Leef, a provider of environmentally friendly tableware and take-away packaging made from palm leaves, is taking over the Garching-based start-up Wisefood, which produces edible disposable packaging.
Wisefood was founded in 2017 and became known through the TV show „Die Höhle der Löwen“ on the Vox channel, on which the founders appeared in 2018. The company from Garching near Munich produces sustainable disposable packaging and is particularly known for its edible drinking straws. Wisefood now produces also edible cups, chopsticks and stirrers. The products have already been placed with well-known retailers - including Aldi and Edeka - as well as in wholesale at Metro and Transgourmet.
Wisefood generates a seven-figure annual turnover and recorded a six-figure profit just two years after it was founded. The company was valued at over five million euros in the last financing round in 2021. In addition to well-known major customers from the system catering and retail sectors, Wisefood a rapidly growing e-commerce business and acts for customers from the HoReCa segment. as a digital wholesaler. Europe-wide expansion and further additions to the product range are planned for the future.
„We have been working successfully with Leef for several years in the palm leaf product sector and are delighted to have found the right buyer in the company,“ says Philipp Silbernagel, founder and Managing Director of Wisefood.
„The willingness to buy sustainable to-go packaging is high among restaurateurs and customers. The takeover will enable us to tap into new sales channels in retail and e-commerce more quickly with LEEF and gain a second strong brand.“
Claudio Fritz-Vietta, Managing Director of Leef Holding
Jens Christoph, second Managing Director of Leef Holding, adds: „The acquisition opens up new opportunities for us to jointly develop environmentally friendly solutions and we will significantly increase the Leef Group's total turnover this year and successfully continue our own growth story in the coming years. We are planning the merger of the two operating companies in 2025, in order to fully utilise the synergy effects. At the same time, we are launching another financing round.“
Source: Leef
