Presskit food economy Saxony-Anhalt

chocolate bars by Stehwien

Wine culture, biscuit making, snail farming: Saxony-Anhalt’s food industry plays in the top league of enjoyment

Tradition, innovative strength, and culinary excellence: Saxony-Anhalt’s food and beverage industry stands for diversity, quality, and long-term viability. With an annual turnover of around €8.7 billion, it is one of the state’s strongest economic sectors.

A key stage for presenting this strength is the International Green Week in Berlin, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026. For a century, the event has served as a showcase for agriculture, food, and gastronomy. In its anniversary year, it once again offers the ideal opportunity to experience the diversity of Saxony-Anhalt—highlighting regional products with history, distinctive culinary concepts, and forward-looking initiatives from across the state.

 The Altmark region impresses with new ideas

In the north of Saxony-Anhalt, the culinary journey begins with a genuine surprise. At the Schwarz family’s asparagus farm in Tangerhütte, vineyard snails have also been bred since 2023. The Altmark Snail Farming partnership focuses on the holistic use of the snail. This innovative pilot project is supported by academic research and exemplifies how new value chains can be developed within the food industry.

 Just over half an hour away, in Stendal, young Vietnamese trainee Hai Ngoc Can is learning how high-quality sausage and meat products are made from pork. In September 2025, Altmärker Fleisch- und Wurstwaren GmbH welcomed three young people from Vietnam for the first time as trainees in retail sales. The training programme is complemented by weekly language classes and support with administrative procedures. It is a compelling example of successful integration and sustainable skills recruitment in a traditional sector—implemented as part of the VIETHOGA programme.

 Also in northern Saxony-Anhalt, on the outskirts of Tangermünde, the family-owned company Stehwien has opened a new production facility. Now in its fifth generation, the company produces organic chocolate bars, specialty confections, and pralines, with a growing focus on vegan products. The certified organic business is jointly managed by young entrepreneur Elisabeth Stehwien and her father, Olaf Stehwien. Saxony-Anhalt’s long-established confectionery tradition has left its mark in other parts of the state as well: brands such as Wikana biscuits, Zetti Knusperflocken, and Bärentatzen are known far beyond regional borders.

 Unique recycling cycle

 The beverage sector is also shaped by major investments. In Jessen, in the Wittenberg district, another highly efficient mineral water bottling line is scheduled to go into operation in spring 2026. Across three production lines, around 450 million single-use PET bottles will be filled annually. With two state-of-the-art beverage plants and a plastics facility in Roßbach, Schwarz Produktion has established core elements of a unique closed-loop recycling system in Saxony-Anhalt. The success story of mineral water in the region dates back many centuries: the Köhler Spring in Leißling was already discovered in 1189.

 Marvellous wine taste from the Saale – Unstrut region

 Another discovery - also for Berlin-based wine expert Emmanuel Rosier - is the Saale-Unstrut wine-growing region in the south of Saxony-Anhalt. The climate around the 51st parallel, combined with soils of weathered shell limestone, clay, loam, and sandstone, produces an exceptional diversity of grape varieties and wines noted for their freshness, minerality, and vibrancy. At Green Week 2026, the state winery Kloster Pforta will present rediscoveries such as a “Silvaner trocken”, alongside new sparkling wines - including a delicate “Pét Nat Rosé”, naturally fermented and unfiltered, with unmistakable hip appeal. Beyond the glass, the region itself offers everything that defines enjoyment and quality of life: picturesque landscapes, castles and palaces, small vineyard cottages, and countless moments of culinary pleasure.

The year 2026 is also marked by notable anniversaries: 170 years of Rotkäppchen sparkling wine, 120 years of Wikana, and 70 years of Filinchen crispbread. Together, they stand for continuity, innovative strength, and powerful brands from Saxony-Anhalt. Alongside a young and dynamic gastronomy scene, regional initiatives, and committed businesses, they send a clear message: Saxony-Anhalt’s food industry competes not only economically, but also gastronomically, in the top league.

 More on this and on many other compelling stories from the world of food and gastronomy can be found in our new press kit.