FOOD & DELICACIES, BEVERAGES

Germany is the country in the European Union with the highest number of employees in the food and beverage sector. The number of people employed in this sector is almost as high as that in Germany’s most important sector – the automotive industry.

Every consumer is familiar with a few large companies; their brands are impossible to miss in shops. However, it should not be forgotten that there are almost 6,000 companies (with 30 or more employees) in the sector. The top 10 account for just 15% of the sector’s total turnover. Sectors such as the meat and bakery industries are undergoing structural change.

The demand for skilled workers and managers in the Food and Beverage Industry is substantial. Germany’s leading online job portal constantly has more than 1,000 such vacancies advertised – including nearly 200 management roles, 200 sales positions and 200 technical roles.

Competition for skilled staff and managers is fierce. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lose out to the so-called ‘top 10’ companies. As a recruitment consultancy with extensive experience of working with SMEs and in-depth sector expertise in the food and beverage industry, we can offer precisely the support your company needs in this situation when recruiting staff.

Hardly any market is as diverse and complex as the Beverage industry In Germany, there is hardly any other market that is still so strongly characterised by small and medium-sized enterprises and family-run businesses, both within the industry and in the specialist drinks retail sector.

In Germany alone, there are almost 1,400 breweries producing a total of over 5,000 beer brands; in the category of businesses with a turnover in excess of 10 million, there are more than 200 specialist drinks retailers. The drinks industry is still very much characterised by regional differences; companies must operate regionally, whilst still keeping pace with national and international trends and developments in order to remain competitive.

This also presents a particular and specific challenge when it comes to recruiting qualified specialists and managers. Through our Beverages Competence Centre, we have extensive experience and expertise across the entire beverages sector, including its specific circumstances and structures.