H&S Group
H&S Group is a Dutch family-owned logistics company specializing in transportation of liquid foodstuffs across Europe. Acquired by Royal Den Hartogh Logistics in March 2024, it now operates as the acquirer's Liquid Food business unit.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1946
- HeadquartersBarneveld, Netherlands
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What H&S Group does
H&S Group was a Dutch family-owned logistics company headquartered in Barneveld, Netherlands, specializing in the transportation of liquid foodstuffs across Europe. Founded in 1946, the company operated with 251-500 employees and was recognized as a leader in liquid foodstuffs transport on the continent. Its service portfolio spanned cold storage, cleaning, transport, and integrated logistics solutions for the European food industry, with a horizontal segmentation approach targeting food-industry customers requiring safe, specialized, and regulatory-compliant handling of liquid food products. The company was led by owner Ubbo Hempenius and CEO Stefan Heintjes, with an Advisory Board providing governance.
On 15 March 2024, H&S Group was acquired by Royal Den Hartogh Logistics, a larger Dutch family-owned global logistics group specializing in transportation for the chemical, gas, and food industries. H&S and Den Hartogh had collaborated on joint projects since 2001, and the acquisition was framed by both parties as a strategic combination of two family businesses with shared values around safety, transparency, personal development, and respect. Following the deal, H&S Group became Den Hartogh's fifth business unit — Liquid Food — sitting alongside existing Liquid (chemicals), Gas, Global (tank container transport), and Dry Bulk units. The Cleaning & Filling business unit in Barneveld was excluded from the transaction and retained by owner Ubbo Hempenius. The combined entity aims to deliver a unique and comprehensive global service package, with H&S's liquid food expertise and European customer base complementing Den Hartogh's existing 25+ country footprint spanning Europe, APAC, and the Americas. Revenue model details, pricing structure, and customer-level concentration are not publicly disclosed.
H&S Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- H&S Group
- Legal name
- H&S Group
- Website
- https://hs-group.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1946
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- H&S Group is a Dutch family-owned logistics company specializing in transportation of liquid foodstuffs across Europe. Acquired by Royal Den Hartogh Logistics in March 2024, it now operates as the acquirer's Liquid Food business unit.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
H&S Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Liquid Food Logistics / Bulk Liquid Transport
- NAICS
- Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage (493120)
- SIC
- Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food & Beverage Cold Storage (Fresh/Chilled) (TLALABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Chilled/Refrigerated Food Warehousing (0–5°C) (AFAOAFAD)
Keywords
Where H&S Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barneveld
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
H&S Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
H&S Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
H&S Group delivers cold storage, cleaning, transport and logistic services, with the core focus on specialized transportation of liquid foodstuffs across Europe. Following the March 2024 acquisition by Royal Den Hartogh Logistics, the unit operates as the "Liquid Food" business unit, complementing Den Hartogh's existing Liquid (chemicals), Gas, Global and Dry Bulk service lines.
Product overview
H&S Group operates as a logistics company specializing in the transportation of liquid foodstuffs in Europe. Following its acquisition by Royal Den Hartogh Logistics in March 2024, H&S became Den Hartogh's fifth business unit (Liquid Food), joining four other units: Liquid (liquid chemicals), Gas (liquefied gases), Global (global tank container transport), and Dry Bulk (dry bulk chemicals and food). H&S's core offering is specialized transport services for liquid food products, complementing Den Hartogh's existing portfolio of chemical, gas, and food logistics services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Liquid Food Transportation Specialized transportation services for liquid foodstuffs across Europe using tank container transport infrastructure, complemented by cleaning and cold storage capabilities; serves food-industry customers requiring food-grade logistics, regulatory compliance and product integrity.
- Cold Storage Services Temperature-controlled storage for liquid food products, supporting the company's liquid foodstuff transportation offering and ensuring product integrity throughout the supply chain.
- Cleaning and Filling Services Cleaning and filling of food-grade containers/equipment historically operated from Barneveld; retains independent ownership following its exclusion from the Den Hartogh transaction.
