Supply Reliability for Baked Goods

Why Full Shelves Are Not a Given – and How Schwarz Produktion Achieves Them

In a world full of global crises and volatile supply chains, it takes more than just planning – it requires Acting Ahead. 

For us as a company of Schwarz Group, Acting Ahead means we do not wait for challenges to become problems. We seize opportunities and take a proactive approach. To achieve this, we rely on our unique ecosystem: the companies of Schwarz Group are among the few retail groups in the world to cover the entire value cycle – from production and retail to recycling and digitalization.

A key element of the resulting sovereignty is Schwarz Produktion, one of the largest food producers in Europe. It ensures that Lidl and Kaufland have a reliable supply of important products, such as drinks, pasta and baked goods. Our shared culture of getting things done is evident, for example, at Bonback, the baked goods specialist. With two locations in Übach-Palenberg and Halle (Saale), it ensures that the daily supply of high-quality baked goods reaches customers in over 30 countries.

Up to 10 Million Bread Rolls per Week: Locations and Core Competencies

This figure represents the combined production power of the two ultra-modern Bonback sites. Every week, up to 10 million rolls leave the production line – enough to cover many breakfast tables throughout Europe.

• Baked goods production in Übach-Palenberg: Since 2012, Bonback Übach-Palenberg has been producing various frozen baked goods using highly automated systems; these goods are temporarily stored in a directly connected high-freeze high-bay warehouse. They are then baked fresh daily in the stores. In addition to rolls and breads, the product range also includes pastries such as apple tarts, jelly-filled doughnuts, croissants and doughnuts.  
• Baked goods production in Halle (Saale): The production facility was built in 2018 and has been part of Schwarz Produktion since 2024, operating under the name Bonback Halle (Saale). The industrial bakery focuses on the production of stone oven products and traditional baked goods, such as rustic sourdough baguettes, bread loaves and farmer’s bread with seeds.

In our bakeries, we combine traditional baking skills with modern production methods. Thanks to our own production facilities in Germany, we can guarantee that consumers are always offered a wide selection of top-quality baked goods. 

Bonback products regularly receive DLG gold awards, such as the jelly-filled doughnuts and the ciabatta. The Lidl bakery in Germany, which stocks many of Bonback’s baked goods, was named "best bakery" for the fourth time in the "Germany’s BEST Brands 2025" study (to source).

Bonback at a Glance:

Role in the ecosystem: Schwarz Produktion’s own baked goods production as one of the companies of Schwarz Group 

• Responsibility: Ensuring the reliable supply of high-quality baked goods through in-house production
• Recipients: Direct delivery to the Lidl and Kaufland retail divisions
• Coverage: Supplying over 30 countries worldwide with a range of approx. 43 baked goods
• The team: Around 1,000 specialists at the Übach-Palenberg and Halle (Saale) sites combine tradition with state-of-the-art technology
   

Among other things, supply reliability means managing capacities in a targeted manner so that the availability of goods for Lidl and Kaufland customers is guaranteed at all times. A key milestone was the acquisition of the second baking factory, now known as Bonback Halle (Saale).

Thanks to the successful integration of the new site, Schwarz Produktion was able to increase its production capacities in a targeted manner. As a result, it can now offer a greater quantity and variety of products for the companies of Schwarz Group’s own ecosystem. In addition to Lidl, Schwarz Produktion has also been supplying Kaufland stores with baked goods since 2024 thanks to Bonback Halle (Saale), which has led to greater supply reliability.

As demand in retail bakeries continues to rise, the companies of Schwarz Produktion are not content with just maintaining the status quo. There are plans to significantly expand the production capacities of Bonback Halle (Saale) over the next few years to ensure a reliable supply of baked goods in the future.

Resilient Supply Chains Thanks to Regional Raw Materials and Well Thought-Out Logistics

Even the best production is useless if supply chains break. This is why companies of Schwarz Produktion are specifically building regional networks:

• Regional raw materials: Bonback production facilities only use flour from German mills. 
• State-of-the-art high-bay warehouse: To cushion peaks in demand, a new, fully automated deep-freeze high-bay warehouse powered by green electricity is being built in Halle. Schwarz Produktion also has such a warehouse with a special feature in Übach-Palenberg. Here, the ice cream from Bon Gelati, which also belongs to Schwarz Produktion, and the frozen baked goods share the available storage space – for more storage flexibility. Our deep-freeze concept ensures freshness and enables us to produce products for regional stores in line with demand.
• Synergies in the ecosystem: The frozen baked goods can be loaded together with the ice cream. It saves transport routes and reduces logistics-related emissions. Unique synergies in the ecosystem ensure maximum efficiency. 

Crisis-Proof Jobs at Schwarz Produktion

Technology and infrastructure only come to life through people. Around 1,000 specialists work at Bonback every day to ensure that Europe’s breakfast tables can be set. The expansion in Halle (Saale) will create over 400 new, future-proof jobs to meet the demand for high-quality, affordable baked goods in the future.

Acting Ahead Together: Become Part of our Ecosystem

Securing basic services is a joint responsibility. We offer various points of contact:

Supply with our own brands: Get to know Schwarz Produktion and its products 
https://schwarz-produktion.com/en/

For the industry & consumers: Find out more about Bonback 
https://bonback.de/

For talents: Discover career opportunities at Schwarz Produktion https://jobs.schwarz-produktion.com/