(Photo: © Hardy Mann, BESH/Messe Stuttgart)
Read aloud:
Süffa will present new approaches to rationalization, sales optimization and smart solutions in the butcher's trade from November 7th to 9th, 2026 at the Stuttgart trade fair grounds.
The Süffa trade fair is aimed at the entire butchery industry . It offers a comprehensive range of products and services, networking opportunities , and renowned industry competitions. The event focuses on three key themes designed to enable higher yields with reduced staffing levels in light of the growing shortage of skilled workers: rationalization, sales, and smart solutions.
Rationalization aims to preserve the core, artisanal business of producing in-house sausages and hams without foregoing modern automation. Production processes such as mincing meat, filling, portioning, slicing, and packaging are increasingly automated and , in some cases, require no manual labor.
The trend is moving towards less labor-intensive butcher shops . Individual consultation and personal service will remain available if customers request and pay for them. Additionally, new, reduced-staff ordering and pick-up options are gaining importance. Hybrid stores are increasingly emerging, combining staffed sales areas with unmanned self-service zones.
Rationalization and new sales solutions are often linked to digital innovations. Many production managers already use apps to control and monitor smoking and cooking processes via smartphone.
Operations management
Operations management
Craft policy
Süffa builds on a long tradition of trends and innovations. In recent decades, the trade fair has frequently been the starting point for new business areas, such as party services, catering, snacks, finger food, and cheese and fish selections in butcher shops. This development often occurred through collaboration between the trade fair and the Baden-Württemberg State Guild Association of the Butcher Trade.
The trade fair will vividly demonstrate how cost savings and increased profits can be achieved in production , delicatessen kitchens and sales.
Nordvac , a packaging machine supplier from Rotenburg (Wümme) , emphasizes that the shortage of skilled workers and the need for growth are key challenges in the skilled trades. Managing Director Andre Rinne describes a thermoforming machine that operates cost-effectively on a footprint of just two square meters, requiring as little as six hours of packaging time per week. This technology enables butcher shops to generate additional revenue through self-service and smart store offerings while reducing staffing requirements.
Seydelmann , a long-established manufacturer of cutter machines , presents its cutting drum, a solution for artisanal sausage production. This machine enables significant time and cost savings . Managing Director Andreas Seydelmann emphasizes: "With the cutting drum, we are creating a real boost in efficiency for artisanal butcher shops: Time-consuming extra work is avoided, and raw material usage is optimized . At the same time, the product quality of the materials used is significantly increased, and even the smallest tendons and collagen fragments are removed. Furthermore, product safety is improved through the reliable removal of potential foreign objects, such as film remnants or plastic splinters."
Slicing machines have been reducing working time and personnel costs in the butcher's trade for decades. The company Holac , based in Nattheim, emphasizes the versatility of its machines, especially the Cubixx 100, originally designed for diced bacon. Managing Director Achim Holz explains: "In 1963, my grandfather, Ernst Holz Sr., designed our first slicing machine – the Cubixx 100 – at the request of a butcher friend. Originally developed for diced bacon, it remains the top seller in the butcher's trade to this day."
Handtmann , another exhibitor, highlights the flexibility of its VF 804 S filling machine . It can process both solid and liquid products, as well as hot and cold fillings, without any adjustments. In addition to classic meat and sausage products, convenience foods can also be filled precisely.
In sales, rationalization leads to increased profits on the same floor space and with the same number of employees. Spice suppliers like AVO contribute to the development of high-selling concepts. For example, during the barbecue season and the FIFA World Cup, butcher shops are encouraged to increase the variety of sausages and thus boost their added value through the "Bratbar" campaign with adjusted product sizes.
The Schwäbisch Hall Farmers' Cooperative (BESH) supports butchers with high-quality meat from controlled sources and promoted branded products. Sales Manager Günter Muth explains: "We supply high-quality meat from exceptionally good animal husbandry and farm-based origins. The butchers we supply continue to benefit from BESH's high brand recognition and diverse support through advertising and sales promotions."
Butcher shops are among the pioneers in the skilled trades when it comes to using smart store solutions . In hardly any other sector are 24/7 stores so widespread. SimpliStore , based in Augsburg, will be presenting at Süffa how unmanned stores can be operated successfully in the long term. Managing Director Michael Kimmich explains: "I've always been a huge fan of butcher products. But when I got home from the office in the evening, most butcher shops were already closed."
Shopfitters like Konzeptwerkstatt and Peukert 1871 are focusing on hybrid concepts that combine fresh produce sales, snack options, homemade takeaway dishes, and 24/7 services into a cohesive whole. DHB is now also available digitally! Simply click here to register for the digital German Crafts Journal (DHB)!
Newsletter
Write a comment