Food photography, recipes and content for brands
Verena Frei is a food photographer and recipe developer. She produces photography, food styling, reliable recipes and video for brands, agencies and publishers. The focus is plant-forward cooking, but production covers every kind of diet. Bilingual in German and English, out of a single production. GU cookbook author, working in food content since 2016.
30,000+ Google visits per month500+ recipes and articles30,000+ food photosGU cookbook author
Brands I have worked with
A selection from photo, recipe and content productions.
Knorr · Migros · Canon · Sage · Alnatura · Garden by Migros · Weber · Visit Copenhagen · Mazda · Blue Elephant · Hero · Tchibo · Familia · RailAway · IKEA · Panasonic
What brands get
Plus a weekly newsletter in German and English, and a community on Instagram and Pinterest for additional visibility.
What Verena is working on right now
Cookbook production
A 50-recipe cookbook, photography and recipe writing, including fish and meat. In production.
Five new recipes every week
Five new recipes go live on frei-style.com every week, in German and English.
Studio in Bali
Producing year round in natural light.
As of August 2026
Food photography, recipe development and content production
Food photography & styling
Bright, appetising imagery. Concept, styling and retouching from one pair of hands.
Recipe development
Recipes tested several times, cut to your brand and audience. Plant-forward, vegetarian, with fish or with meat.
Recipe videos
Short videos for reels, web and advertising, in portrait or landscape.
Editorial articles
Permanent recipe articles on frei-style.com, in German and English.
Nutrition & kitchen knowledge
Well-researched writing on ingredients, nutrients and kitchen practice.
Seasonal campaigns
Recipes and articles that follow the season, planned well ahead.
Reading samples from these areas: Nutrition & Kitchen Wisdom and Seasonal Kitchen.
Also available: social media campaigns, newsletter content, workshops, product reviews, and travel and hotel features.
Packages and starting prices
Transparent starting points, in euros and US dollars. Every quote is cut to scope, volume and usage rights.
Recipe production
from €900$1,050per recipe
- Recipe development including several rounds of testing
- Food styling
- 3 edited images
- Unlimited usage rights for your own channels
- Additional images from €90 / $105, ingredients invoiced separately
- Volume discount from 10 recipes
Recipe video
from €900$1,050
- Filmed preparation, 15 to 60 seconds
- Portrait or landscape
- This price applies within a running photo production
- As a standalone production from €1,500 / $1,750
Article on frei-style.com
from €2,000$2,350
- Editorial recipe or guide article, permanently online
- German and English
- Original photography included
- 10 Pinterest pins
- Photo-based short video for Reels and Shorts
- Mention in the newsletter
- 30,000+ Google visits per month
Cookbook and book production
from €700$825per recipe
- From 50 recipes
- Recipe development and finished recipe texts
- Photography and retouching
- Print-ready files
- Experience as a GU cookbook author
Image licence from the archive
from €150$175per image
- Over 30,000 professional food photos
- No production needed, available straight away
- Commercial online use
Monthly package
from €3,500$4,100per month
- 4 recipes, 12 images, 1 video
- German and English
- A content pipeline you can plan around
Placement in an existing article – from €1,200 / $1,400
Some brands would rather appear in a recipe or guide that is already working than commission a new one. That is possible where the product genuinely belongs in the piece.
- An editorial mention including a link, inside an existing article, in German and English
- Pricing follows that article's Google traffic. The figures are shared before the quote.
- Runs for 12 months, renewable
- The placement is marked as advertising and links carry a sponsored attribute
- Verena decides whether a placement fits. If not, a dedicated article is written instead.
Prices in euros and US dollars. US dollar amounts are fixed reference prices, set July 2026 and reviewed quarterly; invoicing is in euros or US dollar, or Swiss francs on request. Taxes, where applicable, are shown on the invoice.
Opens the print dialogue. Choose "Save as PDF" there.
Usage rights
The base price includes unlimited use on your own website and your organic social media channels. Any further use is invoiced as a surcharge on the production fee.
| Use | Surcharge |
|---|---|
| Print, in addition | +50% |
| Paid advertising, 12 months | +70% |
| Full buyout, worldwide, all media | +150% |
| Category exclusivity | +25% |
The surcharges follow the standard market rates for image usage rights in Germany.
GU cookbook author
Verena's cookbook is published by Gräfe und Unzer, one of the largest cookbook publishers in the German-speaking world. Recipe development, photography and text come out of the same kitchen that produces for brands.
Verena also photographs cookbooks for other authors. “Just add Love” by Alessandra Meyer-Wölden, published by GU in 2020, features around 80 recipe photographs for a family cookbook spanning vegetarian, vegan and meat dishes.
Full book projects are a running part of the offer, not the exception.
See the cookbookProduction and logistics
Shipping within Switzerland
Send your products to a Swiss address and we take care of the forwarding.
