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Angry resistance: traditional company Wolf sells to China!
Sausage manufacturer Wolf from Schwandorf is sold, after 100 years in family hands, to UK company Morliny Foods. Jobs will be retained for the time being.
Angry resistance: traditional company Wolf sells to China!
Things are simmering in Bavaria: the traditional sausage manufacturer Wolf Essgenuss from Schwandorf is for sale. After almost 100 years in family hands, the company, known for its Nuremberg and Thuringian grilled sausages, is planning to move into British hands. The buyer, Morliny Foods Holding from England, is part of the WH Group, the world's largest meat company based in Hong Kong. The takeover was announced last week and was met with angry reactions from the population, who expressed concerns about the “selling out of Germany” and feared for the future of regional products. Merkur reports that the takeover still requires approval from the antitrust authorities.
Christian Wolf, the fourth generation to run the company, sees the takeover as an opportunity. Wolf emphasizes that the majority of the approximately 1,800 jobs at the three production sites – Schwandorf, Nuremberg and Schmölln – should remain secured “for the time being”. As an additional consolation, those responsible have assured that the meat for the sausages will continue to come from regional producers. Despite these concerns about the potential impact on regional agriculture, market experts have argued that domestic farmers can provide cheaper meat than imported goods from China. [BR].
A look at the challenges facing the industry
The meat industry is under pressure. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, the industry has been struggling with several challenges since 2023, such as rising raw material prices and high energy costs. Although purchasing power in Germany is above the EU average, real wages have fallen and many consumers are making their purchasing decisions carefully these days. These developments influence the market and present food producers with new challenges, as a study by the BMEL shows.
The company management hopes that the takeover of Wolf Essgenuss by Morliny Foods could lead to new, international growth and give the Wolf brand a sustainable foundation. Strategic internationalization is the priority in order to be able to survive in a demanding market environment. Amid these restructurings in the industry, the question arises about the future of local products and their competition with international price pressure.
The company is looking forward to the next steps. Will the takeover actually be an opportunity for the Wolf brand or will the historic sausage manufacturer become a pawn of international corporations as a result of the sell-off? One thing is certain: the Bavarian sausage world is currently anything but calm!