lieven Vanlommel explains. “It is our intention to open our own restaurants in Germany, as well as to cooperate with companies. Talks with major players are ongoing.”

Foodmaker currently has twenty restaurants in prime locations in Belgian cities such as Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Hasselt and Leuven, as well as in the Netherlands (The Hague) and France (Paris). In addition, the chain operates company restaurants.