Baked by the sun

At Dr. Oetker, we already obtain the electricity at oursites exclusively from renewable  energies - including from our photovoltaic systems at 19 sites worldwide. In 2025, we produced 20 gigawatt of self-generated electricity on our systems, which corresponds to the electricity consumption of more than 5,000 German households.

An overview on measures, levers and pilot projects:

1. Reduce energy consumption

The less energy we use, the smaller the overall challenge. 

Example: Flap open or closed?

10 % less energy consumption on a pizza line at the Wittenburg plant – this is the result of an intensive process in which the team optimized the settings of the pizza oven. “Optimized adjustment of all flaps in the oven meant that we were able to significantly reduce the temperature in the combustion chamber and thus save energy”, explains Haucke Hack, Executive Manager Engineering. And his colleague Dave Grimm, Lean Project Manager Harmonisation & Manufacturing Excellence, adds: “Together with our automation team, we have integrated a stand-by function that kicks in as soon as no pizza is put in the oven for 30 seconds. Plus: In tests, we have seen that the pizzas bake better with longer baking times but lower temperatures - and thus also save energy.”

Example: Heating buildings with our freezers 

Several heat pumps are already in use at the Wittlich plant. With one of them, we save energy cleverly. “Since the end of 2023, for example, we have been using the process waste heat from our freezers to generate hot water with the help of a heat pump,” reports Hans-Dieter Husch, Senior Executive Manager Manufacturing Unit Wittlich/Plant Manager, Plant Wittlich. “We use the hot water to heat the building and provide warm water.”

2. Generate your own energy 

Example: Here comes the sun

In the past years, several thousand solar panels have been installed on our buildings and factory premises – and the number is growing.

3. Use renewable energy 

30-40 % of the gas we use in our pizza factories is used to heat water – to clean our plants or heating the buildings, for example. Heat pumps in our plants in Wittlich, Wittenburg and Lebcz convert waste heat into hot water instead of using gas. Another approach is the use of hybrid ovens in production at our Wittenburg plant in place of gas ovens. Depending on the application, these are powered by self-generated renewable electricity.

4. Storing Self-Generated Energy

The project is made easier if we can store our self-generated renewable energy. This means we don't have to use all the energy on sunny or windy days, but can “pre-produce” it. We currently ensure this with conventional electricity storage systems.

For more information please contact: