Last Saturday, Dachser held a ceremony to officially open the new wing of its Freiburg logistics center. The addition to the site is a refrigerated transit terminal for food logistics. Existing capacity for industrial and consumer goods was further expanded as well.
The core of this investment is a food logistics transit terminal covering approximately 3,200 m2 and with a temperature range of 2 to 7 degrees Celsius. Here, Dachser handles items such as meat and sausage products, dairy products, wine and spirits, and baked goods. The facility has 32 gates for loading and unloading trucks. All this means that Dachser’s Food Logistics business line is now also present at the Freiburg location. Through its own country organisations, the company currently has food logistics activities in ten countries and, via the European Food Network—an alliance of leading European food logistics companies—it serves a total of 34 countries. In 2025, the business line’s overall revenue was EUR 1.8 billion.
Dachser’s construction project in Freiburg also created more space for handling industrial goods, adding 2,700 m2 and 8 gates for trucks. Part of that new space can be used as a warehouse for storing customer goods if needed. The new building is located directly next to the existing transit terminal and is structurally connected to it, and has been gradually going into operation since early June.
“With the launch of food logistics at this location, Dachser Freiburg is taking on an even bigger role within the Dachser network,” says Michael Gaudlitz, General Manager of the Dachser logistics centre in Freiburg. “Our goal is to develop this location into one of Dachser’s major hubs for food shipments. At the same time, we’ve built additional capacity for our customers in the industrial and consumer goods sectors.”
In total, Dachser invested about EUR 12 million in the expansion of the facility, a project that created roughly 40 jobs. The Freiburg logistics centre currently employs about 210 people, including some 30 trainees. A new parking lot for approximately 125 trucks was also built to provide optimum conditions for drivers working for Dachser.
“Since Freiburg sits close to where three countries—Germany, France, and Switzerland—meet, the location offers great potential for the international growth of Dachser Food Logistics. That’s why launching food logistics here is an important strategic step for us,” says Stefan Behrendt, Managing Director of Food Logistics at Dachser. “We want to create a platform to connect these three countries still more closely and to serve the markets of southwestern Europe even more efficiently.”
Sustainability in food logistics
As part of the construction work, the site is also expanding its energy and charging infrastructure. Photovoltaics with a capacity of approximately 500 kWp will supplement the existing PV system, enabling nearly 1 megawatt-peak of electricity to be generated on-site in the future. Dachser is also adding another 20 charge spots for e-trucks, bringing the total to 32, and building a new substation and battery storage facility.
Today, the Freiburg logistics centre is one of Dachser’s largest e-mobility hubs. As part of the “Dachser E-Mobility Sites” project, the company has made extensive investments in electromobility there in recent years. “We have 17 all-electric trucks at the moment and plan to expand that fleet even further in the coming years. That’s why we made sure to invest in new charging infrastructure and photovoltaics in particular,” Gaudlitz says.
Since the end of 2024, Dachser has been serving the entire city of Freiburg exclusively with e-trucks and cargo bikes. “Food logistics involves additional requirements. Along with zero‑emission delivery, we also have to ensure a consistent supply of power to maintain a stable cold chain.” To this end, Dachser Freiburg recently started operating two new 7.5-ton e‑trucks with refrigerating units that also run on electricity. “What’s more, in the coming months, we’ll be adding an all-electric 16-ton truck with an electric refrigerating unit. Our goal is to supply the entire city of Freiburg with food emission-free. I’m confident that we’ll be able to achieve this by the end of 2026.”
Dachser has been present in Freiburg since 1984. The current facility in the Breisgau industrial park began operations in 2019 and has been growing continuously ever since.
