Construction Begins on One of Germany's Most Sustainable Ice Cream Factories
Florida Eis is investing 25 million euros in Schönebeck for energy-self-sufficient ice cream production
With the official groundbreaking, Berlin-based Florida Eismanufaktur GmbH has begun construction of its new production facility in Schönebeck (Elbe). Together with Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister President Sven Schulze, Markus Bauer, District Administrator of the Salzlandkreis, and Bert Knoblauch, Mayor of Schönebeck, Florida CEO Olaf Höhn has thus taken the next major step for one of Germany’s most innovative food projects. Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs, Franziska Giffey, was also in attendance.
Investitions- und Marketinggesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt mbH (IMG)
Together, the guests of honor buried a time capsule on the construction site and, with a few hammer blows, symbolically signaled the start of actual construction work.
The long-established Berlin ice cream manufacturer is investing approximately 25 million euros at the site in Schönebeck’s West Industrial Park on Wilhelm-Dümling-Straße. The plan is to build a state-of-the-art ice cream factory with an annual production capacity of approximately 5,000 metric tons of ice cream. The project is expected to create up to 500 jobs. The facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2028.
We’re building the future of ice cream here
Minister President Sven Schulze: “Florida Eis’s decision to locate here sends a strong signal about Saxony-Anhalt as a business location. It demonstrates the confidence companies have in our region and its potential for growth. I am particularly impressed that this project combines economic growth with innovation, energy efficiency, and modern food production. These are exactly the kinds of investments we need: companies that think long-term, create local value, and shape the future together with us. I am very pleased that Florida Eis is taking this path in Schönebeck and, by extension, in Saxony-Anhalt.”
For Florida Eis Managing Director Olaf Höhn, the start of construction marks a milestone in the company’s history: “Today, a vision is becoming reality. We’re not just building a new ice cream factory in Schönebeck—we want to show how food production can work in the future: sustainably, energy-self-sufficient, innovatively, and economically. Schönebeck offers us the best conditions for this. We want to produce ice cream here with as little CO2 as possible while also creating a location that inspires people and provides jobs for the region.”
The planned factory will therefore be designed with a strong focus on energy efficiency and on-site energy generation. This will involve integrating photovoltaics, solar energy, energy recovery, and other innovative technologies.
Hydrogen as an energy source for logistics is also part of the concept. Florida Eis is already an innovative pioneer in particularly sustainable production processes.
For the region, Florida Eis’s project is one of the state’s major initiatives. “The groundbreaking today for the Florida Ice Cream Factory in Schönebeck sends a great signal for our community and business location. I welcome a long-established company to the Salzlandkreis that is creating modern jobs and investing in the future—not least because it aims to produce what people love in an energy-self-sufficient and sustainable manner. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who is supporting this investment alongside us. I’m already looking forward to the first climate-neutral ice cream ‘Made in Salzlandkreis,’” adds District Administrator Markus Bauer.
Schönebeck’s Mayor Bert Knoblauch is pleased to see the long-planned project finally get underway: “The start of construction at Florida Eis is a strong sign of the attractiveness and sustainability of our business location, Schönebeck (Elbe). The investment of around 25 million euros and the planned jobs are a major boost for our city and the region. Several major openings of internationally active companies this year show that Schönebeck is a location for firms with big plans for the future and a city with a future.”
Ice Cream Production as a Model for the Future
The site is set to become much more than a traditional production facility. In addition to the approximately 4,000-square-meter production hall, plans include logistics space, an office building with an ice cream parlor and factory outlet, as well as other amenities for visitors. Florida Eis CEO Olaf Höhn also aims to develop the site into a tourist destination. Particular emphasis is being placed on the holistic energy concept. The factory is designed to generate as much of the energy it needs as possible on-site and to reuse, for example, the waste heat from production. The goal is to create an exemplary model for climate-friendly food production in Schönebeck.
There are also plans to strengthen regional economic value creation. Among other things, Florida Eis is considering growing its own vanilla at the site. The combination of production, energy generation, logistics, and regional raw materials is intended to make the new factory a special project for the future.
A New Milestone
With construction set to begin on August 20, the implementation of a project that connects Florida Eis, Schönebeck, and Saxony-Anhalt is now underway: Berlin meets Saxony-Anhalt, tradition meets innovation, and indulgence meets sustainability.
Olaf Höhn sums up the significance of the day: “With Florida Eis, we want to prove that it’s possible to produce outstanding ice cream while also taking responsibility for the future. When we start producing our first ice cream here in 2028, everyone should be able to say: This is a location with a future.”
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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