The Netherlands is one of Europe’s most important private label manufacturing hubs. It supplies supermarket chains across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the UK and Scandinavia.
Dutch manufacturers produce a wide range of private label products for major retailers, including:
- Beverages
- Meat and poultry
- Ready meals
- Bakery products
- Canned vegetables
- Snacks
- Plant-based foods
Private label plays a major role in the Dutch grocery market. Many Dutch manufacturers are export-focused. They produce for multiple European retail chains rather than only for the domestic market.
Because of this, several of Europe’s largest private label producers are headquartered or run major production facilities in the Netherlands.
This ranking lists the top 10 private label manufacturers in the Netherlands. It is based on company scale, private label production, supermarket supply and European retail presence. Revenue and employee figures are included where publicly available.
What is a private label manufacturer?
A private label manufacturer produces products sold under a retailer’s brand name rather than its own brand. In the supermarket industry, this includes products sold under brands such as Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, Aldi and the Superunie retail network.
Superunie is not a single supermarket chain. It is a purchasing organisation that represents several independent supermarket chains in the Netherlands, including Plus, Coop and Spar.
Private label manufacturers often supply products to these purchasing organisations. The organisations then distribute the products across multiple retail chains.
Private label manufacturers are a key part of the supermarket supply chain. Retailers rely on manufacturing partners for:
- Large-scale production
- Pricing control
- Consistent product quality across multiple categories
Top 10 Private Label Manufacturers in the Netherlands (2026)
| Rank | Company | Revenue | Employees | Main Private Label Categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Refresco | ~€8B+ | ~14,000 | Soft drinks, juices, beverages |
| 2 | Vion Food Group | ~€5B | ~12,000 | Meat, fresh & processed |
| 3 | Plukon Food Group | ~€3.5B | ~9,000 | Poultry, ready meals, alternative proteins |
| 4 | Zwanenberg Food Group | ~€600–700M | ~1,800 | Meat, canned food, ready meals |
| 5 | Coroos | ~€300M | ~600 | Canned vegetables, fruit |
| 6 | Continental Bakeries (Biscuit International) | ~€500M+ | ~2,000 | Biscuits, crispbread, breakfast products |
| 7 | Compaxo | Not publicly disclosed | ~700 | Meat products |
| 8 | SanoRice | ~€150M (est.) | ~250 | Rice cakes, snacks |
| 9 | Schouten Food | Not publicly disclosed | ~200 | Plant-based products |
| 10 | Aarts Conserven | Not publicly disclosed | ~150 | Canned vegetables, legumes |
Refresco
Refresco is the largest private label beverage manufacturer in Europe. It is also one of the largest beverage contract manufacturers in the world.
What it supplies
The company produces these drinks for retailers and beverage brands:
- Soft drinks
- Juices
- Energy drinks
- Bottled water
It runs production sites across Europe and North America and supplies retailers in multiple markets.
Why it matters to supermarket buyers
A significant share of supermarket own-brand beverages in Europe is produced by companies like Refresco. This makes it one of the most important private label beverage suppliers in the European retail supply chain.
Vion Food Group
Vion Food Group is one of Europe’s largest meat processors. It is a major supplier of private label meat products to supermarkets.
What it supplies
The company supplies fresh pork, beef and processed meat products to retail chains across the Netherlands and Germany.
Vion’s retail division focuses specifically on supermarket customers. It produces packaged meat and ready-to-cook products sold under retailer brands.
Why it matters to supermarket buyers
Meat remains one of the largest private label categories in European supermarkets. That makes Vion one of the most important suppliers in the region.
Plukon Food Group
Plukon Food Group is a major poultry and ready meal producer supplying European supermarkets. A large part of its production is sold under private label through retail chains across multiple countries.
Key facts
In recent years, Plukon has also invested in alternative proteins and plant-based products. This reflects changing consumer demand and the growth of plant-based private label ranges in European supermarkets.
This has expanded the company’s role beyond poultry into the broader protein category.
Zwanenberg Food Group
Zwanenberg Food Group serves retail and foodservice markets. It produces:
- Meat products
- Canned food
- Soups
- Sauces
- Ready meals
Key facts
The company strengthened its private label convenience food business by buying Struik Foods Europe. This expanded its position in soups and ready meals.
