What Luiten Food does

Luiten Food B.V. is a Dutch family-owned importer and exporter of meat, poultry, game, seafood, Ibérico pork, and plant-based products, headquartered in Leidschendam, Netherlands. Founded in 1938, the company operates more than 3,000 active articles and serves wholesale (groothandel), retail, butchers, poulterers, food service, industrial food processors, and cruise-line customers across more than 35 countries in Europe and beyond. The company maintains a multi-brand portfolio combining own brands (Lupoul cooked poultry, the Lumar family, Nature & Respect) with exclusive distribution of third-party brands (Angus Pure, Thomas Farms, Silver Fern Farms, Rio Platense, Rioplatense, LDC).

Since 2018 Luiten Food has been a subsidiary of Thomas Foods International, one of Australia's largest family-owned lamb and beef producers, and the Dutch entity operates commercially as Luiten Food – Thomas Foods Europa. The 2024 rebranding of Luiten Food UK to Thomas Foods UK illustrates continued integration into the parent's global brand architecture.

The technology and operations stack is built around cold-chain logistics and food safety: IFS broker, IFS food, and IFS logistics certifications underpin the offering, supplemented by Beter Leven, Bio, MSC, ASC, V-Label, and AEO compliance. The Flatskin sustainable vacuum packaging cuts plastic usage by up to 75% and is fully recyclable. A ~1,750-panel solar installation, phased in 2019 and 2021, generated roughly 40% of electricity consumption in 2022 and supported a 33% reduction in carbon intensity per kg of product sold over 2020-2022.

The business model is B2B sales-led, quote-based pricing, with private-label/private-brand manufacturing services and end-to-end logistics support including veterinary inspection handling, customs formalities, refrigerated air/sea freight, and specialized cruise-line ship-level order picking. Distribution is purely business-to-business; the company explicitly states it does not serve private consumers. Go-to-market relies on direct key-account sales, a multilingual website (Dutch, English, German, French, Italian), weekly newsletters, and active participation in major European food trade fairs (Anuga, TUTTOFOOD Milano, SIAL, Tavola Kortrijk).

Name

Luiten Food

Legal name

Luiten Food B.V.

Website

https://luitenfood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Luiten Food is a Dutch B2B importer and exporter (founded 1938) of meat, poultry, game, seafood, Ibérico pork, and plant-based products, serving wholesalers, retailers, butchers, cruise lines, and food service in more than 35 countries across 3,000+ SKUs. The company is a subsidiary of Australia's Thomas Foods International and operates as Luiten Food – Thomas Foods Europa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Meat, Poultry and Seafood Import/Export

NAICS

Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (424470), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers (424440)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seafood Wholesale (Fresh & Frozen) (AFAIADAD), Specialty Imported Foods Wholesale (AFAIAIAH), Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF), Game & Specialty Meats Wholesale (Venison, Bison, etc.) (AFAIADAG)

Keywords

• Meat import export
• Specialty meat distribution
• Poultry wholesale supply
• Seafood import services
• Private label meat

Headquarters

HQ city

Leidschendam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Meat, Poultry & Seafood: Import and export of wild game, poultry, lamb, beef, Ibérico, seafood and vega(n) products to food service, supermarkets, butchers and poulterers. Company carries more than 3000 articles across multiple product categories.
2. Private Label: Development and sale of proprietary brands including Lupoul (cooked poultry), Lumar, Lumar Excellent, Lumar Orient, and distribution of partner brands such as Thomas Farms, Silver Fern Farms, Angus Pure, and Nature & Respect

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Luiten Food imports and exports beef, lamb, game, exotic game, fish, seafood, Ibérico pork, poultry and vegetarian/vegan products, supplying more than 3,000 articles to wholesalers, butchers, poulterers, supermarkets, cruise lines and food processors across 35+ countries. As the European arm of Thomas Foods International since 2018, the company also develops proprietary brands (Lupoul, Lumar family, LDC) and offers private-label manufacturing, IFS-certified cold-chain logistics, customs formalities and temperature-controlled freight.

Product overview

Luiten Food is a meat, poultry, game, seafood, and plant-based food importer and exporter serving wholesale, retail, cruise, and industrial customers across 35+ countries. The company operates as a total supplier offering diverse product categories including beef, poultry, lamb, game, exotic game, seafood, and vegetarian/vegan products. Their portfolio comprises both supplier brands (Angus Pure, Thomas Farms, Silver Fern Farms, Lumar, Rio Platense, Nature & Respect) and proprietary brands (Lupoul for cooked poultry products). Services include private label manufacturing and comprehensive logistics solutions. Since 2018, Luiten Food has been part of Thomas Foods International, one of Australia's largest lamb and beef producers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Angus Pure: Angus beef brand, internationally awarded for grain-fed beef quality.
• Lumar
• Lumar Excellent
• Lumar Orient
• Lupoul
• Nature & Respect
• Rioplatense

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves customers in more than 35 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• OrbillionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 August 2022Partnership announced for cell-cultured Wagyu products. Luiten Food serves as European distribution partner for Orbillion's cultivated meat products.
• Ocean ChoiceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBrand partner for Canadian coquilles (Placopecten Magellanicus) sourced from the North Atlantic Ocean. Products are MSC-certified and flash-frozen within 45 minutes of catch.
• Asian Production PartnerscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCarefully selected partners and production sites in Asia for Lupoul brand cooked poultry products. Partners produce under strict quality standards with advanced cooking techniques.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vion Food Group: Dutch-headquartered meat producer and exporter with pork, beef and plant-based lines serving European retail, food service and industrial customers. Direct Dutch peer to Luiten Food's meat/poultry/seafood import-export and wholesale model.
• Hilton Food Group: UK-listed specialist meat product developer and supplier serving major European retailers with own-label and branded protein ranges. Comparable to Luiten Food in serving European B2B buyers with differentiated, certified specialty meat products and private label capabilities.
• Sysco Specialty (Brakes Group): Sysco-owned UK foodservice distribution business (formerly Brakes) delivering specialty meat, poultry and seafood to restaurants, hotels and cruise operators across Europe. Direct competitor for Luiten Food's foodservice and cruise channel business.

Broad incumbents

• Danish Crown: Danish farmer-owned cooperative and one of Europe's largest pork and beef processors, exporting globally. Significantly larger incumbent competing with Luiten Food across European meat wholesale and foodservice channels.
• Tönnies Group: German family-owned meat processor covering pork, beef and convenience proteins with significant European and international wholesale reach. Larger established player operating in the same meat distribution space as Luiten Food.
• Westfleisch: German meat cooperative processing and distributing beef, pork and veal across European retail, foodservice and industrial customers. Comparable in product mix and European B2B wholesale focus, but at substantially larger scale.
• Musgrave Group: Irish family-owned wholesale and food marketing group operating retail, foodservice and butchery brands across Ireland, UK and Spain. Overlaps with Luiten Food in European B2B meat distribution and own-brand/private label execution.
• El Pozo Alimentación: Spanish meat processor with vertically integrated pork, beef and prepared-meat operations supplying European retail and foodservice. Comparable as a European meat wholesaler with private label and branded capabilities similar to Luiten Food's portfolio.
• Tyson Foods: US-headquartered global protein major operating across beef, pork, chicken and prepared foods with European and international wholesale exposure via subsidiary brands. Much larger incumbent serving similar B2B foodservice and retail meat customers.
• Maruha Nichiro: Japanese seafood major with global catch, aquaculture and distribution operations. Comparable broad incumbent on the seafood side of Luiten Food's portfolio, especially relevant for MSC-certified fish and European seafood distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/luitenfood-thomasfoodseurope

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Luiten Food