Cooperative dairy producing milk, butter, yoghurt, cream and oat drinks under the Hofgut brand.
Hohenloher Molkerei eG
Schwäbisch Hall-HessentalNew on Amplifa
The Cooperative Dairy
Hohenloher Molkerei eG is an independent cooperative dairy based in Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental, owned by its dairy farmers. Under the Hofgut brand, the company produces drinking milk (fresh milk, ESL, UHT milk), butter, yoghurt, soured milk products, cream products, milk-based mixed drinks and vegan oat drinks in both organic and conventional quality. The raw milk comes from farmers within a radius of at most 180 kilometres and is filled in a filling plant with 14 lines in retail and bulk sizes; a RO plant also produces skimmed milk concentrate. Quality assurance is carried out in an in-house laboratory with around 9,360 analyses per week; the company is certified according to IFS Food V8 and ISO 50001. Customers are the food retail sector with a focus on southern Germany, gastronomy, large-scale catering and bulk consumers. The plant site covers more than 5 ha and houses, in addition to production and administration, the company's own Hofgut market.
- Site
- Schwäbisch Hall
- Processes
- Production of drinking milk (fresh milk/ESL, longer shelf life), Production of UHT milk (long-life milk), Butter production (German Branded Butter, mildly soured and sweet cream), Production of yoghurt (whole-milk, skimmed-milk, cream yoghurt, fruit yoghurt), Production of soured milk products (soured milk, buttermilk, kefir), Production of cream products (whipped cream, crème fraîche, sour cream), Production of milk-based mixed drinks (chocolate milk, caffè latte), Production of oat drinks (plant-based beverages)
- Materials
- Raw milk (conventional, organic, GMO-free), Oats (organic oats from Germany), Reverse osmosis (RO plant)
- Certificates
- IFS Food V8 (Higher Level, 96.08%, IFS Star Status), ISO 50001:2018, EC Organic Regulation (EU) 2018/848 / Organic Certificate DE-ÖKO-071, Bioland, QM-Milch, Quality label, Regionalfenster, VLOG (GMO-free), Kosher, Halal, IFS Food V8 (Higher Level, 96.08%), EC Organic Regulation (DE-ÖKO-071), QM-Milch / QM++, Kosher / Halal, Quality label / Regionalfenster
- Founded
- 1882
- Industries
- Food retail (focus on southern Germany), Gastronomy and large-scale catering, Bulk consumers
- 01
Milk collection at the member farms (radius max. 180 km)
- 02
Sampling and quality testing (Milchprüfring Baden-Württemberg)
- 03
Initial inspection and processing at the plant (drinking milk, butter dairy,
- 04
Concentration of skimmed milk (RO plant)
- 05
Filling on 14 lines (fresh milk, UHT milk, ESL, cups, buckets,
- 06
Accompanying laboratory testing and retained sample monitoring
- 07
Own truck fleet: logistics and distribution
Raw Materials and Processes
Raw milk (conventional, organic, GMO-free)
Basic raw material from 860 producer farms; since 2016 GMO-free milk has been collected separately.
Oats (organic oats from Germany)
Raw material for the vegan Hofgut oat drinks including the Barista variant.
Reverse osmosis (RO plant)
Production of skimmed milk concentrate since the 2019 investment.
