Krauter

Machine-translated from the German article

Krauter or Krauterer – usually preceded by “kleiner” (“small”) – is a derogatory term for a small craft business or company that fails to keep pace with technical and economic development. The term comes from the idiom of traveling journeymen and referred to the master craftsman with whom they lived and worked for board and lodging, the board usually consisting of cabbage (Kraut). According to another derivation given in the Südhessisches Wörterbuch, a Krauter is a man who accomplishes nothing but gathering Kraut – here meaning the weeds growing at the roadside – and feeding it to his small livestock.