Cold chain operator Stef has inaugurated a major extension of its multi-temperature, multi-client platform at Reichstett, north of Strasbourg, adding a deep-freeze chamber of roughly 65,000 cubic metres and standing 14.9 metres tall. The expansion deepens a partnership with Mars Wrigley that dates back to 1989.
A partnership built over three decades
The collaboration began when Mars set up a plant at Steinbourg, about ten kilometres away. That site remains the group’s only European factory dedicated to ice cream bars, turning out more than 30,000 metric tons a year of Snickers, Mars, Twix and Bounty products that are then stored by Stef. Mars Wrigley also runs three other plants in the Alsace region, covering M&M’s, chewing gum and pet food. Earlier extensions followed in 1990 and 1993, but this one is on another scale.
Capacity nearly doubled
Stef and Mars Wrigley invested €15M to almost double on-site capacity, adding 15,000 pallet positions for a total of 28,000. The site can now hold the full ice cream range, including the Trü Frü frozen snacks acquired three years ago. Construction wrapped up at the end of 2024, with the ramp-up spread across 2025. The platform is now running at full capacity and employs around 95 people. Damien Chapotot, Stef’s recently appointed operational managing director for France, cut the ribbon alongside Mars Wrigley France chief executive Victoria Abramova.
The deal shows how frozen-food brands keep leaning on dedicated 3PL capacity to absorb volume growth without building storage themselves. For Stef, anchoring a long-standing client to a larger footprint is a useful hedge in a competitive cold storage market.
