Hellema
Hellema Hallum B.V. is a 160+ year-old Dutch industrial bakery in Hallum, Friesland, producing cookies, bars and bites under proprietary brands (Hellema, Smoeltjes, Sun Best, Twist Tarts) and private-label contracts for retailers and brand owners across 90+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1861
- HeadquartersHallum, Netherlands
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Hellema does
Hellema Hallum B.V. is a Netherlands-based industrial bakery founded in 1861 in Hallum, Friesland, producing cookies, bars and bites for both branded and private-label customers. The company operates a single hyper-modern production site on the Doniaweg in Hallum equipped with 100-metre belt ovens, automated packaging lines, and a recently commissioned automated warehouse (2021-2022). Its product portfolio spans multiple sub-brands — Hellema Brand, Sun Best, Smoeltjes (children's cookies), Twist Tarts, Hellema Speculoos, De Ruiter's Speculaas and Donuts — covering Dutch spiced cookies, peanut cookies, breakfast biscuits, pastry crisps, soft-baked bars, fibre bars and fruit biscuits. The firm has pioneered a paper-wrapper packaging solution, claimed as unique among Dutch bakeries, alongside solar-powered production infrastructure (740 panels saving 121,000 kg CO2/year).
The business operates as a B2B one-stop shop with three primary revenue streams: branded consumer products sold through retail, private-label contract manufacturing for international brands, and export sales via import and distribution partners reaching 90+ countries. Go-to-market is enterprise field-sales driven, supplemented by trade-show presence (ISM Cologne) and a proprietary digital engagement concept (Meet & Taste events). The company holds highest-level BRCGS and IFS certifications through unannounced audits, along with HACCP, RSPO, Rainforest Alliance, FSC and Fairtrade compliance, supplying quality-sensitive retail and brand clients.
Hellema remains a privately held family business, currently part of holding company Helfort BV, with the Hellema family represented on the board of directors (Gerrit and Hille Hellema, alongside Director Douwe de Vries, who assumed control in 1999). The company does not disclose revenue, has no external funding rounds, and operates with 251–500 employees (280 reported at the Hallum factory as of 2015). Customer concentration appears diversified across private-label brands, retail chains (including Albert Heijn and Kruidvat), and a global distributor network, though no formal revenue split is disclosed.
Hellema firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hellema
- Legal name
- Hellema Hallum B.V.
- Website
- https://hellema.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1861
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Hellema Hallum B.V. is a 160+ year-old Dutch industrial bakery in Hallum, Friesland, producing cookies, bars and bites under proprietary brands (Hellema, Smoeltjes, Sun Best, Twist Tarts) and private-label contracts for retailers and brand owners across 90+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hellema industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cookie and Biscuit Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118)
- SIC
- Cookies & Crackers (2052), Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pastry, Cakes & Tortes Manufacturing (AFAKAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Private Label & Contract Bakery Wholesale (AFAIAFAK)
Keywords
Where Hellema is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hallum
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Hellema business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Branded Product Sales: Sale of Hellema's own branded cookie products including Dutch Spiced Cookies, Speculoos, and other biscuit varieties through retail channels.
- Private Label Manufacturing: Manufacturing cookies, bars and bites for brands all over the world under private label arrangements. Hellema provides end-to-end service from product development to packaging.
- Export/Distribution: Products distributed internationally through import and distribution partners to over 90 countries worldwide.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Hellema product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hellema is a Dutch bakery manufacturer producing cookies, bars, and bites both as its own branded lines (Hellema, Sun Best, Smoeltjes, Hellema Speculoos, Twist Tarts, De Ruiter's Speculaas, Donuts) and as end-to-end private label products developed and packaged for international brands and retailers. Operating from a hyper-modern automated factory in Hallum since 1861, the company supplies products to over 90 countries through export partners, retail chain accounts, and dedicated private label contracts.
