Food start-up NutriUnited raises €8.5 million to support family-run businesses

NutriUnited is a corporate group founded by Josef Brunner in 2024, to create a home for family-run businesses. The company has successfully closed a €8.5 million seed financing round in a short period of time.

Entrepreneurs from the fields of food, buy & build, communications, and new business models (including Flink, ETL and Chrono24) have now joined and invested in NutriUnited. Among them are well-known industry figures such as 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).

With the newly raised capital, NutriUnited will consistently advance its buy-and-build strategy in the food sector. The group already includes Grasmehr and Morawitzky, which together employ more than 140 people.

“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.”

The investors contribute deep entrepreneurial expertise and support the company not only financially, but also strategically and operationally – across all areas of the business.

The new capital will be used to fuel further growth, integrate additional companies and advance the shared mission. The objective is clear: strengthening 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 adds.

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

Finn Wentzler (Atlantis Ventures): “Behind every strong company stand extraordinary people. Josef and his team are experienced, visionary, highly capable and yet incredibly grounded. I’m delighted about this milestone.”

Leon Mann (Direkt Gruppe): “NutriUnited’s contribution to the food industry is more important than ever – not only in terms of high-quality products but also in securing the competitiveness of SMEs.”

Timo Seggelmann: “I’m very happy to be part of the NutriUnited journey. The clarity with which Josef Brunner and his team are building this company – combined with genuine operational excellence and entrepreneurial spirit – is impressive.”

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