Sites
Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental
DEDairy/plant site with administration, production, own laboratory and Hofgut market
- Lot size
- Retail sizes (from 200 g) up to bulk packaging (10 kg / 10 L)
- Materials
- Raw milk (conventional, organic, GMO-free), oats
- 14 filling lines (UHT milk, ESL milk, plastic cups, buckets, composite cartons)
- 5 raw and finished milk tanks (900,000 L additional capacity)
- RO plant for production of skimmed milk concentrate (2019)
- Butter dairy as well as production and filling systems for drinking milk and fresh products
- Photovoltaic system 777 kWp
- In-house laboratory (chemical, bacteriological, microbiological)
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of drinking milk (fresh milk/ESL, longer shelf life)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Raw milk |
| Production of UHT milk (long-life milk)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Raw milk |
| Butter production (German Branded Butter, mildly soured and sweet cream)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Cream, Raw milk |
| Production of yoghurt (whole-milk, skimmed-milk, cream yoghurt, fruit yoghurt)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Milk |
| Production of soured milk products (soured milk, buttermilk, kefir)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Milk |
| Production of cream products (whipped cream, crème fraîche, sour cream)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Cream |
| Production of milk-based mixed drinks (chocolate milk, caffè latte)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Milk |
| Production of oat drinks (plant-based beverages)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Oats |
| Production of skimmed milk concentrate using a RO plant (reverse osmosis)Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Skimmed milk |
| Filling of milk products (14 filling lines: UHT milk, ESL milk, plastic cups, buckets,Other (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Milk, Milk products |
| Chemical, physical and microbiological laboratory analyses (9,360 analyses/week,Testing | – | – | – | – | Raw milk, Milk products |
| Production of tea and soft drinksOther (food/dairy production) | – | – | – | – | Other |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RO plant (reverse osmosis) for the production of skimmed milk concentrate | – | – | – | 2019 | Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental |
| Filling lines for milk products (fresh milk, UHT milk, ESL) | – | 14 | – | 2016 (Erwe | Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental |
| Raw and finished milk tanks (5 new tanks, +900,000 L storage capacity) | – | 5 | – | 2016 | Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental |
| Photovoltaic system (self-generated electricity) | – | – | 777 kWp | 2022/2023 | Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental |
| In-house laboratory (chemical, bacteriological, microbiological) | – | – | – | – | Schwäbisch Hall |
| Butter dairy, production and filling systems (drinking milk, fresh products) | – | – | – | – | Schwäbisch Hall |
Additional services
Quality and Certifications
The in-house laboratory tests raw materials, intermediate and finished products using chemical, physical and microbiological methods – around 9,360 analyses per week, including ATP evaluations and retained samples. External institutes and the Milchprüfring Baden-Württemberg additionally verify and document.
| Evidence | Schwäbisch Hall |
|---|---|
| IFS Food V8 (Higher Level, 96.08%) | |
| ISO 50001:2018 | |
| EC Organic Regulation (DE-ÖKO-071) | |
| Bioland | |
| QM-Milch / QM++ | |
| VLOG (GMO-free) | |
| Kosher / Halal | |
| Quality label / Regionalfenster |
History
- 1882
Mergers of dairy farmers from Schwäbisch Hall, Kupferzell and Gerabronn into cooperatives
- 1955/56
Reconstruction after destruction in the Second World War; on 18.04.1956 construction of the new dairy began at the Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental site
- 1998
Merger with Milchwerk Heidenheim-Ries eG; increase in milk volume to around 310 million kg
- 1999
Martin Boschet becomes managing board member
- 2002
Investments in UHT milk and ESL milk filling, butter dairy and soured milk; construction of a PV system with 520 kWp
- 2011
More than 900,000 kg of milk processed daily
- 2013
Manfred Olbrich becomes Chairman of the Board (successor to Reinhold Höfle)
- 2014
Expansion of the Hofgut market as well as renovation of the administration building and investments in new systems
- 2015
Purchase of the "Gasti-Areal" at Raiffeisenstraße 8; plant site grows to more than 5 ha
- 2016
Conversion to GMO-free milk (860 milk producers); five new tanks (900,000 L) and 14 filling lines
- 2017
135th anniversary and packaging relaunch of the Hofgut brand
- 2019
Investment in a RO plant for the production of skimmed milk concentrate
- 2022
Expansion of the PV system to 777 kWp (in operation from 2023)
- 2026
70 years of the Schwäbisch Hall-Hessental site; eight-time Federal Prize of Honour, 54 DLG gold medals and the "Prize for Long-Standing Product Quality" for the 37th time