Product overview
Hellema is a Dutch bakery company founded in 1861, operating as a one-stop shop for cookies, bars, and bites. The company offers multiple branded product lines including Hellema Brand (cookies in over 90 countries), Sun Best (healthy fruit-based products), Smoeltjes (children's cookies), Twist Tarts (toastable cookies), and De Ruiter's Speculaas (traditional Dutch speculaas). Beyond branded products, Hellema provides private label manufacturing, retail solutions, export services, and portion packaging solutions. The portfolio spans diverse cookie formats including Peanut Cookies, Dutch Spiced Cookies, Chocolate Biscuits, Coconut Cookies, Speculoos products, Breakfast Biscuits, Pastry Crisps, Soft Baked Bars, Fibre Boost Bars, Fruit Biscuits, and Fruit Bars. Hellema operates as part of Helfort BV and serves markets in over 90 countries worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sun Best: Healthy sun-ripened cookies including breakfast biscuits, fruit bars, and fruit biscuits. Contains fibres and grains, made with natural ingredients.
- Hellema Brand
- Smoeltjes
- De Ruiter's Speculaas
- Donuts
- Hellema Speculoos
- Twist Tarts
Products and services
- Hellema Brand Cookies, Bars and Bites Core Hellema brand of cookies, bars and bites available in over 90 countries, including Dutch Spiced Cookies, Pastry Crisps, Crunchy Cookies, Fruit Bars, and Fourré Biscuits, sold to retailers and distribution partners.
- Sun Best
Quantifiable outcome
- Operates in over 90 countries worldwide
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hellema
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hellema technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Hellema partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hellema competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lotus Bakeries: Belgian maker of speculoos (Biscoff) cookies and spreads sold globally; directly overlaps with Hellema's speculoos cookies, spreads and toppings but at far larger scale.
- Bahlsen: Large German branded biscuit manufacturer selling cookies across Europe and beyond; a larger incumbent competing in Hellema's core sweet-biscuit category.
- Griesson - de Beukelaer: German cookie, cracker and bar manufacturer producing branded and private-label baked snacks, overlapping Hellema's cookies and bars portfolio at greater scale.
- pladis (McVitie's): Global biscuit and snacks group (McVitie's, Godiva) competing broadly in the sweet-biscuit category where Hellema operates, with far greater scale and marketing reach.
Direct peers
- Continental Bakeries: Dutch-headquartered private-label and branded biscuit manufacturer serving international retailers, closely mirroring Hellema's private-label cookie and biscuit model.
- Biscuit International: Leading European private-label sweet biscuit manufacturer supplying retailers across markets, directly comparable to Hellema's contract-manufacturing business.
- Poppies International: Belgian producer of biscuits and bite-sized bakery products for retail and private label internationally, overlapping Hellema's cookies and bites offering.
- Delacre: Belgian premium biscuit brand producing assorted cookies and chocolate biscuits for European retail, overlapping Hellema's branded biscuit assortments.
Regional players
- Merba: Dutch cookie and biscuit manufacturer focused on private-label and export cookies, directly comparable in product category, geography and business model to Hellema.
- Van der Meulen Bakeries: Dutch bakery producing rusks, toasts and biscuits for retail and private label, sharing Hellema's Netherlands base and private-label baked-goods focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hellema social profiles
Digital presenceHellema compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Hellema financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hellema leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Hellema funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hellema M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hellema
What does Hellema do?
Hellema is a Dutch bakery manufacturer producing cookies, bars, and bites both as its own branded lines (Hellema, Sun Best, Smoeltjes, Hellema Speculoos, Twist Tarts, De Ruiter's Speculaas, Donuts) and as end-to-end private label products developed and packaged for international brands and retailers. Operating from a hyper-modern automated factory in Hallum since 1861, the company supplies products to over 90 countries through export partners, retail chain accounts, and dedicated private label contracts.
Is Hellema a public or private company?
Hellema is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Hellema founded?
Hellema was founded in 1861. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Hellema based?
Hellema is headquartered in Hallum, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Hellema make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Branded Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are private Label Manufacturing and export/Distribution.
Who are Hellema's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lotus Bakeries, Bahlsen, Griesson - de Beukelaer and pladis (McVitie's). Direct peers are Continental Bakeries, Biscuit International, Poppies International and Delacre. Regional players are Merba and Van der Meulen Bakeries.
Does Hellema have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hellema.
What industry is Hellema in?
Hellema's product category is Cookie and Biscuit Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAAAB, Pastry, Cakes & Tortes Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFAIAFAK, Private Label & Contract Bakery Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 311821 and its SIC code is 2052.