Cooperatively owned dairy that refines raw milk from the Black Forest into milk products for retail, foodservice and industry
Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Freiburg
Freiburg · Offenburg · BodneggNew on Amplifa
About Schwarzwaldmilch
Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Freiburg was founded in 1930 by local milk producers and remains cooperatively owned to this day. The company refines raw milk from more than 900 farms in the Black Forest and adjacent regions of Baden-Württemberg into drinking milk, yoghurt, quark, cream, butter, soured milk products, milk-based drinks, ice cream and cheese. Around 260 million kg of milk are processed annually at the Freiburg dairy and at the Offenburg site; following the acquisition of the Bauhofer cheese dairy in Bodnegg, with around 480 employees and over 290 million € in revenue (2025), this is supplemented by additional refining capacity of approx. 20 million kg. In addition to its own brand, Schwarzwaldmilch produces private labels, dairy ingredients, vegan ingredients and a bulk-consumer line in buckets of 3 to 10 kg for foodservice and industrial further processing. Product lines include pasture milk, Bioland-certified organic and organic hay milk (partly non-homogenised), lactose-free products (LAC) and protein-enriched drinking meals. Products are filled, among others, in reusable glass bottles and soft packaging.
- Site
- Freiburg
- Processes
- Refining of raw milk into milk products, Production of drinking milk (fresh and long-life, including pasture milk, organic and hay milk), Homogenisation (hay milk is deliberately not homogenised –, Lactose-free processing with lactase (LAC line), Protein-enriched products (milk protein enrichment, protein drinking meals), Yoghurt production (natural, fruit, organic, Greek-style, skyr), Quark production (fresh quark, herb quark, confectionery quark, cream quark), Butter production (sweet cream butter, sour cream butter)
- Materials
- Raw milk, Pasture milk, Organic milk (Bioland-certified), Organic hay milk (Bioland-certified), Cream, Milk protein, Lactose-free milk products
- Certificates
- ZNU standard for Sustainable Business, Bioland, VLOG "GM-free", QZBW (Quality Mark Baden-Württemberg), Organic control body DE-ÖKO-003, QZBW Quality Mark Baden-Württemberg
- Founded
- 1930
- Employees
- 430
- Industries
- Food retail, Wholesale & specialist trade, Foodservice/gastronomy, Further processing (industry)
- 01
Milk collection from more than 900 cooperative producer farms (every two days)
- 02
Reception and separate recording of conventional and organic milk
- 03
Refining into milk products in Freiburg
- 04
Filling into reusable glass and soft packaging
- 05
Distribution via food retail, wholesale and specialist trade, foodservice and
Raw milk & refining processes
Raw milk
Base material from cooperative farming in the Black Forest and adjacent regions of Baden-Württemberg.
Pasture milk
Milk from farms with at least 8 hours of pasture grazing on at least 150 days per year.
Organic milk (Bioland-certified)
Organic milk from certified Bioland farms, recorded and processed separately.
Organic hay milk (Bioland-certified)
Deliberately not homogenised after hay feeding and therefore creams off naturally.
Lactose-free milk products
Processing with lactase for milk, cream, yoghurt, quark and ice cream.
Milk protein
Enrichment for protein-enriched drinking meals and yoghurt drinks.
Sites
Freiburg
DEHeadquarters, dairy/refining, milk shop
- Materials
- Raw milk, pasture milk, organic milk, organic hay milk
Offenburg
DESite of Schwarzwaldmilch GmbH Offenburg
- Materials
- Raw milk
Bodnegg
DEBauhofer cheese dairy (acquired 2026, cheese production)
- Materials
- Milk, organic milk
Product lines
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refining of raw milk into milk productsMilk refining | – | – | – | – | Raw milk, Pasture milk, Organic milk, Hay milk, Bioland milk |
| Production of drinking milk (fresh and long-life, including pasture milk, organic and hay milk)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Raw milk, Pasture milk, Organic milk, Organic hay milk |
| Homogenisation (hay milk is deliberately not homogenised –Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk |
| Lactose-free processing with lactase (LAC line)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Cream, Quark, Yoghurt, Ice cream |
| Protein-enriched products (milk protein enrichment, protein drinking meals)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Low-fat milk, Milk protein |
| Yoghurt production (natural, fruit, organic, Greek-style, skyr)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Pasture milk, Organic milk |
| Quark production (fresh quark, herb quark, confectionery quark, cream quark)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Cream |
| Butter production (sweet cream butter, sour cream butter)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Cream, Organic milk |
| Cream production (whipping cream, confectionery cream, cooking cream, Crème Fraîche, Schmand,Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Cream |
| Soured milk products (buttermilk, kefir)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Organic milk, Pasture milk |
| Ice cream production (frozen)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Whole milk, Cream, Lactose-free milk |
| Cheese production (mountain cheese, raclette, Allgäuer Emmentaler, semi-hard cheese – BauhoferMilk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Organic milk |
| Milk-based mixed drinks (chocolate, cocoa, drinking meals)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Pasture milk |
| Bulk-consumer/foodservice production (buckets of 3–10 kg for further processing and gastronomy)Milk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Cream, Quark, Yoghurt |
| Filling into glass bottles (reusable) and soft packagingMilk refining | – | – | – | – | Milk, Yoghurt |
Additional services
Quality & certification
The strictest controls and regular external audits by independent experts guarantee quality and product safety. Organic milk is recorded and processed separately; the group is certified according to the ZNU standard for Sustainable Business.
| Evidence | Freiburg |
|---|---|
| ZNU standard for Sustainable Business | |
| Bioland | |
| VLOG "GM-free" | |
| QZBW Quality Mark Baden-Württemberg | |
| Organic control body DE-ÖKO-003 |
History
- 1930
Foundation of the Freiburg dairy by local milk producers; cooperative ownership continues to this day.
- 2023
Jens Müller takes over as head of sales of the Schwarzwaldmilch group on 1 July.
- 2023
Successful initial audit according to the ZNU standard for Sustainable Business in December.
- 2024
Certification according to the ZNU standard for Sustainable Business by QAL Umweltgutachter GmbH in February.
- 2026
Acquisition of the Bauhofer cheese dairy in Bodnegg with 50 employees and approx. 20 Mio. kg of milk; the group generated over 290 Mio. € in revenue in 2025.