What Alberts does

Alberts NV is a Belgian FoodTech company founded in 2015 by Glenn Mathijssen, Stefan Maas, and Hans Simillion, headquartered in Wijnegem, Belgium. The company designs, manufactures, and operates Alberts One, a patented modular robotic platform that transforms individually quick-frozen (IQF) ingredients into fresh smoothies, soups, frappés, shakes, and — with the v1.2 release — hot meals including pasta, rice, and noodle bowls. Each unit operates autonomously, self-cleans after every order, produces a serving in under two minutes, and connects via IoT to a cloud platform that supports remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, and a companion consumer mobile app for recipe personalization via QR code ordering.

The business sells hardware to B2B operators (corporate offices, universities, hospitals, retail, entertainment venues, and government facilities) under a quote-based, multi-year contract model, then layers recurring revenue from proprietary ingredients supply, spare parts, and software/dashboard subscriptions. The deployed fleet of more than 30 machines spans six countries and serves enterprise customers including Decathlon, Kinepolis, Sodexo, Orange, Carrefour, AZ Monica, NHS, Parques Reunidos, Therme, Danone, and the Flemish government. The company is pursuing international scale through Master Concession Holders (large vending operators with 1,000+ machine fleets) in seven additional European markets.

Alberts has been thinly capitalized relative to its ambitions, with only a ~$427K EIT Food round disclosed in 2020. In April 2026, Circus SE (XETRA:CA1), a publicly listed Munich-based AI robotics firm, signed a binding agreement to acquire Alberts via an all-share transaction with a 30-month lock-up, expected to close by the end of Q2 2026. Circus has separately disclosed 500 firm orders and 8,000+ pre-orders tied to the combined platform, alongside a €50 million asset-backed bond facility via FINEXITY AG for sale-and-leaseback financing of deployed units.

Name

Alberts

Legal name

Alberts NV

Website

https://alberts.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alberts NV is a Belgian FoodTech company that builds and sells Alberts One, a patented modular robotic platform that autonomously prepares fresh smoothies, soups, shakes, and hot meals from frozen ingredients for B2B operators in corporate, healthcare, retail, and public-sector settings across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Food Robotics

NAICS

Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141), Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing (311411)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Prepared Foods & Meals Manufacturing (AFAKACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Fruit & Vegetable Processing (IQF, Frozen Blends) (AFAKAFAG), Frozen Fruits & Vegetables Manufacturing (AFAKACAF), Filling & Dosing Machines (Liquid/Powder/Solid) (IMAHAOAF)

Keywords

• Autonomous food robotics
• Smoothie vending machines
• Automated food service
• Robotic blending stations
• Fresh blend technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Wijnegem

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of Alberts One autonomous blending stations to B2B operators. Machines are designed for reliability and scalability with patented robotic architecture.
2. Ingredients Supply: Recurring revenue from supplying frozen natural ingredients through a sustainable zero-waste supply chain. Partners receive standardized, high-quality ingredients ensuring consistent quality.
3. Spare Parts: Ongoing revenue from spare parts supply to partners to guarantee long-term uptime and predictable operations.
4. Software & Digital Services: Remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, operator dashboard insights, and marketing/rewarding tools through the Alberts platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Alberts designs, manufactures, and sells the Alberts One autonomous food robotics platform, which transforms frozen IQF ingredients into fresh smoothies, soups, frappés, shakes, and (with the v1.2 modular upgrade) pasta, rice, and noodle bowls in under two minutes. The hardware is paired with a consumer-facing mobile app for personalized recipes and a cloud-based operator dashboard, and is delivered as a vertically integrated offering of machine, ingredients, spare parts, and digital services to B2B operators across corporate, healthcare, education, retail, and vending settings.

Product overview

Alberts is a Belgian FoodTech company specializing in autonomous food robotics. The product portfolio centers on Alberts One, a modular platform featuring patented autonomous dispensing and blending technology. The platform comes in multiple configurations: Blend Station (smoothies, soups, frappés, shakes), Meal Station (pasta, rice, noodle bowls), and standalone Combo/Smoothie/Soup stations. A companion mobile app enables consumers to create custom recipes via QR code ordering. The system uses frozen IQF ingredients to produce fresh beverages and meals in under 2 minutes with zero food waste.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alberts One: The modular Alberts One v1.2 platform with two configurations: Blend Station (smoothies, soups, frappés) and Meal Station (pasta, rice, noodle bowls).
• Alberts App

