History

In 1929, Theodorus Sebastianus van der Laan, the founding father of the group, started his meat factory in The Hague.

After the Second World War, the meat factory then known as Vleeswarenfabriek Th.S. van der Laan started exporting meat preserves. Originally, there was a strong focus on the United States and United Kingdom, with products such as hams and luncheon meat. During the 1960s and 1970s, exports were expanded to dozens of countries worldwide, thanks to the enterprising nature of the Managing Director/owner at that time, Mr. A.M. (Aat) van der Laan.

Early in the 1980s, the group management decided to move the head offices from Leidschendam to Almelo; a preserves factory was started in Almelo in 1983. Besides expanding the range of preserves, the group also chose to undertake extra investments in the deli meats product group.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Zwanenberg bought up abattoirs, in order to be sure of the supply of its most important raw material: meat. These abattoirs, in Doetinchem and Lievelde among other places, were sold to the former Dumeco in 2001, as Zwanenberg wished to further expand on its core activities (deli meats, preserves and specialty products).

Zwanenberg Food Group is always looking for activities which offer added value. Various companies were taken over in the Netherlands between 1981 and the present day, usually with their own production facilities. These companies were then professionally integrated with other branches, in order to guarantee optimum efficiency and quality.

In 1996, the company acquired the Zwanenberg and Zwan brand names, which was to strongly boost the group exports once again, especially in the Middle East and Africa. In that same year, Zwanenberg also became licensed to produce pâté and deli meats under the Linera brand name. Huls, a dried sausage specialist, was taken over in 1998, followed by Hooymans (tongue and liver specialities, 1999), Offerman (1999), Kraak (sliced deli meats), Boekos (snacks, now known as Taste Original Food Concepts, 2001), CMP (cooked meats and meal components, 2003), ANUR Halal food (2005) and De Eendracht (tongue products, 2008).

In 2005, the Zwanenberg board of directors decided that local production in the United States was a better idea than exporting, for a number of reasons (including a favourable market, import restrictions and the low dollar rate). A meat preserves factory was built in Cincinnati in record time. The American preserves activities of Tyson were taken over in 2007 and a sales office opened in Romania. On another continent, Australia, Zwanenberg bought the Plumrose brand from Simplot in June 2008.

By now, Zwanenberg Food Group has grown to be a successful, very international company with turnover of € 350 million and its own sales offices in the Benelux, the United States, the United Kingdom, Romania and Australia.