Backing Europe’s family-run food producers: Germany’s NutriUnited secures €8.5 million to scale its buy-and-build model

Munich-based FoodTech startup NutriUnited has today announced they have closed a €8.5 million Seed financing round in order to advance its buy-and-build strategy in the food sector.

Notable investors joined the round, including Martina Pfeifer (flatexDegiro), Tim Stracke (Chrono24), Oliver Merkel (formerly Flink), Christof Wahl (G-FUND), Marc Müller (formerly ETL Group), Frank Dopheide (human unlimited), Arnd Hungerberg (ServiceNow), Finn Wentzler (Atlantis Ventures), Leon Mann (Direkt Gruppe), Dr Hadi Saleh (CeramTec) and Timo Seggelmann (OakHorizon).

“We want to create a home for family-run food companies,” says Josef Brunner, founder and CEO of NutriUnited. “We stand for true entrepreneurship, dedication to craftsmanship, and honest products – and we see ourselves as the anti-corporation. Even as we grow, we want to remain small, agile and close to our customers. As the son of a baker, returning to my roots and dedicating myself to the most important mission of my life is deeply personal: ensuring the future of medium-sized artisan food producers with NutriUnited.”

In 2025, several European FoodTech and AgriFood startups secured fresh funding, providing context for NutriUnited’s seed round.

France’s Fungu’it raised €4 million to advance fungal-fermentation flavourings, while Denmark’s SUMM Ingredients secured €1.7 million to launch its fermented protein ingredient. The Netherlands saw a larger round with Revyve closing approximately €24 million to scale yeast-based egg-replacement proteins, while in the UK Mondra raised €11.8 million to expand its emissions-tracking intelligence platform. Greece’s StiQ added €20 million to grow its AI-enabled cloud-kitchen infrastructure.

Together these announcements total roughly €41.5 million, illustrating consistent investment across varied FoodTech niches.

Against this backdrop, NutriUnited’s Seed round appears at the higher end of early-stage activity, particularly within artisan-focused and succession-driven food production.

“I am proud of our exceptional group of shareholders. Our experienced investors embody true entrepreneurship and actively support NutriUnited with advice, hands-on experience and their personal networks,” Brunner continues. “Together, we want to prove that growth, craftsmanship and quality are not contradictions – and that small family businesses can be a real alternative for the food retail sector.”

Founded in 2024 by Josef Brunner, NutriUnited is a corporate group that builds, connects and develops artisan-oriented food companies. Its goal is to create a home for family-run businesses in the product categories meat, meat alternatives and ready-made meals, all of which stand for quality, authenticity and local value creation.

The group currently includes Grasmehr and Morawitzky, which together employ more than 140 people.

Arnd Hungerberg (ServiceNow) adds: “I invested in NutriUnited because I believe in sustainable food innovation that connects tradition and the future, creating real value for people and businesses.”

The new capital will be used to fuel further growth, integrate additional companies and advance the shared mission.

Their objective is to strengthen family-owned businesses, creating succession solutions, and securing the long-term competitiveness of artisan-focused food producers.

“From our perspective, this is not only relevant to the food industry but also has significant economic importance, as many companies will have no future without proper succession,” Brunner shares.

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