Founded in Lohne in 1965 as Tierfrischmehl-fabrik (fresh meat meal factory), GEPRO Geflügel-Protein Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, part of the PHW Group, has developed over the decades into a specialist and innovation driver in the development, production, and distribution of particularly high-quality poultry proteins and fats for the pet food and aquafeed industries. GEPRO is also active in the biofuel industry.
Under the slogan “We go beyond”, the 60-year-old company with around 90 employees and headquarters in Diepholz shows how byproducts from poultry processing have not only become an independent branch of industry but also give rise to innovative products. The PHW subsidiary secures and uses valuable resources as essential ingredients in modern animal nutrition, demonstrating how the highest quality raw materials, state-of-the-art production and logistics technology, and social responsibility can go hand-in-hand.
From slaughterhouse byproducts to high-quality proteins and fats
The PHW Group is a family-owned company and was established as a producer of high-quality animal and plant-based protein products. The infrastructure, which includes more than 45 subsidiaries across Europe, is structured around the central guiding principle of operating in cycles. The core business is poultry meat production and processing. This is where GEPRO plays an important role: although product manufacture ends with the finished product, the production cycle doesn’t. This is because the PHW Group processes every single animal completely.
GEPRO's business model is based on the utilization of slaughter byproducts from poultry processing. These include, for example, poultry meat residues, blood, feathers, and bones. Whole eggs are also processed. The only waste products generated during the entire production process are water and organic sewage sludge, which is used in biogas plants to generate energy.
Circular economy as a guiding principle
The high-quality protein products and fats obtained from this are produced for further processing in the animal feed industry and energy production. "Our slogan ‘We go beyond’ also implies that we start a completely new recycling process at the end of a holistic value chain. Through complete and high-quality utilization, we not only create valuable raw materials, but also make an active contribution to the environment. We secure resources and conserve them at the same time throughout the entire production and logistics process," explained Bernd große Holthaus, managing director of GEPRO Geflügel-Protein Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, in a press release.
All of this increases the sustainability of agriculture and food production by reducing the carbon footprint of the entire value chain for animal-based foods. The PHW Group subsidiary's sustainability agenda, published this year, explains exactly how the GEPRO concept of circular economy works within the value chain for animal feed.
Modern facilities and efficient processes
Most of the processing takes place at the headquarters in Diepholz, Lower Saxony, which covers an area of around 70,000 m². In 2018, a plant was commissioned in Bogen, Lower Bavaria. The special feature of this production facility is that it is integrated into the PHW subsidiary Donautal Geflügelspezialitäten. This is unique in the industry, meaning raw materials can be processed directly, regionally, and absolutely fresh, without any detours.
The PHW subsidiary relies entirely on state-of-the-art technology such as spray drying, wet melting processes, and low-temperature production to manufacture high-quality, easily digestible proteins and fats. In addition, GEPRO is constantly researching and testing the latest techniques to make the production process as efficient and sustainable as possible.
Focus on animal welfare
Another industry first is the introduction of the “Donau Pro Nature®” animal welfare product range, which is produced exclusively at the Bogen site and uses only raw materials from chickens raised in “husbandry system 3” (“Haltungsform 3”). In addition, GEPRO has been a system partner of the QS process chain for pet food since 2023. This makes the PHW subsidiary the first company in Germany in the pet food category authorized to supply certified ITW (“Initiative Tierwohl”) raw materials.
The future
Looking forward, the PHW subsidiary is working with its partner company A&L Tierfrischmehl Produktions GmbH to develop a biomass power plant, which is due to go into operation in 2026. It will cover the entire steam requirement and approximately 40% of the electricity requirement of the headquarters, exclusively with renewable raw materials. At the same time, a district heating network is being planned to transfer waste heat from production to the town of Diepholz and other local consumers such as schools, public swimming pools, and hospitals. In return, GEPRO would receive cooled water.
Today, GEPRO sells its products worldwide and has sales offices in Eastern Europe and Asia. The PHW subsidiary laid the foundations for its international expansion years ago with its strategic proximity to German shipping ports (Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven) via a warehouse and logistics site in Bremen.
