# Insurance for confectioners, chocolatiers and praline makers in Germany

> A hazelnut in a praline that is not on the label, a tempering machine that fails three weeks before Easter, a box of truffles that arrives melted in July: insurance for confectioners, chocolatiers and praline makers has to fit a business that earns most of its money in a few weeks of the year. This page explains what to cover in Germany and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-confectioner-and-chocolatier.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Who pays if a customer reacts to a nut in one of my pralines?

General liability with product liability, provided allergens and labelling errors are not excluded. It pays for treatment and damages for pain and suffering and defends unjustified claims. It does not pay to recall the remaining boxes; that needs a separate recall cost extension.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance; the confectioner trade (Konditor) is listed in Annex A of the German Crafts Code (no. 31), so a master craftsman qualification or equivalent is required
- **Liability:** Under the German Product Liability Act the manufacturer is liable without fault, for personal injury up to €85 million
- **Biggest risk:** Undeclared allergens such as nuts, milk or gluten, and the recall of a whole season's stock
- **Basic cover from:** around €300 a year for the general liability of a small workshop, a guide figure from our quoting
- **Often forgotten:** Business interruption in season: a fire in March costs the entire Easter trade

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Allergens and traces:** Nuts, almonds, milk and gluten pass through the same equipment. A new raw material without a new label is enough for a severe allergic reaction.
- **Foreign bodies:** A piece of nut shell, a metal fragment from the grinder or plastic from a mould means broken teeth and complaints.
- **Losing the season:** Easter, Mother's Day and Christmas bring most of the turnover. If production stops in those weeks, the sales cannot be made up later.
- **Heat and cooling:** Cold rooms, air conditioning and tempering machines keep the product stable. A breakdown in summer turns stock into broken chocolate.
- **Shipping:** Parcels arrive melted or broken, and corporate customers complain about whole Christmas orders.
- **Hot sugar:** Caramel and sugar syrup cause serious burns, and cookers and roasters are typical sources of fire.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 4, Theft 2, Cyber 3, Downtime 5, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): With product liability for harm to customers' health, including allergens and foreign bodies, and cover for your shop. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): Replaces tempering machines, moulds, raw materials, packaging and finished seasonal stock after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Pays wages, rent and lost profit if production stops after property damage just before Easter or Christmas. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): For tempering and enrobing machines, conches, refrigeration and air conditioning, optionally including spoiled stock after a breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Strongly advised): If you ship a lot by parcel or to corporate customers, this covers breakage and loss on the way. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For the online shop, till system and customer data, which must not fail before the holidays. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with landlords, suppliers or staff. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on turnover, products, sales channels and how you manage allergens. A workshop with its own shop pays differently from a business supplying delicatessens and corporate clients.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Small praline workshop with shop, three staff, €3 to €5 million cover | around €300 to €800 a year |
| Business liability | Confectioner with 20 staff, supplying retailers and corporate customers | around €1,500 to €4,500 a year |
| Business contents | Equipment, machines and stock worth €250,000 | around €400 to €1,100 a year |
| Business interruption | Business interruption for 12 months, together with contents cover | around €300 to €1,000 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Tempering, enrobing and cooling equipment with a new value of €150,000 | around €500 to €1,400 a year |

For comparison: Liability and contents cover for a small praline workshop cost roughly as much a year as 40 large handmade Easter eggs.

_Guide figures from our quoting, as of October 2026, excluding German insurance tax. Published tariffs for confectioners are rare. The sources support the legal statements on this page; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [German Crafts Code, Annex A](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hwo/anlage_a.html)
- [Product Liability Act, section 1](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__1.html)
- [Product Liability Act, section 10](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/prodhaftg/__10.html)
- [Social Code Book VII, section 2](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__2.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Shop** (Chocolatier with own workshop, selling in the shop and at markets): Business liability, Business contents. Together: around €700 to €1,900 a year
- **Workshop** (Confectioner with shipping, online shop and strong seasonal trade): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Machinery breakdown, Cargo insurance. Together: around €2,000 to €6,000 a year
- **Supplier** (Business supplying delicatessens, hotels and corporate customers): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption, Machinery breakdown, Cargo insurance, Cyber insurance. Together: around €5,000 to €14,000 a year

## The worst day in a chocolate workshop

Six things that really happen to confectioners, all on one day three weeks before Easter. Tap through and see who pays.

- 06:10: Cooling in the finished goods store failed overnight. Chocolate bunnies and pralines have bloomed and cannot be sold. (€14,000, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 09:30: A customer reports a severe allergic reaction. The nougat contained hazelnuts, the label only said almonds. (€12,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:45: A customer bites on a piece of nut shell and breaks a tooth. (€3,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 14:20: A corporate client reports 200 gift boxes that arrived melted and crushed. (€6,000, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 16:00: The online shop is hacked and orders go nowhere for two days. (€9,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 21:30: A sugar cooker catches fire; the workshop and the Easter stock burn out. (€160,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €204,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have allergens and labelling errors expressly included in product liability, and document the recipe and label of every batch.
- Set the contents sum by the peak before Easter and Christmas, not by the summer stock, or you risk underinsurance.
- Agree an indemnity period of 12 months in business interruption so the next season is covered too.
- Include spoilage after a failure of cooling and air conditioning, even if the power fails from outside.
- If you ship to corporate customers, clarify who is liable for breakage and melting and insure the shipments accordingly.
- Look at recall cost cover as soon as you supply delicatessens or chains.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We compare the parts that matter:** Allergens, cooling and loss of the season are often thinly covered in standard policies. As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert obtains quotes from several insurers and puts exactly these points side by side.
- **Claims handling seen from the inside:** From boat insurance we know claims handling from our own work. That helps to set values and records correctly when the policy is taken out.
- **Business and private cover in one place:** Workshop, shop, van and your private cover come together with one contact who can explain German policies in English.
- **The Nammert family has arranged insurance since 1989:** Many confectioners are family firms, like us. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Is insurance compulsory for a confectioner in Germany?

Not by law. But under the Product Liability Act you are liable without fault for defective products, and retailers usually ask for proof of product liability cover.

### Do I need a master craftsman qualification as a chocolatier?

The confectioner trade is listed in Annex A of the Crafts Code and requires registration as a regulated craft. The chamber of crafts decides whether your work falls under it.

### What does insurance cost for a small praline workshop?

In our quoting, liability and contents start at around €700 a year. With business interruption, machinery and shipping, €2,000 to €6,000 is usual.

### Does insurance pay for melted stock after a cooling failure?

Only if spoilage after a machinery breakdown or power cut is included. An external power cut on its own is not insured in many policies.

### Are my employees covered for accidents at work?

Yes, employees are insured by law under Social Code Book VII through the responsible Berufsgenossenschaft, the statutory accident insurer. As the owner you are only covered if you join voluntarily.

### Does liability cover a recall?

No. Taking goods back, destroying them and informing retailers is only paid by a separate recall cost extension.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-confectioner-and-chocolatier.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.