No Grease, No Fuss
Interview with Grit Hofmann, General Manager
In most restaurant and quick-service kitchens, frying oil rarely tops the list of priorities, even though it plays a crucial role in determining food quality and enables more efficient and sustainable operations. In this interview with European Business, Grit Hofmann, General Manager of long-established frying oil manufacturer Mamito, shares what truly matters when it comes to high-performance products.
European Business: Ms. Hofmann, since October 2024, Mamito has been part of SELS, a rapeseed oil producer based in Neuss, Germany, with a history spanning more than a 100 years – a strategic acquisition that offers clear synergies.
Grit Hofmann: Mamito continues to support its foodservice customers with everything they need for deep-frying – except, of course, the food itself. At the heart of our product portfolio is rapeseed oil, which we supply in a wide range of formulas. This gives our customers – and ultimately consumers – significant advantages in cost and quality, starting with a rich taste experience. While most frying oils and fats leave a pronounced aftertaste in the finished product, ours do not. We view our rapeseed oil simply as a medium for transferring heat to the food – so that it becomes beautifully crisp, without compromising on flavor. French fries fried in our oil taste like the potatoes they are made of. With yams, the effect is even more pronounced. The same applies to donuts or filled pastries, as shown by early experiments from our team – although we are not yet actively targeting the bakery segment.
European Business: Beyond product quality, Mamito’s products also make strong business sense.
Grit Hofmann: Our products inevitably cost more than conventional frying oils – but for many restaurateurs, they are still the most cost-effective solution. That’s because our concentrated formula dramatically extends frying life – sometimes by a factor of three or even five compared to standard alternatives – while it also comes with significant sustainability gains by greatly reducing carbon emissions along the entire supply chain. At the same time, foods fried in Mamito absorb significantly less oil. That means guests consume less fat, and operators reduce overall oil usage. But those are just some of our products’ core benefits: Mamito also produces noticeably less odor than many competing products, while it accelerates the frying process, and contains no synthetic additives. Our biggest challenge as a company is communicating these significant advantages clearly and convincingly – because when kitchen managers shop at a wholesale market, choosing the best frying oil often isn’t what’s at the very top of their shopping list.
European Business: So how do you convince customers to choose Mamito?
Grit Hofmann: We rely on a dedicated and knowledgeable sales team – professionals who truly understand the day-to-day realities of chefs and kitchen managers, because all of them have worked in the foodservice industry themselves prior to joining our company. That background allows them to offer guidance rooted in real-world kitchen experience, offering expert advice on all things frying: How often is the oil being changed? How frequently does the staff clean the friers? Is the current kitchen setup really suited to the volume being handled, or is there room for improvements? And what adjustments could be made to improve frying performance – or even streamline operations more broadly? These are the kinds of conversations that really bring value to our clients, with a clear focus on results.
European Business: What kind of innovations is Mamito currently focused on?
Grit Hofmann: At the moment, we are not actively reinventing our core product – for the simple reason that we have already achieved a level of quality that is very close to perfection. Our approach to innovation has always been guided by a simple principle: creating real value for customers and consumers. That is why we never pursue innovation for its own sake, but only when it clearly enhances the consumer experience and contributes to streamlining restaurant processes. At the moment, we see the greatest potential in further improving our ancillary products – for example, our food-safe cleaning solutions, which are entirely free of chemical additives. What matters most is that our promise remains as strong as ever: we simplify frying processes in the kitchen – and deliver a consistently satisfying taste experience on the plate.