Royal Wessanen
 | |
| Type | Naamloze vennootschap |
|---|---|
| Traded as | Euronext: WES |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1765 |
| Founder(s) | Adriaan Wessanen, Dirk Laan |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Key people |
Piet Hein Merckens (CEO) Frans Koffrie (Chairman of the supervisory board) Ronald Merckx (CFO) |
| Products | Natural, vegetarian, organic foods |
| Revenue | €706 million (2011)[1] |
| Profit |
 (€17.1 million) (2011)[1] |
| Total assets | €368.0 million (end 2011)[1] |
| Total equity | €166.1 million (end 2011)[1] |
| Employees | 1,998 (FTE, end 2011)[1] |
| Website | www.wessanen.com |
Royal Wessanen nv is a multinational food company with a focus on organic, founded and headquartered in the Netherlands. It has operations in Europe and North America. Worldwide it had approx 2,000 employees at the end of 2011, a year in which it reported a revenue of €706 million. Royal Wessanen is listed at Euronext Amsterdam.
History
'Wessanen en Laan' was founded in 1765 in Wormerveer by Adriaan Wessanen and Dirk Laan to trade in ‘Mustard, Canary and other seeds’. The company flourished as new uses were found for all sorts of seeds. It was helped by the contemporary popularity for keeping caged birds, particularly canaries. At the beginning of the 19th century, the landscape around the Zaan river was dominated by merchants’ houses, their warehouses and, most distinctively, their windmills. In the pre-industrial age, the windmills functioned as sophisticated processing plants, using wind power to crush, grind and mix all manner of ingredients. Wessanen was by the start of the 20th century a large company, and following the award of royal warrants it was now known as NV Wessanen Koninklijke Fabrieken (royal factories). With a diversified global sales market, it was able to survive war, tariff barriers and the demise of colonialism. But it was still a typically Dutch company, with production facilities on the Zaan River.
Activities
Wessanen is a leading company in the organic food market. It manages and develops brands and products in the grocery and health food channels. As well as being a market leader in organic foods, Wessanen also produces and markets frozen snacks in the Benelux and fruit drinks and cocktail mixers in the US.
In Europe Wessanen is, next to the Netherlands (Wessanen Benelux, Natudis, Foodprints, Kroon Biologische Verswaren), active in Belgium (Hagor-Bioservice), Germany (Allos GmbH, Tartex + Dr. Ritter GmbH and CoSa Naturprodukte GmbH), France (Distriborg Groupe), the United Kingdom (Kallo Foods, Clipper Tea) and Italy (Bio Slym).
Wessanen intends to leave the North American market, having sold its Tree of Life unit, part of the firm since 1985, to Chicago-based Kehe Food Distributors for $190 million in early 2010.[2] It concluded the €16.7 million sale of its bread products subsidiary Panos in December 2010[3] and is seeking to divest American Beverage Corporation in 2011.[4]
Board of directors
Executive board
- Piet Hein Merckens, CEO
- Ronald Merckx, CFO
Supervisory board
- Frans Koffrie, Chair
- Jo Hautvast
- Frank van Oers
- Ivonne Rietjens
- Marjet van Zuijlen
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Annual Report 2011". Royal Wessanen. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ↑ ten Wolde, Harro (23 December 2009). "Wessanen sells TOL unit for $190 mln, shares dive". Reuters. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- ↑ "Wessanen verkoopt Panos". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 20 December 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
- ↑ "BRIEF-Wessanen plans to complete Panos sale this summer-CEO". AFX News (CNBC). 14 April 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.