Sell surplus
Sell off-spec goods instead of writing them off
Colour deviation, particle size out of range, fat content outside tolerance: goods that miss your specification are rarely worthless. We find the buyers for whom exactly this batch is a fit.
What off-spec means in practice
Off-spec is not a statement about quality — it is a statement about deviation. A batch is off-spec precisely when it misses one agreed parameter: fat content, residual moisture, particle size, colour, protein content. In almost all cases it is still perfectly compliant as a food.
The reason such batches sit in the warehouse is therefore almost never the goods themselves, but the contract: the original buyer agreed a tight specification and won't take delivery. For another processor with a wider tolerance window or a different application, the very same batch is often entirely unproblematic.
That is exactly where our work lies: we know which buyers can live with which deviation — across Europe, in the food as well as the animal feed industry. You don't need to know a single one of those buyers yourself.
In practice
Typical cases we buy
The deviation determines the utilisation route, not the value as such. These are the situations we see most often:
Analysis values outside tolerance
Fat, protein, moisture or ash content sits outside the agreed corridor. Particularly common with powders, flours, concentrates and oils — and usually the deviation with the widest circle of buyers.
Sensory deviation
Colour, smell or taste differ from the standard without the goods being spoiled — caused, for instance, by longer drying, a different raw material batch or a process upset.
Physical deviation
Particle size, bulk density, lump formation or breakage miss the target. A rejection reason for the original buyer — irrelevant for many further processors.
Packaging and labelling errors
Wrong label, faulty print, damaged outer packaging with flawless contents. Repacking or relabelling is almost always cheaper than disposal.
Specification changed after the fact
The customer tightened the requirement during the contract period. The goods are as good as ever — they have merely become contractually homeless.
Utilisation routes
Where off-spec goods go
Which route is the right one depends on the type of deviation — and on how much of the value of the goods is to be preserved:
- 1
Further processing with a wider tolerance window
Many processors work with far broader specifications than the original buyer — in baking mixes, fillings, sauces or convenience products, where individual parameters are balanced out in the recipe. This is where the value of the goods is best preserved.
- 2
Change of product category
What is too dark for a light premium product can be exactly right for a product with a dark matrix anyway. A category switch frequently rescues the full price, but requires a buyer who can assess the batch technically.
- 3
Animal feed
If use as food is ruled out, use as a feed material comes into play. The revenue sits below the food channel but well above the cost of disposal — and the circle of buyers is large and reliable.
- 4
Technical use
For individual streams, above all oils and fats, technical applications outside nutrition exist. This is the last stage before energy recovery.
Pricing
What determines the price
If you want to estimate in advance where your batch will end up, these are the levers:
- Type and extent of the deviation — the closer to the standard specification, the wider the circle of buyers
- An existing, up-to-date analysis: by far the most important single price factor
- Quantity and homogeneity — one large, uniform batch is easier to place than many small remnants
- Packaging and handling: what a buyer can take over without repacking is worth more
- Remaining shelf life until the best-before date
- Storage location and loadability — with low-value goods, transport weighs heavily
What are your goods worth?
Request a free, non-binding price estimate — or call us directly if time is short.
What you should pay attention to
Name the deviation instead of paraphrasing it. A batch with a clearly described deviation and an attached analysis can be valued immediately; a batch with vague details generates queries and costs days — and with a short remaining shelf life, every day costs money.
The food-law responsibility for marketability initially lies with you as the producer. If you are unsure whether a batch may still be placed on the market as food, tell us openly — then we examine the feed channel instead of the food channel from the outset, rather than losing both in the end.
Your identity remains protected from the end buyer. We buy the goods directly from you and act as the seller towards the buyer ourselves.
FAQ
Off-spec goods – frequently asked questions
Other types of surplus
What else we buy
Short-dated & expired BBD
Goods with a short remaining shelf life or an exceeded best-before date.
Learn moreSide streams & co-products
Press cake, whey, trimmings, pomace, spent grain — continuous streams rather than single batches.
Learn moreOverproduction & cancellations
Flawless goods without a buyer — sold off without disturbing your own market.
Learn more