Shipping within Germany
The same via a German address. No international shipping on your side.
Direct shipping to Bali
Also possible, and already done this way several times.
Production takes place in the studio in Bali, in natural light all year round. For the largest production to date, product shipments went regularly from Switzerland to Bali across 20 months. Travel productions in Europe and Asia on request.
Selected projects
Swiss recipe platform
2023–2024ScopeThe largest production to date. 144 recipes developed and photographed for a Swiss recipe platform, plus accompanying social media content. Delivered in fixed batches across 20 months, entirely from the studio in Bali.
- developed and photographed
- 144 recipes
- continuous production
- 20 months
- delivered fully remotely
- Bali → Switzerland
OutcomeThe recipes are still live on the client's platform today.
Knorr Switzerland
2019–2020ScopeRecipe development, food photography and social content for the product range made with 100% natural ingredients. Seven recipes in German and English, 82 images, plus sponsored Instagram posts.
- Google clicks per year
- 5,700+
- impressions per year
- 330,000+
- on Google, all 7 German pages
- Top 5
OutcomeSeven years after production, all 14 pages are still live and still delivering measurable search traffic.
Google Search Console, 4 to 31 July 2026, annualised.
See an example
Sage Appliances
2019–2021ScopeRecipe development, food and product photography and sponsored Instagram content for four product lines, from the Oracle Touch espresso machine and the Bluicer Pro to the Smart Oven Pizzaiolo and the Smart Oven Air Fryer. For the Pizzaiolo, Verena presented the appliance together with Sage at a press and blogger event. The Bluicer Pro was also used during recipe development for Verena's GU cookbook “Taste of Life”, and the book launch was accompanied by a joint giveaway across Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
- supported over three years
- 4 product lines
- Google clicks per year
- 1,800+
- average Google position
- Top 3
OutcomeA partnership spanning three years and four product lines. The recipes still rank at the top of Google seven years on.
Google Search Console, 5 July to 1 August 2026, annualised.
See an example
IKEA Switzerland
2018–2021ScopeFour campaigns covering interiors, garden, kitchen and Christmas, each published bilingually with original photography and styling, plus DIY guides and sponsored Instagram content including a takeover on the IKEA Switzerland channel.
- interiors, garden, kitchen, Christmas
- 4 campaigns
- originally produced
- 106+ photos
- working together
- 3 years
OutcomeSee an exampleThe work ran beyond her own blog. DIY guides and recipes appeared on IKEA's own website, and the family was featured in IKEA Family Magazine.
How we work together
- 01
Send an enquiry
Fill in the form. You will hear back within 1 business day.
- 02
Scope and quote
We settle goals, volume, usage rights and dates. You receive a written quote.
- 03
Production
Recipes, photos and videos are made in the studio in Bali.
- 04
Delivery
You receive the final files, ready to publish.
As seen in
Selected print features – click any page to enlarge.
Yoga AktuellMantraOriginThriveFujiFilmmyHealthPlantdVegan Easysister-magFree PeopleFarmyEMME
See all print features
FAQ
Recipe productions with Verena Frei start at €900 / $1,050 per recipe, editorial articles at €2,000 / $2,350. The full price list is in the Packages and starting prices section. The final price depends on volume, scope and usage rights.
No. Verena's focus is plant-forward cooking, but production covers every kind of diet. A book production with 50 recipes that includes fish and meat is under way right now.
The base price includes unlimited use on your own website and your organic social media channels. Print, paid advertising, full buyouts and exclusivity are invoiced separately.
Send your products to a local address within Switzerland or within Germany and we take care of the forwarding. Direct shipping to Bali is also possible and has already been done this way several times.
For a single recipe production, allow around 2 working days per recipe from the moment the concept is approved. Larger series and book projects run by arrangement.
Yes. All content is produced in German and English in the same production, with no surcharge on the photography.
Yes. Photography-only productions without recipe development are possible, as are licences from Verena's existing image archive.
Yes. Verena also writes guides and knowledge pieces without a recipe, on ingredients, nutrients and kitchen practice. They are a standing part of the offer.
Yes. Verena produces complete cookbooks, including recipe development, recipe texts and photography, from 50 recipes upwards.
Yes. Paid collaborations are always clearly labelled as advertising, on frei-style.com and on every other channel.
Verena replies to project enquiries within 1 business day.
Yes, where the product genuinely fits the piece. A placement in an existing article starts at €1,200, runs for 12 months and is marked as advertising. Links always carry a sponsored attribute, never a plain editorial one.
Enquire about a project
Tell me about your brand and what you have in mind. You will hear back within 1 business day.
Enquiries to [email protected]. Reply within one business day.
All prices as of July 2026, guide prices. Taxes, where applicable, are shown on the invoice.