Meat production is responsible for 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. With a growing world population, it will be impossible to meet people's demand for meat without feeling drastic effects on the climate.
To protect the climate and animals, many people are changing their consumption behaviour. Today, more than half of Germans live flexitarian lifestyles and thus make a conscious decision to regularly forgo animal products. Scientific studies show that reduced meat consumption has a positive effect on the climate and people's health.
Nevertheless, global meat consumption is on the rise. In Germany, there is an opposite trend toward regularly abstaining from meat. One company that productively combines these apparent incompatibilities is the family-owned company Rügenwalder Mühle. Rügenwalder Mühle believes in the power of opposites. The company solves the supposed contradiction as a meat producer by providing a range of meat-free alternatives with the conviction that different eating styles, tastes, or even attitudes to food and nutrition are compatible.
A bold step that has paid off
The multi-faceted lifestyles of many different people are reflected in their diverse diets. With its range of products, Rügenwalder Mühle wants to promote a conscious, sustainable diet that unites all people at one table and thus facilitates an honest discourse. Rügenwalder Mühle's products bring sustainability and mindful nutrition to the centre of society.
The family-owned company is aware of its responsibility to future generations. Rügenwalder Mühle makes its contribution within the company itself and along the entire value chain, all in order to help build an intact environment and a society worth living in for future generations.
From Pomerania to Lower Saxony and then throughout Germany
The founding of a small butcher's shop by Carl Müller in the town of Rügenwalde in Pomerania (now Poland) was the beginning of a success story spanning more than 180 years. In 7 generations, the small butcher's shop developed into a medium-sized meat processor, which today is one of the big players in the German food industry. From the beginning, the foundations that have continued to determine the actions of the family business today were laid: Tradition, craftsmanship, and innovative strength.
In 2014, despite all doubts, Rügenwalder Mühle ventured into the production of meat-free products as the first significant meat processor. Ridiculed by the competition, the then managing director and company owner (6th generation) Christian Rauffus launched the popular "Schinken Spicker" as a vegetarian variant. Gradually, the company expanded its range and additionally offered its typical products as vegetarian or vegan variants. In the meantime, the popular bestseller "Teewurst" was also offered in a vegan variant. And this was more than 100 years after the first Teewurst was produced. This pioneering spirit has since been rewarded, with the company today being the market leader in Germany for the field of meat alternatives and holding a market share of 40 percent.
Great things in miniature
The established and popular house brand makes Rügenwalder Mühle the ideal entry point for many households on the path to a more sustainable and meat-free diet. Thus, everyone should have the opportunity to eat healthily and sustainably without giving up the taste and the familiar experience. In 2021, more vegan and vegetarian products were sold than meat products for the first time. In the future, the company wants to take a leading role in the market for alternative proteins.
Rügenwalder Mühle combines meat production with the more sustainable production of meat-free products. By focusing on a local supplier network, the company frees itself from global supply chains and thus from global crises. In addition, it is easier to achieve positive change in small systems. Great things are created in small ways.
