German meat manufacturer The Premium Food Group (PFG) has invested an undisclosed sum in local sausage and hams business The Family Butchers (TFB).

A statement from TFB announced the "strategic partnership" between the two companies, which looked to stabilise "the company in an extremely challenging economic situation".

The move is subject to approval from the local antitrust authority.

As part of the agreement TFB said it would "be separated from InFamily Foods Holding" with the structure of its shareholding seeing a shakeup.

PFG will takeover shares in TFB from Hans-Ewald Reinert, co-owner of InFamily Foods Holding.

Reinert has agreed to leave the shareholder agreement to focus on InFamily Foods' vegan business and the management of the Reinert-Bärchen children's sausage brand, according to TFB.

Wolfgang Kühnl - the other owner of InFamily Foods Holding - will retain shares in the group. Local reports from the German outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung suggest PFG is looking to take a 48.75% stake, while Kühnl intends to stay on TFB's board with a 50% shareholding.

Just Food has contacted both PFB and TFB to confirm these details.

As part of the deal, TFB is to gain "long-term access to raw materials" and "[regain] the financial flexibility that is vital to the survival of the severely ailing company", it said.

The investment from PFB "comes at a time of profound changes within the industry", said TFB, as "structural overcapacities, rising costs, tightened regulatory requirements, and an overall decline in meat consumption are putting companies under pressure to adapt".

PFB will continue supplying TFB with raw materials following the deal. TFB noted however that it would continue to source raw materials from a range of suppliers.

It added that "exclusivity for the Premium Food Group is not planned, thus maintaining open competition".

In its latest 2025 Meat Market and Supply Situation report, the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL), said pork still makes up the majority of domestic meat consumption in Germany, but that "there has been a downward trend for several years, which was also evident in 2024".

Per capita consumption of pork in the country declined 0.1kg to 35.8kg in 2024. It also saw declining consumption of beef, the BZL said, with per capita consumption dropping 0.1kg to 11.6kg in 2024. Per capita poultry consumption however was 0.7kg greater than in 2023, at 20.6kg.

PFG rebranded from Tönnies Group in 2025 following its changes in recent years from being purely a meat processor to a broader food manufacturer.