Zwanenberg supplies retailers across Europe and North America. It is one of the Netherlands’ major private label producers in canned and convenience food categories.
Coroos
Coroos is one of the largest producers of canned vegetables, fruit and pulses in the Netherlands. It focuses heavily on private label production and supplies supermarkets and foodservice companies across Europe.
Why it matters to supermarket buyers
Shelf-stable food such as canned vegetables and fruit remains an important private label category for supermarkets. The reasons are:
- Long shelf life
- Stable demand
- Strong price positioning compared to branded products
Continental Bakeries (Biscuit International)
Continental Bakeries, now part of Biscuit International, is a major European producer of biscuits, crispbread and breakfast products. Much of its production is private label for supermarket retailers across Europe.
Bakery products, biscuits and breakfast items are large private label categories in European supermarkets. Continental Bakeries is one of the largest suppliers in this segment.
Compaxo
Compaxo is a Dutch meat processing company. It supplies cooked meats, sliced meats and meat preparations to supermarkets and foodservice customers.
The company produces private label meat products for retail and is part of the Dutch supermarket meat supply chain.
Private label sliced meat and packaged meat products are core supermarket categories. That makes companies like Compaxo important suppliers to the retail sector.
SanoRice
SanoRice is the world’s largest private label producer of rice cakes and multigrain cakes. The company produces mainly private label products and exports to many international retail markets.
Healthy snacks and rice cakes are a strong private label category in Europe. SanoRice is a category specialist supplying a large number of retailers across multiple countries.
Schouten Food
Schouten Food produces plant-based meat alternatives and vegetarian products. Much of this is produced for private label retail.
Plant-based private label products have grown quickly in European supermarkets as retailers expand vegetarian and vegan ranges.
Manufacturers like Schouten play an important role in this fast-growing private label category.
Aarts Conserven
Aarts Conserven produces canned vegetables, legumes and ready-to-eat shelf-stable products.
The company supplies private label canned food to supermarkets and foodservice companies. It operates in the shelf-stable food segment.
It is smaller than companies like Coroos. Even so, Aarts Conserven is a known private label supplier and part of the Dutch canned food production sector.
Why the Netherlands is a Private Label Manufacturing Hub
The Netherlands has become a major private label production hub for three reasons:
- A strong agricultural base
- A large food processing industry
- An advanced logistics network
Dutch factories can supply supermarkets across Europe quickly and efficiently through major ports and distribution networks.
Many Dutch manufacturers are export-focused and produce for retailers in multiple countries. This export structure has helped them grow into large international suppliers. They have become key partners for European supermarket chains.
Private label is expected to keep growing across Europe. Supermarkets are expanding their own-brand ranges and investing in price-competitive product lines across multiple categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the largest private label manufacturer in the Netherlands?
Refresco ranks first, with revenue of ~€8B+ and ~14,000 employees. It is the largest private label beverage manufacturer in Europe.
What is Superunie?
Superunie is a purchasing organisation, not a single supermarket chain. It represents several independent Dutch supermarket chains, including Plus, Coop and Spar.
Why is the Netherlands a private label manufacturing hub?
It has a strong agricultural base, a large food processing industry and an advanced logistics network. Dutch factories can supply supermarkets across Europe quickly through major ports and distribution networks.
Conclusion
The Dutch private label manufacturing sector includes some of the largest food production companies in Europe. It also includes specialised manufacturers focused on specific product categories.
Companies such as Refresco, Vion, Plukon and Zwanenberg operate at large industrial scale. Companies such as SanoRice, Schouten and Coroos operate as category specialists serving the growing private label market in Europe.
Together, these companies form a critical part of the European supermarket supply chain. They produce private label food and beverages sold across major retail markets. They also supply many of the supermarkets in the Netherlands and wider European retail networks.
As private label keeps growing across Europe, Dutch manufacturers are expected to remain key production partners for retailers expanding their own-brand ranges.
Editor’s Note: This article is based on publicly available company information, annual reports, company websites and industry data related to private label food manufacturing in the Netherlands and Europe. Revenue figures are approximate where companies are privately owned and do not publish full financial results.
The ranking is based on company scale, private label production activity, category importance and supply to European supermarket chains. The list focuses on manufacturers producing private label food and beverage products for retail rather than brand-only manufacturers.