Products and services

• Alberts One Flagship modular autonomous food robotics platform that transforms frozen IQF ingredients into fresh smoothies, soups, frappés, shakes, and (in Meal Station configuration) pasta, rice, and noodle bowls in under 2 minutes, with patented dispensing and blending technology and self-cleaning capability. Sold to B2B operators across corporate, healthcare, education, retail, and vending settings.
• Alberts One Blend Station Configuration of the Alberts One platform producing smoothies, soups, frappés, and shakes via a flexible cartridge system supporting multiple ingredients and recipe categories. Designed for B2B operators seeking a fresh-blend automated offering.
• Alberts One Meal Station New configuration of the Alberts One v1.2 platform producing hot pasta, rice, and noodle bowls from frozen ingredients on the same hardware as the Blend Station, enabling operators to adapt to location demand. Targeted at B2B operators in offices, campuses, hospitals, and public spaces.
• Combo Station Full Alberts One configuration supporting smoothies, soups, and shakes from up to 10 different ingredients in a single machine, for B2B operators needing the broadest recipe range.
• Smoothie Station Compact Alberts One configuration focused on smoothies and shakes, designed for space-constrained B2B environments with minimal footprint.
• Soup Station Alberts One configuration dedicated to producing hot soups, part of the modular Alberts One system for B2B operators.
• Alberts App Consumer-facing mobile app for iOS and Android that lets users create personalized smoothie and soup recipes, scan a QR code at the blending station to transfer the order, save favorites, and activate promo codes. Described as the first app in the world enabling users to design their own smoothie or soup recipe to fit personal taste and dietary needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Payback period as short as 9 months for operators
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AlprocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Alpro demonstrating how high-traffic locations can be leveraged to convert passing visitors into engaged consumers. Creates meaningful brand experiences at the point of interaction, enabling companies to increase awareness, drive trial, and build lasting relationships with target audiences.
• TelevendcoreTechnology or IntegrationTelevend integrated with Alberts platform. Business essentials are visible in the Televend system, allowing operators to manage their business through integrated dashboards while accessing Alberts-specific marketing and rewarding tools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cafe X Technologies: Operates robotic coffee bars in airports, malls, and offices. Comparable autonomous beverage/food kiosk deployment model with enterprise and transit-channel focus.
• Karakuri: UK-based food robotics company developing automated systems for assembling fresh, hot meals at scale. Comparable in offering modular robotic meal assembly to enterprise food-service customers.
• Yo-Kai Express: Operates autonomous ramen, udon, and pho vending kiosks in airports, malls, and offices. Direct competitor in the autonomous hot-meal/robotic vending category with comparable placement in transit and enterprise locations.
• Circus SE: Munich-based AI robotics company (XETRA:CA1) that has signed a binding agreement to acquire Alberts. Circus operates its own autonomous meal-prep robot (CA-1) targeting €265K per unit with €50M FinExity-backed bond financing, making it the closest direct comparable in autonomous food robotics.
• Picnic (Picnic Works): Netherlands-based automated food-assembly technology provider for pizzerias and high-volume kitchens. Comparable modular automated food-prep platform targeting enterprise food-service operators.
• Blendid: US-based autonomous smoothie robot operator using a fully enclosed kiosk with app-based ordering and robotic blending. Direct competitor in the autonomous smoothie category with a similar product-led, B2B placement model.
• Chowbotics (Sally, by Sweetgreen): Robotic salad and grain-bowl dispenser (Sally) acquired by Sweetgreen. Direct comparable in fresh-food robotic vending targeting workplace, healthcare, and university settings.
• Spyce (Sweetgreen Infinite Kitchen): MIT-origin robotic kitchen (acquired by Sweetgreen) that assembles fresh bowls using automated dispensers and cookers. Closely comparable architecture to Alberts' Meal Station concept for pasta/rice/noodle bowls.

Broad incumbents

• Jamba: Large US smoothie franchise chain that has experimented with tech-enabled and automated smoothie kiosks. Comparable smoothie category positioning but as a broad incumbent brand rather than a robotics specialist.

Emerging players

• Richtech Robotics: US-listed (NASDAQ:RR) robotics company developing service robots for food and beverage, including barista, beverage, and delivery robots. Adjacent emerging player in food-service robotics with overlapping technology and channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/albertsliving
• Facebookfacebook.com/albertsliving
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/18146822

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alberts