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The Schneider butcher shop at Fuldaer Abtstor has been in family hands for centuries and is known far beyond the city limits – especially because of the rind stomach. Now there is a change.
Fulda – Christoph Schneider placed the management of the butcher shop in the hands of Matthias Ruppert in January and is now still involved in the business as a “part-time pensioner” together with his wife Kerstin.
Traditional butcher shop in Fulda in new hands
The butcher shop looks back on a long history. It was first mentioned in documents as early as 1320. Founded by the Koch family, the turning point came in the 1960s. Doris Koch married the bookbinder Hans Schneider. He retrained, completed his master's examination in butchery and took over the business from Hermann Koch in 1963. Since then it has been called the Schneider Metzgerei.
Son Christoph, now 63, started his training as a butcher at the age of 16. Years as a journeyman in Frankfurt and at the Kurhessische Fleischwarenfabrik followed before he passed his master's examination – at the time, by the way, as the youngest master butcher in Hesse. He actually wanted to take a job in Munich, but since his father was ill, duty called him back to his home region. This also led to the decision to build a new building, which opened on May 2, 1991.
Always at his side: his wife Kerstin (64). He met her on a skiing holiday shortly before New Year's Eve 1984. Since both were working in Frankfurt at the time, he sometimes took the young woman home with him on Fridays as she lived in Künzell-Bachrain. Marriage and two children followed later.
Christoph Schneider was also involved in the guild. For many years he was a member of the butchers' and sellers' audit committee and was its chairman. With his Many Fulda residents associate butchery with the rind stomach and – how could it be otherwise – its pea soup.
The desire to slow down a bit has existed for some time. Since the two children did not want to take over the business, the idea was born to put management in the hands of former trainee Matthias Ruppert. No sooner said than done: the first discussions were held in December 2025, he took over the business in January, and after a few months all bureaucratic hurdles were overcome.
The 25-year-old began his training ten years ago and, after passing his journeyman's examination, initially worked at the Fulda slaughterhouse before going to the master school in Weiterstadt. With his master's certificate in his pocket, he took over the Frohnapfel butcher's shop in Dipperz on September 26, 2022, and the meat counter at Nahkauf from Patrick Franz in Petersberg in 2024.
New butcher shop boss also runs firewood business
But that's not all: he also owns a firewood business. Ruppert employs a total of 22 people in all butcher shops. The young master has already made some changes to the business. He has expanded the grill selection and added new types of sausage to the range as well as various bratwurst specialties, such as the Milseburg bratwurst. Daniel Beneforti joins the team as a chef for the daily lunch menu, who now also offers vegetarian dishes. The opening hours have also changed: The store is open on Mondays from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Matthias Ruppert is looking forward to his new tasks, because the production facilities for his own production will remain in Dipperz and Fulda. The only thing that worries him is the competition from supermarkets. But with a smile he emphasizes: “Quality prevails!
