Perceptions and Potential: How Artisanal Food Businesses View Themselves in the Context of Food Upcycling

Schulte, Henning; Röhl, Jevana; Tralle Scherbanjow, Josephina; Mühlbrodt, Sibylle; Schleyerbach, Urte; Bornkessel, Sabine

doi:10.3390/su18052656

Open AccessArticle

Perceptions and Potential: How Artisanal Food Businesses View Themselves in the Context of Food Upcycling

by

Henning Schulte

^*

,

Jevana Röhl

,

Josephina Tralle Scherbanjow

,

Sibylle Mühlbrodt

,

Urte Schleyerbach

and

Sabine Bornkessel

^*

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Am Krümpel 31, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sustainability 2026, 18(5), 2656; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052656

Submission received: 26 January 2026 / Revised: 16 February 2026 / Accepted: 3 March 2026 / Published: 9 March 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urban Food Systems: Pathways to the Future)

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Abstract

This study explores the self-perception of small-scale artisanal food enterprises and their potential for food upcycling as a sustainable strategy to reduce food waste. The primary aim is to identify the characteristics of artisanal food production and to assess innovative uses for waste materials. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight enterprises from various sectors (bakeries, breweries, ice cream manufacturers, and dairies) to gain insights into the artisanal food sector and their handling of residual materials. Findings reveal a strong reliance of artisanal food businesses on traditional manufacturing methods and manual labor, resulting in high-quality, unique products. Moreover, there is notable potential for food upcycling, even though most of the enterprises already try to use most of their side streams in different ways. This study indicates that through a combination of tradition and innovation, artisanal food production can contribute to sustainability. The results provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers aiming to develop a definition of the food craft sector. Further research is recommended to quantify the economic and environmental benefits of upcycling strategies in artisanal contexts as well as to establish a definition of the food craft.

Keywords: food craft; food upcycling; new product development; food waste; artisanal food production

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MDPI and ACS Style

Schulte, H.; Röhl, J.; Tralle Scherbanjow, J.; Mühlbrodt, S.; Schleyerbach, U.; Bornkessel, S. Perceptions and Potential: How Artisanal Food Businesses View Themselves in the Context of Food Upcycling. Sustainability 2026, 18, 2656. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052656

AMA Style

Schulte H, Röhl J, Tralle Scherbanjow J, Mühlbrodt S, Schleyerbach U, Bornkessel S. Perceptions and Potential: How Artisanal Food Businesses View Themselves in the Context of Food Upcycling. Sustainability. 2026; 18(5):2656. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052656

Chicago/Turabian Style

Schulte, Henning, Jevana Röhl, Josephina Tralle Scherbanjow, Sibylle Mühlbrodt, Urte Schleyerbach, and Sabine Bornkessel. 2026. "Perceptions and Potential: How Artisanal Food Businesses View Themselves in the Context of Food Upcycling" Sustainability 18, no. 5: 2656. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052656

APA Style

Schulte, H., Röhl, J., Tralle Scherbanjow, J., Mühlbrodt, S., Schleyerbach, U., & Bornkessel, S. (2026). Perceptions and Potential: How Artisanal Food Businesses View Themselves in the Context of Food Upcycling. Sustainability, 18(5), 2656. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18052656

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Perceptions and Potential: How Artisanal Food Businesses View Themselves in the Context of Food Upcycling

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