Kühne Food Partners

Kühne Food Partners will be at the Food Ingredients in Frankfurt from November 2017, 28th until 30th. You will find us in hall 11.0, booth H38. Here you can learn more about our products and excellente service. We are looking forward to meeting you!

Hamburg, Monday, February 06, 2017: After approx. two years of research and development work, the vinegar masters at Carl Kühne KG were able to successfully produce a brandy vinegar with an acidity level of over 24 percent using biological means for the first time a few weeks ago. The almost ten percent increase in the acidity content using naturally manufactured 22 percent to 24 percent brandy vinegar conserves natural resources and reduces transport and storage costs for a major client. This high acidity level with a biological manufacturing process is unique worldwide.

Thanks to the increased acidity concentration, large consumers will receive the same quantity of vinegar with a reduction in both volume and weight of almost ten percent. Finally, the brandy vinegar is first reconstituted to the required acidity concentration with water on-site in the respective production plant of the customer. This not only saves storage space, it also saves the associated transportation costs and technical effort, for example, in incoming goods inspections. In addition, natural resources and the environment are conserved thanks to the reduction in CO2 emissions during transportation. The logistical and technical effort can even be reduced by 20 percent in comparison to the European standard – brandy vinegar with a 20 percent acidity level.

In order to achieve the desired acidity strength in the so-called biofermenters, conditions for the bacteria were explored in large-scale tests, the results were evaluated regularly, and were optimized further with special breeding and training programs. Worldwide, it was previously only possible to subsequently concentrate brandy vinegar to such a high acidity level using artificial methods with the corresponding loss of quality – for example through the energy-intensive freezing process.

“The cultivation of a bacterial culture that can withstand such a high acidity concentration and that can provide consistent quality and service in the process is truly unique throughout the world. At the same time, it was also important to us that the energy expenditure during production remained manageable to finally be able to calculate the best-possible price-service ratio for the large consumers,” explained Swantje Niphut, Spokesperson at Carl Kühne KG.

The biologically produced so-called fermented vinegar is actually milder and higher-quality than its artificial counterpart. “Synthetically produced vinegar essences or acetic acid regularly contain undesirable by-products. In addition, the taste of these products is not comparable to natural vinegar. End consumers are looking increasingly closely at the label and expect natural ingredients, particularly in premium products. Large consumers that process vinegar, for example, in relishes or salads, must consider the demand for natural ingredients while not forgetting to balance this against the costs. A reduction in logistics costs means that our natural vinegar scores even more points. This was only possible thanks to the decades of expertise that Kühne vinegar masters possess,” concludes Ralf van Stiphoudt, Vinegar Master in the Straelen Kühne plant. In Straelen (Nordrhein-Westfalen), the amount of highly concentrated brandy vinegar produced annually amounts to the low double-digit million liter range.

Hamburg, February 1, 2017: As of today, the B2B business unit of Carl Kühne KG is now called Kühne Food Partners. The business unit of the well-known vinegar and delicatessen food company provides successful individual product and packaging solutions beyond the classic B2C product range to customers from the industries for further-processing food industry as well as system gastronomy (including Burger King and Subway) in over 80 countries around the world for years.

“A professional and international B2B market launch is essential in todays world. The internal anchoring and external positioning of a B2B brand both count towards the added value of the company,” explained Stefan Leitz, Member of the Management Board at Carl Kühne KG. “A separate market identity, including its own logo, was necessary to clearly differentiate our classic retail range as well as to better communicate the professionalism of this sector to the outside world.”

In 2016, a survey involving regular customers was completed regarding the change of name to enable accurate analysis and development of the very essence of a brand. “The expertise and attributes that bring our customers together with us, should be reflected in our new name,” explained Carsten Gelahr, Director of Kühne Food Partners. “With the change of name to Kühne Food Partners and the fitting claim “Making Food Work”, we summarize our expertise in the consultation, conception, and implementation of individual product and packaging solutions for industry and system gastronomy, and as such create a clear market positioning with respect to existing and potential customers,” summarizes Gelahr in conclusion.