Companies that use H&S Group
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
H&S Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
H&S Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Royal Den Hartogh LogisticscoreRoyal Den Hartogh Logistics acquired H&S Group on March 15, 2024. Ubbo Hempenius, owner of H&S Group, and Pieter den Hartogh, Group Managing Director of Royal Den Hartogh Logistics, signed the agreement. H&S becomes the fifth business unit of Den Hartogh alongside Liquid, Gas, Global and Dry Bulk. The acquisition encompasses all business units and joint ventures of H&S Group, with exception of the Cleaning & Filling business unit in Barneveld. Both are internationally operating Dutch family businesses with a rich history and collaborative projects dating back to 2001.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
H&S Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ewals Cargo Care: Dutch intermodal liquid and dry bulk logistics specialist with European deep-sea and road operations. Comparable to H&S in liquid bulk transport model and similar European customer footprint.
- Royal Den Hartogh Logistics: Strategic acquirer of H&S Group and operator of the Liquid Chemicals, Liquefied Gases, Dry Bulk, and Global tank container business units. Operates the same tank-container/road transport model for liquid bulk that H&S applies to liquid food, making it the closest direct comparable in fleet, customer base, and operating model.
- De Rijke: Rotterdam-based liquid bulk logistics group (road, intermodal, storage) serving chemical and food customers across Europe. Comparable to H&S in fleet-based liquid bulk operations and food-industry exposure.
- Hoyer Group: Hamburg-based family-owned logistics specialist in liquid bulk (chemicals and food-grade) by road, rail, and deep-sea tank container. Closely comparable to H&S in combining food-grade liquid transport with broader bulk liquid capabilities across Europe.
- Van den Bosch Transporten: Dutch family-owned bulk liquid logistics provider specializing in food and chemical transport across Europe. Direct Dutch competitor to H&S with overlapping liquid-food customer base and multimodal bulk capability.
- Bertschi Group: Swiss family-owned logistics group active in chemical and food-grade liquid bulk via tank containers, road, rail, and inland shipping. Comparable to H&S in liquid-food-grade tank operations and pan-European reach.
Broad incumbents
- VTG AG: European rail freight and tank-container leasing/logistics operator active in chemical and food-grade liquid transport. Comparable to H&S in liquid bulk logistics but with a broader portfolio spanning rail wagon leasing and dry bulk as well.
- Stolt-Nielsen: Global leader in bulk liquid chemicals and food-grade liquid transport via tank containers, terminals, and ships. Comparable to H&S at the food/chemical liquid bulk intersection, but operates at significantly larger global scale and is publicly listed.
- Dachser: Large European road logistics and contract logistics group with a dedicated Food Logistics business line. Comparable to H&S in European food-industry logistics and food-grade handling capability, but as a broad incumbent across multiple product categories.
- Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight forwarder with dedicated cold-chain and food logistics services. Comparable to H&S at the food-industry logistics overlap, but as a broad incumbent serving multiple verticals and modes rather than a specialist liquid-bulk operator.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
H&S Group social profiles
Digital presenceH&S Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
H&S Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
H&S Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
H&S Group 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 H&S Group
What does H&S Group do?
H&S Group delivers cold storage, cleaning, transport and logistic services, with the core focus on specialized transportation of liquid foodstuffs across Europe. Following the March 2024 acquisition by Royal Den Hartogh Logistics, the unit operates as the "Liquid Food" business unit, complementing Den Hartogh's existing Liquid (chemicals), Gas, Global and Dry Bulk service lines.
Is H&S Group a public or private company?
H&S Group is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was H&S Group founded?
H&S Group was founded in 1946. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is H&S Group based?
H&S Group is headquartered in Barneveld, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
Who are H&S Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ewals Cargo Care, Royal Den Hartogh Logistics, De Rijke, Hoyer Group, Van den Bosch Transporten and Bertschi Group. Broad incumbents are VTG AG, Stolt-Nielsen, Dachser and Kuehne+Nagel.
Does H&S Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for H&S Group.
What industry is H&S Group in?
H&S Group's product category is Liquid Food Logistics / Bulk Liquid Transport. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLALABAA, Food & Beverage Cold Storage (Fresh/Chilled), with a secondary code of AFAOAFAD, Chilled/Refrigerated Food Warehousing (0–5°C). Its NAICS code is 493120 and its SIC code is 4220.