EHRMANN: Over 100 Years of Success
“EHRMANN. No one else can touch me.” The slogan of this Unterallgäu-based dairy company has been around for nearly 30 years. Its products are literally on everyone’s lips. EHRMANN is the market leader in the yogurt segment in Germany. Its fresh dairy products are also well-received outside Germany: EHRMANN sells its products in more than 70 countries. Its international production and distribution facilities are located in Europe, Asia, and South America. With more than 3,200 employees, the company generated one billion euros in revenue in 2022. Hard to believe for an independent family-owned business that has continued to hold all of its shares itself for over 100 years.
The EHRMANN success story began in 1920, when Alois Ehrmann founded his first dairy in Oberschönegg, where the company’s headquarters are still located today. In 1960, he handed over management to his two sons, Anton and Alois. Under the new co-leadership, a true bestseller soon hit the market: in 1964, EHRMANN launched Almighurt, Germany’s first fruit yogurt with cold-stirred fruit. Over the years, it became the country’s most popular fruit yogurt: To date, twelve billion 150-gram cups and 900 million 500-gram returnable jars have been sold. Today, it is available in over 60 varieties. Next year, it will celebrate its 60th anniversary.
With the Obstgarten brand, EHRMANN also offers a well-known fruit quark as a classic dessert in its product range. In addition, EHRMANN offers pudding, drinkable meals, high-protein products, as well as plain yogurt and quark—and continues to surprise consumers with innovative new products. For example, in 2018 the company launched the first jell-o in a squeeze pouch as part of its Robby product line. The EHRMANN product range naturally also includes “organic” and “lactose-free” options.
Today, the company is led by Christian Ehrmann, the third-generation CEO. EHRMANN sources the milk for its products from family-run farms in the Allgäu region, with which the company has generally had long-standing partnerships: on average, EHRMANN has been supplied by its dairy farms for 29 years. The longest partnership has been in place since 1920—that is, since the company’s founding. The fact that EHRMANN relies on io’s expertise when structuring its production and logistics operations fits well into this picture: for both companies, long-term partnerships and sustainability form the foundation of their success stories.
