Market leader for chilled pasta continues to grow and invests in the German site
BÜRGER looks back on another strong financial year in 2025
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BÜRGER GmbH & Co. KG is continuing its successful growth trajectory and can look back on a very solid financial year 2025. Despite ongoing economic challenges and a significant increase in raw material costs, the long-established company maintained and further expanded its position as the national market leader for chilled pasta.
In the 2025 financial year, BÜRGER increased its sales to 101,610 tons - an increase of around 4% compared to the previous year (2024: 97,720 tons). At the same time, turnover grew from 304 million euros to 312.8 million euros. The business rests on several strong pillars: Food retail (LEH) accounts for 66% of sales, while the bulk consumer segment with a specialized range for out-of-home catering customers and selected industrial customers contributes 34%. This broad positioning ensures stability and targeted growth.
The daily production volume rose to over 405 tons of food. This corresponds to more than 1 million meals a day. BÜRGER now employs over 1,300 people at its two sites in Ditzingen (Ludwigsburg district) and Crailsheim (Schwäbisch Hall district), who produce and market over 170 pasta specialties.
Maultaschen remain at the heart of success
BÜRGER's success continues to be closely linked to its core competence: Maultaschen. No other company in Germany produces and sells more Maultaschen than BÜRGER.
In 2025, around 2.9 million Maultaschen were produced every day - the equivalent of more than 3,700 truckloads. The range includes around 50 varieties for food retailers and the bulk consumer sector - from classic to vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or international interpretations, such as THAI Maultaschen.
Market leadership further expanded - gnocchi as a growth driver
BÜRGER successfully defended its market leadership in the overall chilled pasta market in 2025 (source: Nielsen, LEH+DM national, chilled pasta market, total sales, year 2025). In addition to Maultaschen, the gnocchi segment in particular continued to develop dynamically. With its diverse range, BÜRGER has also been the market leader for gnocchi since 2025. A national campaign with over 520 million contacts further strengthened brand awareness.
At the same time, BÜRGER made targeted investments in its brand and digital strategy: the redesigned food retail website went online in October 2025. Since December 2025, a BÜRGER merch store with around 20 items - from textiles to plush mule bags - has also complemented the brand world.
Professional kitchen bulk consumer area further developed
The BÜRGER Professional Kitchen division bundles business with customers in the out-of-home catering and professional kitchen sectors. From autumn 2025, it will be presented in a modernized design that is consistently geared towards the needs of commercial kitchens, restaurants and communal catering with clear product labeling, contemporary imagery and a new shade of blue. The range deliberately differs from the food retail offer and extends from Maultaschen to dumplings, side dishes and ready-to-cook dishes through to a strong Italian line.
Product innovations 2025 and outlook for 2026
Product innovations are a continuous source of inspiration for BÜRGER and an integral part of the annual product range work - in food retail as well as in professional kitchens. The following new products were introduced in 2025: New products in the food retail sector included THAI Maultaschen, mini gnocchi with pumpkin, BIO Spätzle and BIO mini gnocchi in accordance with Bioland guidelines. The BÜRGER professional kitchen expanded its range to include Curry Garden gnocchi pan, vegan mini bread dumplings, mushroom ravioli and Funghi Formaggio ravioli with an improved recipe.
BÜRGER will continue to develop its range consistently in 2026. New products are geared towards consumer trends such as protein, modern preparation concepts (e.g. airfryer) and a younger, nutrition-conscious target group. From April 2026, for example, Snack BALLS with four vegetarian varieties and new protein maultaschen with high-protein quark from Schwarzwaldmilch will be launched in food retailers.
Investments despite cost burdens: clear commitment to the location
Despite a significant increase in raw material costs, particularly for eggs, BÜRGER is clearly committed to Germany as a production location. Following the commissioning of the 57 million euro logistics center in 2024, the company acquired an additional 10,000 m² of space in Crailsheim at the end of 2025. In the long term, four new production lines, an in-house butcher's shop, a central canteen and a new administration building will be built there. Over the next three years, BÜRGER plans to invest a total of over 70 million euros in the targeted expansion of its production capacities.
"We believe in Germany as a production location - and in Baden-Württemberg as our home and strength," says Martin Bihlmaier, third-generation Managing Director of BÜRGER. "Despite cost increases, we continue to invest because we think long-term and see further great sales opportunities in Germany. That's why our internal motto is jokingly 'Attack Germany'. My goal is to make Maultasche known throughout Germany - as a modern product with tradition, which today is as versatile in taste as it is in its preparation options."
Sustainability: taking responsibility and shaping the future
Sustainability is firmly anchored in BÜRGER's corporate strategy. One outstanding example of this is the 1.2-kilometre-long district heating pipeline that connects the company to the new indoor and outdoor swimming pool in Crailsheim. In a unique pilot project, waste heat from production is used to heat the Crailsheim pool complex. In cooperation with the Crailsheim public utility company, around 65% of the total heat requirement of the indoor pool can be covered in future. This corresponds to the waste heat generated during the cooling of 60 million Maultaschen - and relieves the environment of 360 tons of CO2 annually. This cooperation is an impressive example of how industrial companies and municipal facilities can work together to make an effective contribution to climate protection.
In addition, BÜRGER is continuously expanding its photovoltaic areas. Over 8,000 modules are in operation at the Crailsheim site, which generated 2.8 GWh of electricity in 2025 - equivalent to the annual consumption of around 970 households in Baden-Württemberg (source: Baden-Württemberg State Statistical Office - "Energy in Baden-Württemberg"). A further 1,000 modules will follow.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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